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Fulfilling a longtime dream Addis Gessesse left Ethiopia for the United States in1972 and has lived there for the last 32 years. He graduated from the North Eastern Illinois University in Chicago with a Business Management and Economics degree. And after college, in 1982 he joined the music industry to work as manager for international artists including Ethiopian artists. He formed his first band “Dallol” in the US, which was outstandingly successful and received gold and platinum records for their works in the late 1980s. Addis has been the manager of members of the Marley family and currently is in Ethiopia to organize the Bob Marley 60th Birthday Celebration that started today in Addis Ababa. Our reporter Selome Kifle interviewed him to find out how it has been working with the Marley family. Excerpts: Capital: When did you come back to Ethiopia and for what purpose? Addis: I came to Ethiopia to fulfill a dream I had with the Marley family, which was organizing a free concert at Meskel Square. We also felt the need to organize a soccer match since both Ziggy and Stephen love the game very much and because sport is a major part of our life in Ethiopia. We are athletes by nature and this compelled me to organize a good soccer match, a game between a well-known team of top international stars and our own local players. Apart from those I am also putting things together for my extended family, the Marley family. I want them to have properties in Addis Ababa or in any part of Ethiopia. Besides all that, coming home is a privilege and a dream come true. I love my country and my people. It is special for me to see my people come and see a nice, well-organized concert and soccer match. I will be here until the end of February. Capital: How did you come to know the Marley family? Addis: My first time to meet the Marley family was in 1982, the year after Bob died. We went to play at Nine Miles event for the Bob Marley birthday celebration on February 6, that year. Capital: How did you go into music and managing musicians? Addis: I have three brothers: Zeleke, Mulugeta and Fikru who are musicians, as well as friends such as Rafael Woldemariam and Asrat Amiro. They are all musicians who left Ethiopia sometime in the late 1970s and early 80s, for the United States and have since settled there. They were my main influence and inspiration to get into the music business in 1982. Since that year I have been working with the Marley family as manager for Ziggy, Stephen, Sudela and Sarron. I have been their manager for a very long time; and along the line a relationship has developed in to true friendship. I have been supportive of their careers like an older brother. Capital: Apart from your brothers and friends, which other Ethiopian artist have you managed? Addis: I have been Gigi’s manager. I am like an instrument through which she built her career on. She is now very popular around the world. As a matter of fact, she was named Number One Third World Artist by the New York Times about three or four years ago. Currently, I am the manager of Teddy Afro who will be performing at this concert too. Capital: A lot has been put into organizing this event. How much did it cost the Bob Marley and Rita Marley foundations? Addis: It’s quite a lot of money. Capital: Is it true it’s 500,000 USD? Addis: It is even much more than that. Though I am part of the budgeting committee, I don’t want to put out any figure because we are in the process of spending a lot more. The family is happy they are doing this, and I feel privileged to bring to Ethiopia the one family that I love. Capital: Few weeks ago there was a controversy over Bob Marley’s reburial. Rita said she had discussed the issue with PM Meles Zenawi and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Did you discuss this matter with her any further? Addis: This is family matter. It is a decision between Rita Marley, the children and the whole family. Rita has announced that the reburial will happen; but I don’t know when. Capital: I understand there was a big opposition in Jamacia against the reburial How did the Marley family handle this issue? Addis: I don’t know about that; but I read about it in one or two Jamaican newspapers that the Jamaican Minister of Tourism said that it is a family decision and not the government’s; the decision rests on the wife and the children. Capital: Will there be any continuity in organizing a concert in the future after the Marley reburial? Like celebrating his birthday every year or with some gap? Addis: Well, the plan is to have a birthday celebration every year, but I don’t know if the reburial will take place. I know for sure that the concert will indeed go on and I am that instrument to make it happen. Capital: What support have you received from Ethiopia for this event? Addis: We have received great support. The event is properly organized particularly from the Ethiopian government, the Addis Ababa City Administration, the police, and security forces; and the kind of attention they are giving us is one of the best around the world. I can’t be thankful enough to them, because when you bring somebody from another land and see this kind of special treatment, I feel very good about it because this is my country, my home and I am bringing them to the land they’ve always loved. Capital: How will Marley’s reburial and his 60th birthday celebrations benefit Ethiopia’s economy? Addis: The image of Ethiopia has been tarnished by the media because of negative reporting of starvation, war and others. Despite all the problems the country has faced, things are however changing now. There are very good signs in the country as you will find people smiling, working, and there are a lot of constructions. At this time the country needs some boosts and what a better time to invite the whole world to come to see this beautiful land that deserves so much attention. Therefore, I think economy wise the country will benefit from this event. Capital: Is it true that you are actively involved in generating money to build a modern museum to replace the aging National Museum? Addis: Yes. My brother Zeleke, his girlfriend Allure and I are working very hard to help build the museums in Ethiopia. There are many museums in the country and all need to be well kept. The three of us are working diligently to realize this. As a matter of fact, Zeleke and I with the help of Allure Foundation have built 20 schools in Ethiopia under the name of “Bob Marley Schools”.
Africa’s quest for unity continues Professor Kinfe Abraham is an Economist, Educationist, Diplomat and Historian who holds graduate, doctorate degrees from European and US universities. Prof. Kinfe is the author of over twelve internationally published books. He has also undertaken diplomatic functions as special envoy and as shuttle diplomat in the mediation of many conflicts in Africa. He serves as president of the Ethiopian International Institute for Peace and Development (EIIPD), president of the Horn of Africa Democracy and Development (HADAD) International Lobby as well as chief political advisor for IGAD and African Renaissance. Our reporter Bruck Shewareged talked with him on the impact and benefits of the 60th birthday celebrations of Bob Marley currently taking place in Addis Ababa and particularly its theme of “Africa Unite”. Can Africans really unite in the face of the many serious adversities and challenges? Excerpts:
Capital: How do you view the Bob Marley birthday celebrations and its theme of “Africa Unite” in the current context of globalization, African Union and Pan-Africanism? Dr. Kinfe: The celebrations come nearly two years after the establishment of the African Union; so it is not accidental. It’s rather a reinforcing event as it reinforces a new movement in Africa towards consolidation. The gravitation towards continental unity which has been attempted and goes back to the years of the decolonization process when African countries were trying to overthrow the yoke of colonial rule by conducting rebellion in the 1950s. This event (Bob Marley birthday celebration) has its precursors. Bob Marley himself was very much engaged in the decolonization struggle. He was highly supportive of the struggle waged by Zimbabweans against the UDI - Unilateral Declaration of Independence for the nation of South Rhodesia. He also supported the anti-apartheid struggle. The “Africa and globalization” issue is very important and very central to the establishment of the AU and NEPAD. This is one of the major reasons why African leaders revisited the African issues – to shape and formulate new policies, which can help them confront new challenges. Capital: Can Africans really unite in the face of the many serious adversities and challenges? Dr. Kinfe: When first president of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah advocated immediate unification, it was regarded premature by many African States and faced stiff opposition. So the journey towards integration started long ago. There were even dates set to this end. For instance, you take the 1980 OAU summit of Abuja (Nigeria). They had to be postponed because they were ambitious; the next deadline is 2025. Even that is considered unattainable by many Africanists and observers. Now, it seems many have agreed on the notion that without regional blocks, the much-anticipated continental unity will not be realized. As a result, you have ECOWAS in West Africa, SADC in Southern Africa, IGAD in east and northeast Africa etc. Many parts of the world are coming together because competition for markets and growth is fierce. Unfortunately, many African countries produce primary goods, which maks the competition fierce even among themselves. Many countries have realized that they cannot do it alone. So this cartel formation as well as formation of regional groupings is more or less demanded because of globalization. Capital: If Africans have to come together, and yet with fierce competition among them, could there be any viable condition to deal with this situation? Dr. Kinfe: As I have said, the competition among African States is a serious challenge. The only way you can deal with it is by coming together, creating division of labor within the continent, across or between regions, diversify export and moving from primary commodities to semi-processed products. They have to re-engineer the growth of the continent, formulate new polices that are in tune with the demand of globalization. They can only achieve this by harmonizing their policies, strengthening internal trade among themselves because they can’t rely on external markets alone. Capital: To point out some practical problems, within the IGAD sub-region there are conflicts (the Dafur case in Sudan, the Ethio-Eritrea border war and Somalia’s crisis) yet to be solved, let alone think of continental unification. What can you say about this? Dr. Kinfe: Inter and intra state conflicts have been a major challenge over the past four decades that has hampered growth and unification. You have it all over the continent. You can take the Great Lakes region, the Western Sahara movement, the Rwanda genocide and the Burundi crisis. These conflicts have been impediments to the integration effort. It’s in this context that the African Peace and Security Council was created, as conflict resolution is central to the continent’s development. However, there is some progress. For example, a central government has been established in Somalia, though it has not so far moved to Mogadishu because of security concerns. There is the peace agreement which ends the Southern Sudan conflicts. I mentioned this in the context of how far conflicts have been detrimental to development. Capital: Some skeptics assert that over four decades, governments alone could not achieve unity, and are advocating that non-governmental bodies like civil society groups, artists and philanthropists be encouraged to involve in the process. Dr. Kinfe: As Africa’s challenges are serious and complex, it requires the involvement of all stakeholders. The Pan-African unity ingredient is always there but the challenges are multifaceted. There is the challenge of conflict, the social challenge posed by lack of education, public health, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, malaria etc. These are crucial challenges and require massive involvement of every stakeholder. Governments alone cannot shoulder the responsibility of lifting Africa from the quagmire of under development. Civil society groups and the population at large must be brought on board. You need the musicians, the drummers, the dramatics, the NGOs and the private sector. Their inclusion in the unification process is the necessary precondition if the continent is to move forward. It is in this context that the current celebration of the Bob Marley 60th birthday is important. Capital: What do you think of Prime Minister Tony Blair’s global initiative i.e., Commission for Africa? Is it overlapping with NEPAD or can the two be harmonized? Dr. Kinfe: I don’t see a significant collision between the two. They can be complementary, in fact. It’s true that the initiative or solution must come from Africans themselves. Blair’s commission doesn’t significantly depart from NEPAD. The problem was that NEPAD requires 64 billion dollars, half of which must come from the Africans themselves, and the other from the rich countries, but that was unattainable. African countries couldn’t even come with the money to kick-start the program. The Blair initiative could be an instrument to generate enough resources to at least address some of the real big challenges like hunger, HIV/AIDS, Malaria etc., which are claiming lives. Capital: Ethiopia once helped to bring about independence and unification to the continent, but given the fact that there are new challenges and Ethiopia’s poverty, can it contribute anything of any significance? Dr. Kinfe: There is the talk of soft power and hard power. In diplomacy soft power is the leverage you have through various instruments such as the media, your foreign policy etc. while hard power is what you use to deal with issues aggressively and sometimes violently. Ethiopia once contributed to the liberation process of the continent but now that process is over, the challenges are different. The contribution it can make will be over soft nature, support through many channels through media, through serving as the headquarter of the African Union, by getting involved in mediation processes, in the form of peacekeeping operations, advocacy of major African challenges so that they receive enough attention etc. Ethiopia is a sub-regional powerhouse. It’s seen as regional military power and a stabilizing factor in the Horn of Africa. It also made contribution in the mediation process in Somalia and the Sudan. Capital: What kind of impact will this event (Marley’s birthday celebrations) have on people’s awareness of Africa’s integration? Dr. Kinfe: The new vision of Africa is predicated on partnership and the involvement of all stakeholders. By stakeholders, I mean the African people themselves and different categories of professionals who are operational in the continent and the Diaspora. The Diaspora has its roots here and many want to contribute. This can be seen as a significant contribution of the Diaspora towards Africa’s development. You need to bring Africans in the Diaspora on board. And you can’t bring them on board without galvanizing or mobilizing through cultural events. Music is regarded as critical investment. Literature was used in the decolonization process. Music has even a great appeal by way of bringing people together. So this event will be significant by way of putting the African agenda on the map. Capital: How can Ethiopia capitalize on the Rastafarians who want to spend the rest of their lives here? Some believe that Ethiopia has not fully benefited from their presence. Dr. Kinfe: I think this is one vital way of engaging them constraictively, as they regard Ethiopia as their ancestral homeland. Bob Marley and his wish to be buried here emanates from the fact that he regarded Ethiopia as his spiritual home. That’s one instrument of promoting, not only Ethiopia, but also Africa as a whole. The Rastafarians have been interested in Ethiopia. Perhaps we have not capitalized on them as valuable pool of resources. But this (event) can be the phase of intensification, a revival of the process.
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Of
The Week
Wednesday
February 9, 2005
