Makonnen Ittafa | JT guest writer

Thousands of Ethiopians attended the latest incredible concert by the popular Ethiopian singer Teddy Afro but some fans were reminded of the tense ethno-political situation in the country with an earful of racist remarks from opposition supporters.

Teddy, whose real name is Tewodros Kassahun, was freed from prison in August after an Ethiopian court reduced his six year sentence. He performed his first concert since his release from Prison at Addis Ababa Stadium on October 11 despite remaining one of the main voices of opposition parties in Ethiopia. Yet, Many Ethiopians believe the government has warned Teddy from singing some of his songs with political messages.

Despite the remarkable performance, some opposition supporters were disappointed that Teddy skipped his famous song "Jah yasteseryal," which criticizes the current government of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. When the crowd asked him to sing the song, he said "leave that one alone" in the local Amharic language.

In addition to the tens of thousands of Ethiopians who overwhelmed the aging stadium in the capital, several Americans, Jamaicans, Europeans and other foreigners attended the concert. Nationwide, the most fans came from Awassa, Jimma, Adama, Bahir Dar, Dire Dawa and Bishoftu. Teddy, who was charged for allegedly causing the death of a homeless man, also said all of the profit from his concert will be donated to Ethiopian NGOs and causes to help street children in the country.

However, the concert did not end without incidents, as some fans showed their opposition to the government's main supporters in the crowd from the northern ethnic Tigray region of Ethiopia.  Most notably, opposition supporters got louder when Teddy sang a modified version of the Amharic song "Hageren Alresam" by artist Neway Debebe, which honors the Sidama, Oromo, Tigray and other people of Ethiopia to promote ethnic unity. The emotional crowd however changed the lyrics to politics when Teddy's song mentioned about the Tigray people. Teddy managed to maneuver the crowd and he later said "Don't hate anyone, win with love" to his fans, adding "God will bless Ethiopia."

Even though Teddy Afro quickly overpowered and drowned the ethno-political tension to pacify the crowd, the incident left a negative mark on his phenomenal concert.

It is not the first time such incidents of ethnic slurs have occurred in Addis Ababa. Last year, Ethiopian sport competitions between the various regional states were disrupted by ethnic slurs against teams and players from Tigray. The Addis Ababa crowd often supported Benishangul, SNNPR, Oromia and other state teams whenever they played against Tigray state sport teams.

Many people in Ethiopia oppose the political and economic domination of the country by some members of the Tigray community, led by the famous E.F.F.O.R.T. business empire of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's Tigrayan People's Liberation Front (TPLF) ruling party. This has sometimes led to some resentment against ethnic Tigray people in the country. However, opposition leaders in Ethiopia often teach their supporters to be against ethnic slurs, and to instead focus on opposing the political system of the present government.

During the preparations for the concert this past Sunday, the government media gave limited coverage to the event. Over two years ago near the Ethiopian Millennium celebrations, Teddy performed at the stadium in Jimma town of southwestern Ethiopia after the government denied him a concert at the main Addis Ababa stadium.

According to inside sources, Teddy is expected to have other concerts soon at Dubai, Frankfurt, Italy and then in several cities in the United States before he comes back for another one in Ethiopia near the Christmas holiday.