April 22, 2026
Thread carefully and do not even think to silence the only voice that speaks for 130 million people. If you do, you will be hearing from 130 million of us. And it is not going to be a polite conversation
By Oli Zeagaro
The Responsibility of the artists is to point out in the direction of practical and active hope. Also to forewarn an impending danger. In this regard, Teddy Afro successfully uplifted the depressed and traumatized Ethiopian public by paving the highway of hope. Now, it is up to the public to expand that highway so that every citizen of Ethiopia can travel on it together. Abiy Ahmed’s regime should be very careful and think twice not to obstruct and block this highway.
This serious social responsibility and moral integrity is a costly business. It comes with ostracization, character assassination, imprisonment, physical harm even death. The truth is that morally upright and ethically disciplined artists already know this cost. Teddy’s message in recognizing this painful price is clear. He says “…. ፍቅርን ብየ አንጂ ተግቼ ለሰላም እኔስ መታገሴ
መች ከሀገር ይበልጣል አኔስ እኔስ አንድ ነብሴ…….። (Un official translation) “…. My patience is due to my commitment to peace and love. That doesn’t mean I see my life more valuable than my nation’s/ I am not concerned with self preservation…. “These are not just lyrics to make one feel good about himself. They are bold pronouncements of a higher purpose and meaning of life. There is no purpose in living, he says.
One must search and find the true purpose of life and living. To drive his point clearly here Teddy references his ancestral patriots. Those who paid the ultimate price to keep the country united and free. Thus, the main elements of authoritarian regimes often ban, exile, or imprison musicians to eliminate dissenting voices because they see art as Protest: Music serves as a, “counter-public sphere,” allowing individuals to express discontent. Authoritarian regimes frequently exploit music to reinforce power while censoring, banning, or accusing artists who create dissenting work non-conformist.
Historical Examples of Silencing the “Avant-Garde”:
The Nazi regime: The Nazi regime enforced a strict cultural purge to maintain what it deemed ideological and racial “purity.” Central to this campaign was the ban on Entartete Musik (Degenerate Music). This label was applied to any musical works that did not align with the strict aesthetic and political ideals of the Third Reich. By blacklisting prophetic artists and categories, authoritarian regimes attempt to create a parallel and unpopular musical and artistic space.
Apartheid South Africa:
In apartheid-era South Africa, singer Miriam Makeba was forced into decades-long exile after criticizing the regime, her music banned at home even as it gained reach abroad. In the Sixties in Greece, under military rule, the music of Mikis Theodorakis was prohibited by decree, its composer imprisoned and exiled. In Cold War Czechoslovakia, underground musicians were stripped of licenses, arrested, and harassed for refusing to conform to state-sanctioned aesthetics. Banned artists like Miriam Makeba. The apartheid South African government systematically banned artists, such as Miriam Makeba, to stifle anti-apartheid sentiment and control cultural expression. Makeba was exiled for 30 years and her music banned after speaking at the UN in 1963. Artists, like Hugh Masekela, also endured immeasurable controls, forcing many into exile.
Víctor Jara as a Thorn on Augusto Pinochet’s Tyrannical Regime : In the days following the military coup in Chile on Sept. 11, 1973, the folk singer and guitarist Víctor Jara was detained and taken to Estadio Chile, a sports arena transformed into a mass detention center by the Pinochet dictatorship. There, he was tortured and executed.His torturers shattered his hands and paraded him around the stadium, taunting him to try to play his guitar. This brutality was symbolic. Jara was a public figure, a musician whose work had become synonymous with democratic ambition and elevating the working class, so much that it was said that his music was more powerful than a thousand machine guns.
Silencing him was meant to silence the masses but it did not. Jara’s songs persisted, maintained by recordings, memory, and communities both in Chile and abroad. The stadium where he was killed now bears his name. Authoritarian regimes have always feared the power of music. From the banning of performances to imprisonment, exile, torture, and worse, authoritarian regimes have repeatedly targeted musicians whose work transforms political grievance into shared language. Across decades and continents, authoritarian governments have responded to protest music with striking consistency.
Performances, creativity and imagination that challenge official narratives. In each case, the state’s reaction reveals a common anxiety: authoritarianism survives not only on fear, but on division. Resistance music does the opposite by producing a soundtrack of resistance. Regimes respond because music, particularly in moments of repression, becomes a power generator. It coalesces communities, encourages critical thinking, animates opposition, and enthuses action.
While regimes continue in their attempts to silence artists, history suggests a persistent irony: the more aggressively a regime attacks music, the more enduring their message often becomes.
Dictators try to silence artists, but history shows a persistent irony: the more you attack the music, the louder it echoes.
“Bella Ciao” and Anti-Fascist Resistance in Italy
As the preeminent anthem of the Italian Resistance, “Bella Ciao” is fundamentally defined by its association with the struggle against Nazi-fascism. Though it serves as a universal symbol of liberation, the song’s historical trajectory—originating in rural labor and evolving into a global political instrument—reflects a sophisticated and multifaceted heritage.
“Bella Ciao”
One morning I awakened
Oh Goodbye beautiful, Goodbye beautiful, Goodbye beautiful! Bye! Bye!
One morning I awakened
And I found the invader
Oh partisan carry me away
Oh Goodbye beautiful, Goodbye beautiful, Goodbye beautiful! Bye! Bye!
Oh partisan carry me away
Because I feel death approaching
And if I die as a partisan
(And if I die on the mountain)
Oh Goodbye beautiful, Goodbye beautiful, Goodbye beautiful! Bye! Bye!
And if I die as a partisan
(And if I die on the mountain)
Then you must bury me
Bury me up in the mountain
(And you have to bury me)
Oh Goodbye beautiful, Goodbye beautiful, Goodbye beautiful! Bye! Bye!
Bury me up in the mountain
(And you have to bury me)
Under the shade of a beautiful flower
And the people who shall pass
(And all those who shall pass)
Oh Goodbye beautiful, Goodbye beautiful, Goodbye beautiful! Bye! Bye!
And the people who shall pass
(And all those who shall pass)
Will tell me: “what a beautiful flower”
(And they will say: “what a beautiful flower”)
This is the flower of the partisan
(And this is the flower of the partisan)
Oh Goodbye beautiful, Goodbye beautiful, Goodbye beautiful!
Bye! Bye!
This is the flower of the partisan
(And this is the flower of the partisan)
Who died for freedom
English, translation by Genius:
Resonance beyond repression
Authoritarian regimes harass artists strictly because they understand their power. What they fail to understand, though, is reverberation. A barrage of gunshot may sound loud now, but a musical melody echoes throughout generations. Music continues because they are designed for reiteration of the message. Songs can be performed quietly or piercingly, in public or in seclusion. Words penned for a particular period and context of resistance can serve another period. Teddy through his consistent work has demonstrated this fact effectively.
The message from the citizens in Ethiopia to the regime is very clear. Thread carefully and do not even think to silence the only voice that speaks for 130 million people. If you do, try to silence Teddy you will be hearing from 130 million of us. New redline has been drawn.
Tyrants attempt to silence artists, but history shows that there is a enduring irony. The more they attack the music, the louder it echoes. This isn’t just about one artist or a particular son. It is about proving that cultural repression is a core instrument of authoritarianism. Silencing an artist is an attempt to silence the entire population. But the voice of those who speak truth to power remains loud and clear. Teddy Afro has cemented his place in history through his unambiguous and uncompromising commitment to justice and truth. No one can take that away from him.
The author could be reached via email: olizeagaro@yahoo.com
Editor’s Note : Views in the article do not necessarily reflect the views of borkena.com
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