A Toast to the Modernday Shepherd

Centuries before there was the internet, long before there were newspapers bearing editorials and readers’ opinions, when the kings and princes of Ethiopia wanted to know what their subjects were thinking, they ask a trusted servant to go out to the villages and listen and report the newest songs of the shepherd boy. Much as is the case in rural Ethiopia today, in those bygone years, shepherd boys perched on their lookout posts at the top of the hill, normally serenade their herd grazing in the valley below with songs of new found love and of the sweet nothings a lover tells his enamored. At times, the shepherd sings of pride and devotion to the family honor. He sings of his incomparable village and of his dedication to protecting it.

When times are difficult and especially when the difficult times owe their origins to bad governance, the shepherd boy retools his songs. He sings of the shame of the shepherd who betrays his flock and abandons his charge when darkness comes, an obvious reference to the failings of those in authority. He sings of the ‘agasses’ that focuses on filling its ravenous belly and forgets to take note of the pack of hyenas circling to devour it. The shepherd is but a trumpeter who gives words to the pain and suffering of every family in his village. His songs seek to shame those in authority to wake up to their responsibility. They warn of the shameful end of the house that misrules its subjects.

As the saying goes, the more things change, the more they remain the same. About one hundred years after the first newspaper in our country came into being, the modern day counterpart of the shepherd who now wielding a microphone is still the most reliable witness of the mood of the people. Yes, some things have changed. Where once you had to be right there in the fields to catch the shepherd’s creation, today, technology makes it possible for you to enjoy songs sung thousands of miles away and renditions recorded years ago. Yet, now as was then, the Ethiopian musician captures the sentiments and soul of our people in his songs better than any reporter, editor or social commentator had ever achieved through the written word. I would dare argue that over the last fifteen years, collectively, Ethiopian musicians have been the conscience of the land and the voice of the people. Their lyrics faithfully and meticulously record the nature and causes of the complex problems we face. The current crop of musicians, the proud heirs of the old shepherd boy, do not stop just at vocalizing our pain and pointing to what is broken, they also point us in the direction of our salvation.

The new breed of shepherd is our newest kind of philosopher, teacher and preacher. Readers know what I am speaking about. If you are the average Joe, you have been moved to near tears more than once by the poetic lyrics of a string of musicians, young and old, male and female. Each of us has our favorites. I have mine, but I will not single one out for I know each of them to be equally heroic. Some have taken up the cause on a fulltime bases and use their music to rally the people to our common cause. Others have substantial repertoire woven into their regular acts that remind revelers of the unfinished business which await just outside. Nearly without exception, today every Ethiopian performer tells the story of a people consumed by the cannibals among them. These days, in song after song, nearly every entertainer reminds us of our shared values and shared history and goads us to dig deep within our souls to find that which unites us instead of obsessing on what divides us.

Today’s entertainers, much like their predecessors who whistled from every “mama” and every hilltop in years gone by, serve as the Harris Poll of Ethiopian society – reporting the mood of the nation for the benefit of anyone who cares to listen. These men and women witness and agonize over the cries of our people and lend their voices to the voiceless. Working at times in a cappella groups, sometimes in solo renditions, they have responded to the call of their forbearers. At substantial costs to their careers and at great personal risk, each of them has had the mettle to step forward and take up the role that tradition bestows and love of country demands. If you doubt their effectiveness, if you sometimes wonder whether that their songs may be promotional gimmicks, just take a look at Mr. Meles’ “list of the virtuous Ethiopians” – that list which includes the men and women most feared by Mr. Meles. Our glorious new shepherd boys have proudly assumed they positions on that list of heroes and heroines.

For that, I toast each and every one of them.