Tsehaytu Beraki

Tsehaytu Beraki (Sun Of Eritrea) is an absolutely legendary singer from Eritrea. Born in 1939 in Quatit, a small village, she soon picked up the krar (5-string harp) and after moving to the capital Asmara she became a famous singer in bars, to attract men to the local traditional beer houses.

Her courage and inspiration still means a lot to all Eritreans. When the situation became too bad, she too had to flee into Sudan and in 1988 she ended up in Rotterdam, Holland.

While in Holland she released her latest project, a double CD with more than two and a half hours of music, which also includes a book with an incredible interview about her life, culture and history. It also contains many old photos and the lyrics. The songs are as authentic as possible, Tsehaytu playing all the instruments; the krar, kobero and bass-krar. To western ears it is largely unknown music.

The CD has strange, beautiful rhythms and moving, almost blues-like ballads. The 17 songs are from different periods of Tshehaytu¹s life, from her very first successes to brand new material, commenting on the latest happenings. Many people worked on the project for four years out of respect and love for Tsehaytu's music and person.