Field and river

20th International Conference of Ethiopian Studies (ICES20)
Mekelle University, Ethiopia

"Regional and Global Ethiopia - Interconnections and Identities"
1-5 October, 2018

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KAMISE MUSIC: HYBRIDITY AND AUTHENTICITY AT THE AGE OF INTERNET [Abstract ID: 0204-03]

Anaïs MARO, Queensland University Technology (QUT)

Kamise is a small strip of land in Wollo area, Amhara region, inhabited by a mixed population, mostly Oromo. Despite its small population compared to the country, Kamise music is popular in Ethiopia, particularly among the Oromo population. This observation from fieldwork comes as a surprise as Kamise music is not very different from other Wollo music, except for the language. What makes Kamise music so popular? I will present the results of my current fieldwork, integrating two kinds of data, ethnographic data collected in the tradition of ethnomusicology and hermeneutic data analysing patterns of understating of music videos, collected with an innovative methodology I called ethnographic hermeneutics. My preliminary findings show that patterns of understanding and experiencing Kamise online music videos have variation around the ideas of hybridity and authenticity, where individuals will give to those songs attributes that they look for in music in their own traditional culture but also narratives of traditional Ethiopia.