A sweeping history of Ethiopian musicians during and following the
1974 Ethiopian revolution.
Sing and Sing On is the first study of the forced migration of
musicians out of the Horn of Africa dating from the 1974 Ethiopian
revolution, a political event that overthrew one of the world's oldest
monarchies and installed a brutal military regime. Musicians were among
the first to depart the region, their lives shattered by revolutionary
violence, curfews, and civil war. Reconstructing the memories of forced
migration, Sing and Sing On traces the challenges musicians faced
amidst revolutionary violence and the critical role they played in
building communities abroad.
Drawing on the recollections of dozens of musicians, Sing and Sing On
details personal, cultural, and economic hardships experienced by
musicians who have resettled in new locales abroad. Kay Kaufman Shelemay
highlights their many artistic and social initiatives and the ways they
have offered inspiration and leadership within and beyond a rapidly
growing Ethiopian American diaspora. While musicians held this role as
sentinels in Ethiopian culture long before the revolution began, it has
taken on new meanings and contours in the Ethiopian diaspora. The book
details the ongoing creativity of these musicians while exploring the
attraction of return to their Ethiopian homeland over the course of
decades abroad. Ultimately, Shelemay shows that musicians are uniquely
positioned to serve this sentinel role as both guardians and challengers
of cultural heritage.
