“If you do something you get problems. If you do nothing you are cool” (French Saying)

If you check out Benjamen Walker’s ‘Theory Of Everything’ Podcast on 10.02.06 (now unavailable) you can listen to a very interesting interview with Francis Falceto, assistant compiler of ‘The Very Best of Ethiopiques’ and compiler of the original ‘Ethiopiques series’. In this interview, despite everyone’s common intention to promote Ethiopian Modern Music, nearly all the interviewees get side-tracked into the issue of ‘who has the right to promote’ Ethiopian music and the problems of representing a culture that is not your own.

As Francis Falceto states “If I like something I need to share it…” and with regards to his reason for publishing the ‘Ethiopiques series’, simply that “I could not see anybody taking care of it so I went ahead…”. Russ Gershon of the Either / Orchestra then equally harmlessly explains how he was listening to Ethiopian music, incorporated it into their set, got great success off even small town audiences, and ended up performing live in Ethiopia with some of the original artists.

But there is a strange taste that remains in the back of the mouth at the same time as the heart warms to such stories. Mulatu Astatqé sums this up perfectly as he is unable to avoid expressing his discontent that it has not been the Ethiopian government or Ethiopians themselves who have been responsible for the recent rise in popularity of modern Ethiopian music. Astatqé claims Ethiopians “don’t look up to their own cultural assets”, a curious occurrence considering moments earlier Falceto claims Ethiopians are “very proud and strongly nationalist”.

As a British citizen who spent nearly 10 years collecting Polish 60-70s R’n’B / Funk / Soul, whilst living in post-communist Poland, I can sympathise greatly with Francis Falceto here. Francis Falceto first heard Mahmoud Ahmed’s ‘Ere Mela Mela’ in 1984, 13 years before the release of the first record in the Ethiopiques series, and whilst the Ethiopian born Mulatu Astatqé is correct in all he says, he also has lived in both the UK and the US, gaining exposure to the mechanics of a western music marketing industry. While everyone would love an ‘Ethiopian’ to be in charge, the question of what should allow (or exclude) people from being able to represent Ethiopia remains beyond all.

When the Either /Orchestra played in Ethiopia, Francis Falceto tracked down Bahta Gèbrè-Heywèt, who then went on to sing in public for the first time in decades, and by all accounts had the most fantastic time. The Ethiopia in which this concert took place was not the isolated and restricted word that existed up until democracy arrived in 1991, but was a world where young Ethiopians wish to be part of world teen culture joining in with global youth fashion and eager to make music “of an equal quality to the rest of the world” (The Rough Guide to World Music 1994). When Mulatu Astatqé returned to Ethiopia in the 1960s, Ethiopia was equally a place joining in with world culture with numerous bands imitating UK and US pop acts.

Right at the very beginning of the podcast, Francis Falceto expresses how it is his belief that when it comes to music “It’s ridiculous to write about it” and people need only to listen as “that’s enough”. However, it is he who has written the incredibly extensive liner notes to the Ethiopiques series (and much more). This just goes to prove that it is one thing saying something and another actually making it happen in the real world, and while we can all talk about ideal situations, they somehow always remain just out of reach.

Francis Falceto finishes off the podcast by saying:
“If you do something you get problem (sic), if you do nothing you will be cool.”
Bringing a small smile to my face (as I hope to anyone who has ever tried to change anything through music) and causing a nod of acknowledgement to all the kindred souls out there, wherever they may live.

Timjim 2007

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