By John Goddard | Toronto Star
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VIDEO: One of Kemer Yousuf’s latest songs that have made him popular. Nice music, but poor video and terrible choreography
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TORONTO, CANADA – Kemer Yousef, who escaped Ethiopia on foot with nothing 24 years ago, has scored an unprecedented video hit with Nabek, a seven-track DVD showing him singing from a yacht in Toronto Harbour and dancing on the steps of Casa Loma. Clamour for his return has become so great that the central government [a political ploy by the hated dictatorial regime] is helping to arrange a six-concert homecoming tour that opens Dec. 7 at Ethiopia’s largest indoor venue – Addis Ababa’s 20,000-seat Millennium Hall.
For Kemer Yousef the tour in Ethiopia means seeing his family for the first time since he escaped across the desert to Somalia at the age of 20. His mother is in her 70s. His father is 103.
The tour also means singing to former enemies.
Kemer belongs to the Oromo ethnic majority, long oppressed by successive ruling minorities, who are now as swept up by the pop phenomenon as anybody else. [What a crock!]
“Ethiopia has more than 70 ethnic groups and languages,” tour co-producer Bumiden Abdul Wahab explains by phone from the city of Adama [Nazareth]. “Normally people only listen to their own music, follow their own traditions. [Not necessarily true.]
“Kemer shook up the country,” he says. “He broke the barrier. Every time you turn on the radio – in whatever language – you hear his music.
“If you ask 10 people, at least nine have his CD.”
Kemer is a broad-shouldered man with a magnetic grin and a warm, tender way of expressing himself.
He grew up in an oral and singing culture in the village of Golu, near the town of Deder, in east-central Ethiopia. Villagers had enough to eat, he says. The famine regions lay elsewhere.
But throughout his childhood, the successive governments of Emperor HaileSelassie and Mengistu Haile Mariam relentlessly persecuted the Oromo. [The current dictator, Meles Zenawi, is the worst of all. He has turned Ethiopia into a large prison camp for Oromos, according to his own former defense minister. Kemer owes his fans to point out this tragic fact.]
“You cannot even call yourself Oromo,” Kemer says of the HaileSelassie period. “If you dress as Oromo, if you write Oromo language, you will be killed.” [This is a bullshit lie. HaileSelassie was not like that. He is half Oromo himself.]
Of the Mengistu period, he says: “I remember one night when they came and took my uncle and for no reason they shot him in front of the door. [The Meles dictatorship is committing genocide in some parts of the country. Why do you leave that out?]
“You cannot even grieve and not even scream,” Kemer says.
“If you scream, if you cry, they will kill you. Then they ask (your family) to pay for the bullet you get killed with.”
In 1984, Golu’s elders pooled their resources to help their young people escape. Thousands of people mobilized and with dozens of classmates Kemer caught a ride east to the rallying point of Jijiga.
He joined a camel caravan of about 200 people on a three-day march to the border. Most died on the way. Snakes killed some. Bandits killed many others, stole their animals, and raped and abducted many of the women, leaving 37 survivors.
In 1987, after much suffering, Kemer made it to Toronto. He now lives in the St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood.
“I have a song in my language,” he recalled several years ago on CBC Radio’s Global Village.
“I say, ‘Thank you, Canada, for wiping my tears, for listening to my cry, for reaching for me with a long hand, far away in Africa, and giving me this opportunity to be a human being, to be somebody, to sing again for others.'”
Throughout the hard times, music remained important to Kemer. In refugee camps, he made up songs about refugee life. At a transient center in Rome, he sang as he mopped floors.
In Toronto, after learning English and taking an electronics course, he assembled a band from musicians he met mostly in subway stations.
In 1993, he found a role model. Ali Birra, the only Ethiopian Oromo star of the 1960s and 1970s, moved to Toronto.
“Ali Birra is a reference singer for all Oromo people,” says French musicologist Francis Falceto, the brains behind Ethiopiques, a hit world-music CD series mining the best of that golden era.
“I didn’t give Kemer much help, really,” Birra says at home in Pickering, where he now lives.
“He’s a very good learner. He watches. He picks things up and improves them.”
Kemer developed a niche, playing Oromo political and social events in Atlanta, Denver, Seattle, Minneapolis, Dallas and Washington, D.C. He played in Australia and travelled to Amsterdam, Oslo, Frankfurt and Rome. He married an Oromo woman he met in Munich.
He constantly innovated. Instead of standing still like most Ethiopian singers, he danced and ran. To enhance melodies, he mixed pentatonic and diatonic scales – “like Kenny G,” he says.
For the homecoming tour, he trained three Caucasian Toronto female dancers – Jennifer Dallas, Elisha MacMillan and Yaelle Wittes – to dance Oromo-style and sing backup lines.
“People are so excited,” he says. “They want to see how Canadian girls can dance Shaggoyyee, Ragada, Gattumi and Skista.”
In 1997, Kemer’s brother Redwan escaped to Kenya. Kemer got him to Canada. Within weeks Redwan landed a job in a variety store at Weston Rd. and Lawrence Ave., and on his first day at the cash register two thieves walked in and shot him in the back. He survived but remains traumatized.
“The bullet followed me from Africa,” Kemer says fatalistically.
About five years ago, Ethiopian Prime Minister dictator Meles Zenawi opened a dialogue with expatriate Oromo communities in Europe and North America. [This is a lie. Within the past 3 weeks alone, over 94 politicians and journalists from the Oromo ethnic group were rounded up and thrown in jail by the Meles regime.]
“The system changed, the people changed, I changed,” Kemer says of his broader themes in recent years of love between men and women, love for humankind, and love for Ethiopian village life. [The system changed?]
The changes brought a new infectiousness and universality to his songs, and opened him to the new, mass audience.
John Goddard is accompanying Kemer Yousef on his homecoming tour to Ethiopia. Follow their journey in the Star’s Entertainment section.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a good propaganda piece for the Woyanne dictatorship by the Toronto Star reporter John Goddard. Shame on Kemer for allowing himself to be used like this. He didn’t have to praise the blood thirsty Woyanne junta in order for him to go to Ethiopia and sing. The things he said about Atse HaileSelassie is far from the truth. HaileSelassie had many weaknesses, but being racist was not one of them. The fact that Kemer fails to point out any of the injustices that are being committed by the current tribal junta in Ethiopia tells a lot about him — that he has sold his soul.
32 thoughts on “Kemer Yousef kissing up to Woyanne thugs”
Elias I agree that Kemer Yousef is kissing Bigg Woyane butt in this interview!
But I dont agree with you with Haile Selaisse.
Haile Selaisse was not only racist he was discriminating against the Oromo and Muslims all over Ethiopia.
Haile Selaisse did not show equality for all Ethiopians and went as far as banning the Oromo language from schools and not making Islamic holidays as a national holidays.
Kemer did kiss TPLF butt however he did not lie about the racist acts of Haile Selaisse and Mengistu Haile Mariam.
well it is a pro-woyane article. but get over it elias!!! some things like linguistic freedom for oromos have improved under woyane. naturally, in all governments, one or two things improve and this is the one thing under woyane.
that doesn’t mean woyane is not a murderous regime for oromo politicians.
but stop crying about every single thing, get some sleep or find a girlfriend, Elias.
Fact – Haileselassie (Teferi Mekonnen Gudessa) was an Oroomo from Shoa. I lol when some ignorants accuse him of anti- Oroomo. He was married to Mennen, a grand daughter of moslem ruler from Wollo.
Ewenetu,
many top officials serving woyane are also “amhara” and they still join woyane in anti-amhara propaganda by labeling innocent amhara people are “neftenga”
the same way, some top Derg officials were tigres while Derg was bombing tigres and eri-tigres.
you can’t say that haile selasie is not anti-oromo just because he has some oromo blood from long way from his grandfather. banning oromo language under haile selassie was the most obvious one while he killed many oromo politicians, just like woyane is killing many oromos today. stop angelizing the bloodthirsty emperor.
Tola
Good advice
Some Ethiopian politicians have been re-writing history to suit their ethnic interest in particular since 1991.
Blind hatred to woyane has driven some democratic minded people like Elias into their hands. Getting emotional is no good. Sober, Elias
This is the end of kemer yusuf’s carrier.when he come back here again he will not have the guts to even think to perform in front of oromo audiance anymore.It’s is his end.No more infront of diaspora audiance at all.nobody want to hear or buy his CDs.I for one boycotting not to buy or listen to his music at all starting from this moment.
Elias, Kamar is going back to entertain his people not the dictators. So I didn’t like the title.
And about that video you posted and the comment you put under about the video being poor quality and not very well choreographed, I think you’re wrong but then again maybe you have a bad music taste. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I say that was a nice video. You need to watch it again and again.
http://oromantic.com/2007/12/31/king-of-shagoyyee-the-michael-jackson-of-oromia/
For more of his wonderful videos check the above link or buy his DVD.
kemer will find 40 million oromo audience in ethiopia, great decision to reach the people. surely, he can do what teddy did by crticizing woyane once his fame in oromia is unreversible…
Kemer-Teddy united to overthrow woyane!!
Elias, if we are biased we will never get the UNITY of our Ethiopia. But if we are fair and unbiased we will reach what we want.
Elias or whom ever they call you, i used to think you were little’ better then this in the past. we know you love Haileselassie but it doesn’t mean that you have to deny the truth about what he did to the OROMO people and the rest of the oppressed people of that Ethiopian empire. Haileselassie was the worst of the worst for the OROMO people with out any doubt. he has demolished the OROMO language and history during his time, he has killed and displaced millions or OROMO’s because of the hate he had for OROMO’s. so don’t try to defend that rootless killer just because you love him and don’t tell me that he is half OROMO, that’s just full of bullshite! and you shouldn’t lie about a true story and change the texts to make it likeable for your kinds, you should be honest and be open minded.
yes i do hate the current leader of the empire and his government more than any one else. however, Haileselassie was way worse than Meles for OROMO, there is no question!
Kemer is going back home. Why now ? About two years ago when his biological father Shantam Shubbis asked him to go home with him and Ali Birraa, he refused to go and complained some people bothered him by asking. It was aired at least over two radio stations and the OLF radio station SBO even called him by then one of our hero. So, why he changed his mind this time ? For me, I will never buy his CD again. He is liar even in this news there are more untrue words in it. I hope he will end up in wayane’s jail like every Ethiopians including Tedy.
Regarding Haileselassie, if he was half oromo,why he degraded oromoos in his entire reign era. As for kemer yusuf, he is going down. He will never be able to be the kemer we used to know. END of story.
I respectfully disagree with this. Artists are not politicians. Their job is to entertain the public. they need access to the public to be loved and get more famous. This guy, Kemer, spent long time abroad and we shouldn’t deny him to go once to his country and sing infront of his people. Whatever he says is his idea.
We should not follow singers and do the same thing. But we need to feel their pain hard life as well. Unless we want them to try American Idol to get famous here, we shouldn’t deny them their country no matter what.
Kemer is now a TPLF agent!
If Kemer actually believed in what he said in this story, he would not dare to go to Ethiopia. Today the Oromos, the people that he claims to be from, are oppressed more than any other time in the history of Ethiopia by the government he now feels swept by his pop phenom. This week AI has issued http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa31508.pdf this urgent action to prevent torture or possible execution of the Oromo parliamentarians. Mass arrest, extra judicial killings, disappearances and torture is a daily occurrence in Oromia, and this is simply a fact! What is even more shocking is that Kemer is going home to sing and danace for the TPL that killed his own freind Lagassa Ogi, a commandor of OLF army in the west. How in the world is Kemar going to Ethiopia to sing for the very people that murdered his own friend, a fighter against the injustice. If Kemar has any human decency, he would protest the injustice against the Oromo people he claims to be from, not to go sing and dance on their grave yard!
Long live the Oromo pppl. down with the likes of Kemer!
ለወያኔ የሚመቸውን ሁሉ ማለት የዘፋኝ ጠባይ ነው:: ዘፋኝነት እንደጥሩ ስራ የማይቆጠረው ስራን ከመናቅ አልነበረም አሁን እንደሚባለው ዘፋኝነት የሚመርጡ ለገንዘብ ምንም ለማድረግ ፈቃደኛ ስለሆኑ ነበር አሁን በብዛት ይታያል:: በፕሮፊሽናል ደረጃ የሚሰሩ ጥቂት ናቸው:: ተውት ወያኔ ሲሄድ ለሚማጣው ማጨብጨብ ይጀምራል
እንደቴዲ አይነት አርቲስት ለመሆን አይችልም ጡሩኑምባ እየነፋ ነው እድሜውን የሚፈጀው:: የአረቲስት ውሸታም የለውም እንደዚህ አይነቱ አድር ባይ የንጉስ አጫዋች ነው የሚባለው:: የአርቲስት ስም አታጥፉ;;
Look it if you do not like Haileselassie that is your right. But the true fact is he is an Oroomo. Ras Makonnen is an Oroomo. It is true Emperor Haileselassie was intoxicated with ethnicity, he was a modern Ethiopian a leader who saw the world beyond ethnicity. He was very confident in his skin. I agree he should have openly showed his Oroom heritage. He was not perfect. He brought Ethiopia from the dark ages. Because of him a lot of kids from very poor families got opportunity for higher learning. If it was not for Haileselassie me may have been in much worse situation. How many truly know that it was Haileselassie who stopped slave trade in Ethiopia. Go learn your history and get the facts
disagree with his statement stating the country has changed. The country has not changed. We have the same minority government ruling by force for the last eighteen years. The current government has been killing more than the previous ones. Amenity international just released statements stating that over 300 Oromo people detailed within the last three weeks. It is just sad he fell into the traps of the killers. I am sure he will regret when he sees the suffering of his people. In short, I don’t consider him a pop star, he is a sellout and opportunist who betrays his people. I am also hoping John Goddard will report the horrible conditions beside the lies of Kemer, the traitor.
Don`t tell me he`s there to entertain the Oromos because Oromos need justice and respect for their human rights-not entertainment.This sellout Kemer is a disgrace to his Oromo roots.He should visit the overflowind prison camps where honorable elders of Umata Oromo are dishonored.However,I totally agree about the fact that the old Hailesalesse days are hardly missed.Elias,with all due respect,bad things were happening in Oromia,Ogaden( the other half of my Family are Ogadenis) and the rest of Ethiopia even before the Woyannes came to power.
Haile Selaisse and Mengistu were very anti-Oromo and anti anyone against there views.
Not only did Haile Selaisse ban Oromo language from being spoken he also did not give equallity for Muslims (50% Ethiopians).
Most Oromo’s follow the Muslim religion (at least 75%) the rest are followers of traditional faith and some are also Christians.
However those Christians are not Orthodox Christians, the religion Amhara and Tigre follow, they are Pentecostal.
Most of the OLF leaders are not Muslims they are Pentecostal – the same religion as Birtukan Medeksa.
Muslim and Pente , who are largely Oromo followers, were abused and denied not only their faith but also their language, Oromiffa.
Today the Meles dictatorship has respected the religion and language of all citizens.
Kemer should of said at least that Oromos are still being arrested and that the Majority of Ethiopians, Oromos, are still getting harrassed.
Menelik, Haile Selaisse, Mengistu and Meles Zenawi have been the same for the majority of Ethiopians, the Oromos.
ALSO!
Haile Selaisse is not Half Oromo.
Haile Selaisse’s father is an Shewa Amhara Orthodox Christian who migrated to Harar. (Ras Mekonnen)
Haile Selaisse’s Mother is Half Guragey Muslim woman and half Wello Oromo Muslim woman. (W/ro Yeshemebet Ali Ibrahim Jifar)
However you look at it- What Haile Selaisse, Menelik and Mengistu did to the Oromo’s was sick and wrong!
The Meles Zenawi regime must stop the same mistakes that the previous leaders have done to the Oromos.
Just to remind “Ewenetu” I borne and lived in Haileselassie’s era and I know all about him. He ruled Ethiopia over 50 years and never built any thing in 50 years. But Italy staid 5 years even through war and built 5 major highways and many known buildings in the country. You can compare Haileselassie with Minillik still Minillik is better than him when it comes to building that country. Minillik brought Telephone, Electricity, transportation like train and etc. to the country but he butchered more Oromos than Haileselassie did. Now when you say “if it was not for Haileselassie me may have been in much worse situation” it might be true because you might be in some ways related to him. But if you remember the declaration of 1966 ETC. on education, you wouldn’t say we were worse without Haileselassie. I would say Mengistu was better than him because at least he built Aseb road, some bridges, colleges and planted some trees for reforestation. How can be Haileselassie was better for that country while he was looting all Ethiopia’s asset and give to foreign bank ? You can answer for your self.
All I can say is that Kemer is “SALAMAA GURBAA” from now onwards.
WHAT IT MEANS
The song “Oromia” speaks of Kemer Yousef’s nostalgia for his home region, also spelled “Oromiya,” Ethiopia’s largest state.
“When people ask me where I am from,” he sings, “I say, `I’m from Oromia’ – my blood, my bones, my fatherland.”
The song’s video shows him lip-synching in front of Toronto landmarks such as Casa Loma, juxtaposed with images of rural landscapes he knew in childhood.
“A son is not born without a father,” he sings. “I have a country called Oromia. I am so proud of it – my blood, my bones, for me simply my country, Oromia.”
Qamar is “arada” he will collect money from stupid OPDO and strength their downfall. wherever he go and whatever he do he know veryvell what is best for oromia. Don`t panic my fellow oromos,we will push in every direction. Qamar will tell the world different reality about Oromia after his tour.The world will see how the young Oromos are loving their fatherland and people will understand who the oromos are. This is the victory for oromo people because it is the first time the foreighn journalist has covered the tour of singers in that empire.For everything let us wait and see what Qamar will say about Woyane when he return!
From the get go I knew Kemer will betray us. I told my friends about this evil guy about two yrs ago. all my buddy’s disagreed with me then saying he is a “Sabonnaa”. Kemer is nothing but a traitor that will sell his sister for $10.00
Woyane is too smart, and they don’t trust him.They will use him and throw him in a month. what sad is that his short lived 15 minutes fames are over.No one will hire him for any gigs anymore here in America. I will do whatever I can to make sure that he pays the price. I am hearing a lot of Oromos are calling their congressmen/INS to have him banned from entering USA. we need to teach him a lesson.
i just dont undrestand qamer is not head of oromo polotics he is just one enterteiner nathing more than that what ever he may say in woyane media interview determain’s his maturity level for oromo’s regardless of who ever defect to ethiopia it dosent affect oromo cose and our movement dont shrink becouse of this kind of individuals we are strugling for principal and we will make it come through we need to take our strugle home this is 21cetury immagine if all of us could go home and deal with them face to face they can’t kill 40million and it’s going to be one morning deal by abondening our father land we are teling woyanee you are the power we are giving them the seat they don’t deserve let’s go we can cach them in hand 10 for one
victory for oromo pepole
The guy is a liar!! he could simply say that he want to go home, without saying Oromos were killed by Haile-selasse for being Oromo and everything is perfect unde Meles
Dear Kemer Yousuf,
This is a perfect opportunity to be a hero for your people. Be a voice for the voiceless, go home and expose wayyanee’s brutality to the world. Remember it is wayyanee who killed hundreds of thousands of Oromos especiallly in the Hararge, and no one knows this better than you. I still beleive you are not to be fooled by this thugs who continue to kill, detain and harass oromo and other innocent ethiopian civilians. You must make an effort to have the reporters travelling with you to report on gruesome brutality Wayyane is perpetrating. Have John Goddard visit Hurso, Kalitti, Zeway, and Dhidheessa concentration camps. Use this opportunity to show the world Wayyanes true nature.
Weyane can easily use his charm to pacify oromo uprising.
Hey guys, you all discussed about Kemer and his lies. let me ask you some questions.my first question is when did kemer visited Oromia? He went in 1991 to perform for OLF in Gulale, and Kemer never been a political refugee. He left through Somalia and went to Djbouti, To Saudi Arabia from there to Itlay and finally to Canada. He also discussed about other Ethiopian Dictators why not Malas Zenawi? You all know what happend in last three weeks to Oromo ppl regarding harrasiment,prison…. I do not know if you remeber Kemer’s statment when Mr.Ali, Saliha,Shantam went back what comment he made on diffrent radio interviews and paltalk chat rooms. My main concern is not about all this he took those two jounalist wiht him to show them how the current ethiopian government is and how peple can move freely and do whatever they want . those people will see people on the streets of Addis not in the Ethiopian Prison. So Mr John was and is the supporter of ethiopian so wait you will see what he is going to report give it atleas two month.
I thought Kemer is an Oromo nationalist.
Check this out as well.
http://oromoaffairs.blogspot.com/
Hope you will do well and may Allah bless your heart. Music is univeral. However; you can’t make everone happy just try to be modest, visit the city and the people who live in it.
A lady
kemer is always been a loser and is a loser. he is an asshole. He is not even able to manage his damn private life. He’ll comeback and will try to convince others how things have been changed… and how he has changed…?
we use to belive he is our hero but he is another Gobena. wait you’ll see who really he is.