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Hundreds of Ethiopians and Eritreans living in Addis Ababa attended a commemorative ceremony in honor of US Eritrean rapper Nipsey Hussle, shot dead last month near a clothing store that was not used. he owned in Los Angeles. By Michael TEWELDE (AFP)
With poems and speeches, the Ethiopians held off to an emotional farewell to the murdered rapper Nipsey Hussle, whose roots in neighboring Eritrea earned him admirers from both countries.
Known for his Grammy-nominated debut album, Hussle was shot dead last week in front of the clothing store he owned in Los Angeles, an American city, whose revitalized neighborhoods he tried to revitalize.
On Friday, Eric Holder, 29, pleaded not guilty to murder and attempted murder following the shootings that also injured two other men.
At the Saturday night ceremony in Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia, Hussle was recognized as a rare artist who brought his American education closer to his roots in the Horn of Africa.
"When we heard about an Eritrean rapper, we were fans before hearing his music," said Ambaye Michael Tesfay, who praised Hussle at the time of the meeting. event held on a dark parking lot. "He was an icon for us."
Before his debut album in 2018, "Victory Lap" won a Grammy Award nomination for best rap album, Hussle, born Ermias Asghedom, drew the attention of Ethiopian and Eritrean rap fans for his dedication to 39, his father's Eritrean heritage.
Eritrea was an Ethiopian province until 1993, when it voted for independence after decades of struggle, but both countries still have close cultural and family ties.
"What has happened is truly tragic," said Tezeta Solomon, an Ethiopian living in Los Angeles who attended the memorial in Addis Ababa.
"When he arrived for the first time, we were all so excited, knowing that there was a habesha rapper certainly aroused some pride," she said, using a common term to describe the inhabitants of the Horn of Africa.
Hussle embraced his Eritrean heritage. He visited the country last year and told the official media: "Most of all, I am proud to be Eritrean."
Relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea have often been tortuous and countries did not speak as planned until years after a 1998-2000 border war, resulting in a stalemate.
This ended last year with the signing of a peace agreement that helped restore links between neighbors.
The icy relations have somewhat softened Ethiopian pride in Hussle's success.
"We are all a people," said Nemany Hailemelekot, an organizer of the memorial.
Hundreds of people gathered in the parking lot observed a minute of silence for the rapper killed, who was 33 years old.
Then, in the light of candle-shaped sticks known as twafs held by the participants, speakers went to a stage erected in front of the crowd to praise Hussle and read poems in his honor .
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