Veteran Ethiopian artist Dr. Ali Birra has passed on today while receiving treatment at a local medical facility. The family of the deceased, represented by his widow, Mrs. Ilili Birra informed the fans of the demise of the highly regarded cultural icon through a media statement circulated among all the major media outlets.
The 75-year-old was diagnosed with colon cancer back in 2013 and is believed to succumb to the same complications. He has had a music career spanning nearly fifty years and is credited to be the pioneer of native afaan Oromoo arts.
Ali Mohamed Musa was born on May 26, 1948. He grew up in Dire Dawa, Eastern Oromia at a time when “writing, teaching preaching and broadcasting in the Oromo language was illegal in Ethiopia.” This is according to Oromo historian Mohamed Hassan.
During this time, speaking in Afaan Oromo was ridiculed and ethnic Oromos were still referred to by derogatory names such ‘Galla’ and ‘Qottu’.
At the tender age of fourteen, he teamed up with a group of youngsters from his neighbourhood and formed a musical band called ‘Hirriya Jalala’.
Not long after that, with his star already shining from the small gigs of Hiriya Jalala band, he caught the eye of Afran Qallo band, a pioneering modern Afaan Oromo band, who invited him to perform before a live audience during the 1963 Eid-ul-Fitr celebration.
