Teddy’s new video comes out this week

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - Just as the viral buzz over Teddy Afro’s Easter album “Tikur Sew,” begins to wane he will come out with a video of the hit title track this week, June 5.

The 7 min and 20 second epic video reportedly cost close to half a million birr, and features 420 people 32 horses, several mimic tablets, traditional warrior costumes, antique rifles and swords. Theater students from Addis Ababa University make up most of the performers representing the estimated 100,000 combatants at the historic Adwa battle between the forces of Emperor Menelik II and would be Italian colonizers.

Messianic looking Teddy Afro spills sand on land strewn with human skulls presumably those of fallen Ethiopian patriots, then proceeds to show the procession of Ethiopian fighters alongside Orthodox priests holding Arks led by Emperor Menelik and his wife Itege Taitu. The fight and eventual outcome features other heroes such as Fitwrari Balcha Abanefso and Alula Abanega.

Teddy’s version of the rallying cry for the anti-colonial struggle around the world was shot around the outskirts of Addis with a small part of it taking place in the northern town of Adwa itself.

“Africa”, “Des Yemil Sekay (delightful torment)” and Fiorina are in the pre-production stages and are slated to come out as videos in the next few months.

“Videos are expensive, original and time consuming so we are taking our time to release video for singles progressively,”  Tamirat told Capital. Eventually eight of 11 songs in the “Tikur Sew” music album are slated to become videos and be released in DVD forms.

The “Tikur Sew” singles video was a production of Sabisa Production, while the executive producers are Adika communications and Events Company and Belema Entertainment Private Limited Company.

According to reports the video is tentatively planned to be released free of charge to television broadcasting stations, sonic screens and cinema houses.

It’s the first production role for Tamirat Mekonnen who previously worked as a director of photography for Amharic films such as “Siryet”, “Asehnge” and “Albo” before enrolling in 2009 at the New York Film Academy where he had an intensive one year course.

He has since worked in the US on a Gucci promotional video, as well as with established rappers such as Styles P, Jadakiss and Rick Ross.

Tamirat is currently working on an Amharic film called “Love Paradise” as a producer and cinematographer with a release date planned for October.

Source: Capital Ethiopia