Wednesday, June 02, 2010

ETHIOPIAN BOHO-SOUL SINGER & CULTURAL ACTIVIST , MISS MEKLIT HADERO!



Love the naturel of this pic... her full lips, big eyes..she's just herself...no hiding:)




HAPPY MONTH OF JUNE EVERYBODY:)

Can you believe that we are half way through the year 2010 already?
I can't! I can't "croire" that senior high scholars in Dakar will have to go through the dreaded yet exciting period of the bacaulaureate exam and its results:)..Anywhooo I hope that you guys are all doing great and enjoying the nice weather..
I have plenty of things and people I would like to talk about with y'all so let's go:)
"I LIKE SIMPLE THINGS, I LIKE SIMPLE THINGS"
Meklit Hadero
I believe that this line describes our boho-ethiopian cultural activist, Miss Meklit Hadero.
She resides in the artsy city of San Francisco but kept her" New York state of mind" and great sense of Ethiopian pride which lead her to found a collective of Ethiopian artists residing in North America called the "Arba Minch Collective". Education and knowledge are important to this former Yale political studies student. Listening to her talk one can tell that she's a deep thinker, a philosopher if I may say.She reflects on how to be a plus to the society and community around her through her passion for the arts. She was picked to be a TED fellow which gave her the opportunity to meet and share ideas and ideals with a group of scientists, artists, ONG leaders.



I'm impressed by the natural manner she presents herself; not much make up, her signature colorful flower in her nappy fro, jeans ,a top and "she's good to go". It takes courage to just be you , Miklet def' embodies that, she makes life seems so easy.
Her musical style is a mix of jazz, folk sound, meaningful and personal history, when I listened to a few of her songs she reminded me of the great singers of the 50's ara, she also reminded me of the honesty of artists like India A. , Ayo, Sarah M.(by the way where is she?:)


Even though she knew at an early age that she could sing Meklit didn't find the courage to become a singer until one evening spent at the Red Poppy Art House which changed her life. I've never been to this artsy place but reading about it just makes me wannna go there and experience what Meklit experienced that night. Matter of fact if you ever are in the Frisco area ,stop by you may come out of there with a new respect for the arts form.
It wasn't easy breaking the news to her Immigrant parents that she wanted to become a singer, but they finally accepted her decision and today attend her shows with great pride.

With the multicultural band "Nefasha Ayer" made up of a diverse group of accomplished local SF musicians, this poetic artist explores the notion of culture and how no matter what culture we come from, we are all one, we are all connected through the universe if we allow it.On her latest cd "On a Day like this" it seems as if she's really living her musical journey the most honest way possible, surrounding herself with people who dig the arts for the love of the arts. Her music is inspired by nature, her love for various cities, space, culture..her perception of life basically.


Check out her webbie for tour dates and more info about this beautiful lady:
http://www.meklithadero.com/
By the way NPR conducted a great interview with her,check it out HERE

I added her song "Walk up" to the playlist..enjoy:)

Djaa My Ethiopian sisters sont dedans aussi:)
Eyee Wayee:)

1 comment:

Kamana Innocent said...

last days been searching for songs like this. thanks you very much