Salemia-Alem Bire

Alem Bire is a tribute to the Gurage people, filmed in Sodo Gurage, my great-grandmother's birthplace, and Merkato, Africa's largest open market.

The song, inspired by a traditional melody and popularized by the legendary Argaw Bedaso, reflects the strong work ethic and community spirit of the Gurage people, especially during the Meskel festival.

Growing up, my grandmother would sing Alem Bire as we danced together, creating cherished memories that deepened my connection to our heritage.


Credits:

Sound
Lyrics and Melody: Salemia
Sound Production: Dave On The Track
Mixing: Dave On The Track
Master: Blaine Misner

Video
Executive Producer: Salemia
Production house: Arer Films
Directors: Cj and Henk
Editing and Color: Cj
Creative Management: Henk
Marketing: Eldana
Set Design and Art Director: Dani
Cinimatographer: Shak
Assistant: Misikir Hailesilase
Dancers: Mekenet Dance Group
Clothing: Lensa
PM: Salemia
Thank you to dagim ,Blén music, fetil image, Nuhi, uno, thedey and thegaw


Here is an Article from BBc on Salema amazing music:

 

The song 'Alem Bre' was released for download and the commercial singer Salemiya

 

#Ethiopia Recently, the song heard in every shop around Addis Ababa Mercato is 'Alem Bre'.

 

Traders turn the music on hot.

 

Every time a friend of theirs, who owns a tire shop in the neighborhood, stops by, they turn up the music for her. They were pleased.

 

Little did they know that their business friend was a singer.

 

She released the song for Easter. Her favorite of all holidays is the Cross.

 

As she wished, she released 'Alam Bre' four days before the festival.

 

Her name is Salemia. The meaning of her name is peace.

 

She is a tire dealer. The reception she received when she released her first single was no less than what she had sung over the years.

 

She was at work when she got a call from the BBC.

 

". . . They are embarrassing me by playing the music in the same Mercato area," she said. laughing.

 

A person passing by that neighborhood would ask, 'Doesn't this song make you tired?' Mercato traders, however, do not seem to be fed up.

 

“They are very happy. They are supporting me,” she said.

 

"Alem Bre" can be heard around Mercato Ashede.

 

There is also her mother's shop in that neighborhood.

 

"They open the song with my mother's shop, saying it's her daughter," says Salemiya.

 

'Alam Bre Nei Nei' is a popular folk song. A beautiful song that is sung at every festival, every wedding.

 

Especially when Argau sings it in Daso, his fame is gone.

 

Salemiya made the introduction in English and then reworked it in Amharic.

 

The red bag

 

The music video is taken from the commercial hub of Mercato and features Salemiya in front of a hut under Koba, Gurage Zone, Bui City.

 

Then we see a red suitcase. The red suitcase is symbolic.

 

The people of Gurgaon, who are praised as hard workers, pack their bags and return from their journeys.

 

She likes Salemiya Cross because the atmosphere is bright and it brings the community together.

 

Cross season is the largest open market in Africa and the merchant generation enters the village.

 

"It is the time when a person buys things and goes home with the gift." The effort to bond with family is the main reason I love Easter so much,” she said.

 

The red suitcase is seen on the chair at the beginning of the music, then a grandfather carrying it, two children surrounding them.

 

In the Gurage community, the preparation of the cross starts early.

 

". . . The preparation of food, including cleaning the kibe, starts three months in advance. Three months of pre-prepared food will be energy. There is a saying that what is done in the end will be heartburn.

 

This festive arrangement is of great value to her voice. Also the social bond it creates.

 

According to Salemiya, the song is a tribute to her ancestors.

 

"My great-grandmother used to sing 'Melam Breen' to us."

 

She remembers her grandfather singing this song to her when she was a child.

 

The person who dances well after the song will be rewarded with silver from her ancestor.

 

"It's called dancing well. . . It's just called 'work ethic'," she says in memory.

 

The person who excels in the dance will be given a penny.

 

"A buck was big back then," says Salemiya with a laugh.

 

Go back and see my line. . . All my ancestors rise. . . Aye bree bree. . . Cause they no never sleep. . . And they know how to build. . . Dream big when you are low then you just might fly. . .” She praises her ancestors.

 

“Music is what I grew up with. We grew up playing with our grandparents. I went to the village where she grew up and filmed it,” she says.

 

After her grandfather left Addis Ababa, four consecutive generations have been living there in Addis Ababa.

 

Her forefathers brought them up teaching them the culture of Gurgaon.

 

The song also features Bui praising her grandfather.

 

“She used to play this music for us every afternoon when we came home from school. It was our reunion," she said.

 

Hearing the song, her family was overjoyed.

 

Especially the merchants in the neighborhood where her mother does business listen to him.

 

“My family is supporting me as much as possible. I think they are sending it to family and friends, who are watching the song on YouTube," says the singer with a laugh.

 

In just four days of its release, the song has been viewed by more than 45 thousand people on YouTube.

 

"Some say the song 'made us cry'"

 

"The song made me emotional, it made me cry," among the comments she received on YouTube.

 

The fact that the song brought back many memories and evoked memories of the Gurgaon community made her even more happy.

 

Salemiya says that they planned the story line while heading to Bui to shoot the video of the song.

 

They went with the intention of capturing the red bag under Koba and the market scene. There are also unexpected scenes.

 

"We made the video with people we met on the street," she says.

 

"It's largely shaped by where they are," says Salemiya, who describes working people in society.

 

"Everyone welcomed us with their doors open," she even remembers saying to the video, "Wait, let's come."

 

She, however, wanted to show the atmosphere of any normal day, saying, "I want you in your work clothes like this," so they continued filming.

 

The villager worked with them even before entering the house in the evening.

 

She did not mention that in the video shoot, which involved about 50 people, from children to adults, she was flocking for support.

 

When they finished painting, they were saying, "You're just going to leave."

 

"The children in the video are the ones who took us to the waterfall," says the voice actress.

 

In fact, the fact that an English-speaking musician made the music "will anger the society that wants to preserve the Amharic and the Guragh?" She must have thought.

 

Category

music