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The scene takes place on a Sunday in early November in Meskel Square, in the heart of Addis Ababa. Tens of thousands of people have gathered to support the war effort against the rebels of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which has been in conflict for a year with the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and whose troops are now located less than 300 km from the capital. A civil war which has already claimed thousands of victims and displaced millions of people.
On a stage, singer Tariku Gankisi is about to sing Dishta Gina, the hit of the year in Ethiopia, to galvanize the crowd. But spontaneously, he descends into the pit and begins a speech unexpected to say the least in this gathering described as “pro-war” by critics of the government.
” Quite ! “, he claims, dressed all in black: “Why are we constantly in mourning? “ Silence among the spectators. “Stop sending our young people to fight, he still pleads. Let the elders go with the fresh cut grass. “ Keeping the grass fresh is a symbol of peace and reconciliation in Ethiopia. Tariku Gankisi concludes: “Blood has never taught us anything. “
Micro cut
This episode, broadcast live on the country’s main television channels, greatly embarrassed part of the Ethiopian public. Despite ongoing diplomatic efforts to try to wrest a ceasefire, a segment of the population remains determined to do battle with the TPLF, which ruled the country with an iron fist for three decades and was placed in May on the list of terrorist organizations by Parliament.
During his short speech, Tariku Gankisi’s microphone was cut off for a moment, as voices rose from the crowd: “It’s just your music we want!” ” Its music, in fact, has been making Ethiopia dance since April. Dishta Gina has over 21 million views on YouTube. Besides its catchy melody, this hit is above all a hymn to tolerance. “Let us unite, love and reconcile”, says the song. The Senegalese-American artist Akon even approached Tariku Gankisi to produce a cover of the song together.
Nothing, however, destined Tariku Gankisi to become a star. A member of the small Ari ethnic group in the south of the country, this former rank and file then established himself at the head of a modest family farm. Anonymous farmer, he composes Dishta Gina, which went unnoticed for months on end, until the video of Abush, an equally unknown teenager, dancing to the song, flooded the Tik-Tok social network, propelling Tariku Gankisi to the fore.
His anti-militarist speech, interpreted by some as treason, drew him the wrath of support from the Abiy Ahmed regime. After his release, the singer had to go into hiding for a week in Addis Ababa to protect himself from a hate campaign against him on social networks.
Mea culpa
This is what he revealed on November 13 in a river interview on Ethiopian private television EBS, while giving himself an incredible mea culpa. “I offended the Ethiopians, I saddened them, he said, in tears. My speech reflected my feelings, but it was the words of an ignorant person. “ Sincere contrition or forced staging? The question is open in an Ethiopia where the war escalation is accompanied, on both sides, by rhetoric sometimes bordering on incitement to hatred and where the government tries to stifle any dissenting opinion.
Tariku Gankisi has called for a cessation of hostilities just as important behind-the-scenes talks are on the terms of a ceasefire. Olusegun Obasanjo and Jeffrey Feltman, envoys for the Horn of Africa from the African Union (AU) and the United States respectively, are back in Addis Ababa to bring the two parties around the table. A positive sign, the next few days should see the resumption of humanitarian flights to Makalé, the regional capital of Tigray, where hundreds of thousands of people are on the verge of famine.
Tariku Gankisi, who dared to denounce this fratricidal war on the biggest stage of the country, has since returned to his lands in the south, around Jinka. At first received with hostility, his plea could ultimately prove useful to the government if it were to organize a national political dialogue with the opposition parties. This transition has been demanded for many months by the international community to save Ethiopia and its 110 million inhabitants from potential disintegration.