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Faytinga and Temesghen Yared from Eritrea sing the Resolution Song

In January 2022, Abbey Wright invited me to represent my country and participate in the “Resolution project“. She asked me to develop an Eritrean version of the “World on Our Shoulders” song, also called the “Resolution Song”. The Resolution Song brings together voices from all over the world in a demonstration of global unity and a call for action to protect the planet. The project aimed at sharing a compilation of versions from every country in the world on Earth Day (22 April).

Having very limited time to do that, I coopted reknowned Eritrean singer and musician Temesghen Yared and poet Shishai Shumendi to work on this great endeavour. Shishai translated the lyrics into Tigrinya (see box below) and adapted them to the melody. Temesghen was responsible for revisiting the original melody with an “Eritrean musical style”. He also provided backing vocals and did the studio recording and mixing.

As a result, the album titled “World on Our Shoulders (Resolution Song)” released on 22 April includes our song along with 16 other versions. We are very proud to be featured in this album, and hope to be able soon to produce a music video, if funding for that can be raised.

Useful links:

Lyrics in Tigrinya for the song "World on Our Shoulders"

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Milobe (A cappella improvisation)

On 14 December 2021, I released on YouTube and other social media a short video of my Kunama song “Milobe”, first published in my album “Numey” (Cobalt Label, 2000). The song is adapted from the musical style “Innye”, a bed song for children who form a circle and are invited to dance and sing. “Reach out and invite a girl to dance”. Called to participate in the circle, the uncle who returns from the war is welcome.

The video, produced by Ethnos, was initially recorded in Bologna, Italy, in November 2016.

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Kunama song – Release of Goda Anna Remix

The 2019 remix of my Kunama cry song “Goda Anna” (Goda Anna Inba Anana) first published in my 2003 album “Eritrea” has been published and is now on my YouTube Official Artist Channel and Deezer. It will be available soon on other digital music platforms. Some of the lyrics for this “Remix”, which are about people who passed away because of the war and all those in sorrow who cry “blood”,  were modified with the help of Dungol, a Kunama elder. As indicated in a previous post, this song has been selected into the 2019 Unsigned Only (UO) Music Competition, whose results will be published in September.

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Kunama song “Goda Anna – Remix” selected for 2019 Unsigned Only Music Competition

Happy to inform you that my yet to be published Kunama song “Goda Anna – Remix” has been selected into the 2019 Unsigned Only (UO) Music Competition, whose results will be published in September. I am competing in the newly created “World Music” category. Details about this competition can be found at www.unsignedonly.com

I had to rush back to Asmara mid-November last year following the sudden passing away of my adopted son. While in Asmara, I felt the need to remix my Kunama song “Goda Anna” first published in my 2003 album “Eritrea”. Some of the lyrics have been re-written with the help of Dungol, a Kunama elder. The song is about people who passed away because of the war or other hardships and all those in sorrow who cry “blood tears”. My voice is accompanied mainly by piano and saxophone.

The song is not yet ready for digital distribution. I hope to be able to publish it soon with full lyrics in both Kunama and English. In the mean time you can have a taste of this song with this short clip.

Faytinga  ǀ Goda Anna – Remix (clip)

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Faytinga official website – Updated!

My official website has been recently updated. It includes my bio and discography, as well as a news section listing articles and reviews, and recent posts published on my Facebook music page, access to my videos published on YouTube, and loads of photos in the gallery section. If you never visited it, you might want to do so now! http://faytinga.com/

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Kunama love song “Leledia” – House clubbing version

My Kunama love song “Leledia” published in my second CD “Eritrea” (© Cobalt, 2003) is now available on my YouTube channel. This version has been edited for house clubbing purposes by Lord Cumbia.

Lord Cumbia aka Karl Ferdinand (Electropical Bass / FR) brews a deviously tropical music. He stirs that sweet mix in traditional pots, spikes it with new technologies and shakes the dancefloors giving us a sip of what a cocktail tastes like on Global bass planet.

 

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Album Numey – Songs now available on YouTube

The 10 songs of my CD “Numey” first released in 2000 are now available on this YouTube playlist. In this CD produced in Eritrea, Faytinga sings in her father’s language – Kunama.

The Kunama people are living in the South West of Eritrea. Recent linguistic analysis indicates the Kunama language to be at least 8 000 years old. The Kunama community has an extremely egalitarian ethos and traditional customs are still widely practised. One such practice is the Kundura celebrations held every year in some villages. This festival is a pivotal celebration combining reverence for the Kunama ancestors and rites of passage for the youth. The “Kawena” epic song is the main musical form celebrating the death of an elder, male or female, as the Kunama consider death simply a transition, albeit bitter for the surviving family, and a joyous expectation to meet all ancestors in a wonderful afterlife. The songs “Numey” and “Kundura” on this CD are directly inspired from the Kundura traditional styles. The Kunama love music as it plays an important role in their daily life .

(source: Numey, CD booklet)

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8v903XBz0DrVtrFW0NCETs0rDVsUC9aa