Ethiopian Jewish Musician

 

Oksana Dragan

America is rightly known as a diverse nation, a place where millions of individuals with far-ranging backgrounds and unique talents contribute to a colorful American mosaic¹. Today on New American Voices you'll meet a man who adds his own distinctive² saga³ to this mosaic - Ethiopian musician Alula Johannes Tzadik.

Alula Tzadik, a dreadlocked, ebony-skinned Ethiopian Jew in his late thirties, says his music is an expression of the many disparate strands⁴ of his life. His songs are in Hebrew, in Amharic or in English with an underpinning⁵ of Ethiopian, Latin and German musical influences, and overlaid by American hip-hop and reggae.

The story Alula Tzadik tells of his early life is both sad and complex. His mother, an Ethiopian Jew, was thirteen when she was raped⁶ by one of the Ethiopian teachers in the Christian⁷ school she attended. The child grew up in a Catholic orphanage⁸ in Ethiopia, not aware of his Jewish heritage but living with its stigma⁹, made aware by the other kids and some of the elders that he was somehow inferior. In his teens he went to live with his father, a prominent personage in Addis Ababa with a passion for all things Lutheran. Later he managed to find his mother, who taught him Hebrew songs and prayers and reconnected him with his Jewish roots. His musical career started, oddly enough, when he was sent by his father to Germany to study medicine.

"I was playing as a student in clubs, you know, with acoustic¹⁰ guitar, singing, and a gentleman said, 'Hey, I like your music, I'd like to produce a record.' So the record came out, and he said, 'Now the record is selling well, you have to travel, you have to promote the record." So I interrupted my medical studies, and since then I went professionally into music."

The big hit which made Mr. Tzadik a star was the song "Sentayahu", which he wrote in honor of the name his mother had given him before his birth, and the name he himself gave to his new-born son.

Alula Tzadik returned to Ethiopia in the mid-eighties as an extremely popular singer - like an Ethiopian Michael Jackson, he says. But he fell afoul of the government of President Mengistu Haile-Mariam when he refused to join the Communist party, as all prominent performers were required to do for propaganda purposes. Mr. Tzadik spent two years in prison. When the Mengistu government fell in 1991, he sought asylum¹¹ in the United States.

Alula Tzadik says his transition to life in this country was quite easy. The day after he arrived in the United States, he was playing guitar and singing with a band in an Ethiopian club in Washington, D.C. While he says he had no trouble fitting into American society as a Jew, it was a little different for him as an African.

"As a Jew, actually not, because you know nobody could see my faith, but everybody could see my face. So you know, -- sure, in America there's this black and white thing, you have to accept that, there's a differentiation¹². But with faith, though, nobody could see what I am, so I had no problem."
 
His faith is an essential part of Alula Tzadik's life in this country, inextricably interwoven with his calling as a musician.

"I often go to synagogue, in fact I'm a member of two synagogues in Los Angeles, where I live, and I'm assistant cantor of the synagogues. And sometimes I get invited to different synagogues as a cantor, as a singer, as a speaker, and I travel to many parts of the United States talking about my experiences as a Jew in Ethiopia, as a Jew in Germany, as a Jew in America."

One aspect of Mr. Tzadik's commitment as a Jew in America, he says, is using his music in the service of the community. He does a monthly "mitzvah", or good deed, performing his music for people in old age homes, for recovering alcoholics¹⁴, jailed inmates¹⁶. He devotes time to entertaining and teaching young kids who find themselves in jail for one reason or another.

"In fact, I made a CD with the juveniles¹⁷ in Los Angeles, you know the youngest is 9 years old, the oldest 14. They were rapping on it, I told them, 'Do what you think you can do. Tell about yourself, why you're here, anything you want.' And one of the guys said, it was really sad, 'I miss my mother. And I don't see any bird around, we're always put into the cell and I see only gray. I miss the birds.'"

His faith is one of the reasons he devotes his time and talent to helping¹⁸ the community, Alula Tzadik says - but it's not the only one.

"There are many reasons. One of them is - I grew up in such a very hard life. But God blessed me with what I have, so I have to give something back, as well. And I'm happy to be in this country, you know. So what America gave me, I have to give it to others. It's thankfulness for America, also."

注释：
diverse [dai5vE:s] adj. 多样的
mosaic [mC5zeiik] n. 万花筒
saga [5sB:^E] n. 传奇
Ethiopian [7i:Wi5EupjEn] adj. 埃塞俄比亚的
dreadlock [`dredlCk] n.　一种多辫发式
ebony-skinned 黑色皮肤的
disparate [5dispErit] adj. 全异的
Hebrew [5hi:bru:] n. 希伯来语
Amharic [Am5hArik] n. 阿姆哈拉语
underpinning [`QndE9pInIN] n. 基础
hip-hop起源于80年代，中文翻译为嘻哈
reggae [5re7^ei] n. 瑞格舞（西印度群岛的一种舞蹈及舞曲）
Christian [5kristjEn] adj. 基督教的
Catholic [5kAWElik] adj. 天主教的
orphanage [5C:fEnIdV] n. 孤儿院
heritage [5heritidV] n. 传统
stigma [5sti^mE] n. 污名，耻辱
inferior [in5fiEriE] adj. 劣等的
prominent [5prCminEnt] adj. 显要的
personage [5pE:sEnidV] n. 名流
acoustic [E5ku:stIk] adj. 有关声音的
interrupt [7intE5rQpt] vt. 中断
afoul [E5faul] adj. 冲突
asylum [E5saIlEm] n. 庇护
faith [feiW] n. 宗教信仰
inextricably [in5ekstrikEbli] adv.　不可避免的
interwoven [9IntE5wEJvLn] v. interweave的过去分词，交织
synagogue [5sinE^C^] n. 犹太人集会，犹太教会堂
Los Angeles [lRs5AndVElEs] n. 洛杉矶（美国城市）
cantor [5kAntC:] n. 领唱者
mitzvah [mIts5vB:] n. 戒律
alcoholic¹³ [7AlkE5hClik] n. 酗酒者，酒鬼
inmate¹⁵ [5inmeit] n. 同室者（特指在监狱）
juvenile [5dVu:vinail] n. 青少年
rap [rAp] vt. 交谈

1 mosaic   

n./adj.镶嵌细工的，镶嵌工艺品的，嵌花式的

参考例句：

• The sky this morning is a mosaic of blue and white.今天早上的天空是幅蓝白相间的画面。
• The image mosaic is a troublesome work.图象镶嵌是个麻烦的工作。

2 distinctive   

adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
• This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。

3 saga   

n.(尤指中世纪北欧海盗的)故事，英雄传奇

参考例句：

• The saga of Flight 19 is probably the most repeated story about the Bermuda Triangle.飞行19中队的传说或许是有关百慕大三角最重复的故事。
• The novel depicts the saga of a family.小说描绘了一个家族的传奇故事。

4 strands   

n.（线、绳、金属线、毛发等的）股( strand的名词复数 )；缕；海洋、湖或河的)岸；（观点、计划、故事等的）部份v.使滞留，使搁浅( strand的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Twist a length of rope from strands of hemp. 用几股麻搓成了一段绳子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She laced strands into a braid. 她把几股线编织成一根穗带。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 underpinning   

n.基础材料；基础结构；（学说、理论等的）基础；（人的）腿v.用砖石结构等从下面支撑（墙等）( underpin的现在分词 )；加固（墙等）的基础；为（论据、主张等）打下基础；加强

参考例句：

• Underpinning this success has been an exemplary record of innovation. 具有典范性的创新确保了这次成功。 来自辞典例句
• But underpinning Mr Armstrong's technology changes is a human touch. 但阿姆斯特朗技术变革的支柱是人情味。 来自互联网

6 raped   

v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的过去式和过去分词 )；强奸

参考例句：

• A young woman was brutally raped in her own home. 一名年轻女子在自己家中惨遭强暴。 来自辞典例句
• We got stick together, or we will be having our women raped. 我们得团结一致，不然我们的妻女就会遭到蹂躏。 来自辞典例句

7 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

8 orphanage   

n.孤儿院

参考例句：

• They dispensed new clothes to the children in the orphanage.他们把新衣服发给孤儿院的小孩们。
• They gave the proceeds of the sale to the orphanage.他们把销售的收入给了这家孤儿院。

9 stigma   

n.耻辱，污名；(花的)柱头

参考例句：

• Being an unmarried mother used to carry a social stigma.做未婚母亲在社会上曾是不光彩的事。
• The stigma of losing weighed heavily on the team.失败的耻辱让整个队伍压力沉重。

10 acoustic   

adj.听觉的，声音的；(乐器)原声的

参考例句：

• The hall has a fine acoustic.这个大厅的传音效果很好。
• Animals use a whole rang of acoustic, visual,and chemical signals in their systems of communication.动物利用各种各样的听觉、视觉和化学信号来进行交流。

11 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

12 differentiation   

n.区别，区分

参考例句：

• There can be no differentiation without contrast. 有比较才有差别。
• The operation that is the inverse of differentiation is called integration. 与微分相反的运算叫做积分。

13 alcoholic   

adj.（含）酒精的，由酒精引起的；n.酗酒者

参考例句：

• The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
• Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。

14 Alcoholics   

n.嗜酒者，酒鬼( alcoholic的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Many alcoholics go on drinking sprees that continue for days at a time. 许多酒鬼一次要狂饮好几天。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Do you have a copy of the Alcoholics Anonymous book? 你手上有戒酒匿名会的书吗？ 来自互联网

15 inmate   

n.被收容者；(房屋等的)居住人；住院人

参考例句：

• I am an inmate of that hospital.我住在那家医院。
• The prisoner is his inmate.那个囚犯和他同住一起。

16 inmates   

n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• One of the inmates has escaped. 被收容的人中有一个逃跑了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The inmates were moved to an undisclosed location. 监狱里的囚犯被转移到一个秘密处所。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 juveniles   

n.青少年( juvenile的名词复数 )；扮演少年角色的演员；未成年人

参考例句：

• Do you think that punishment for violent crimes should be the same for juveniles and adults? 你对暴力犯罪的惩罚对于青少年和成人应一样吗？ 来自生活英语口语25天快训
• Juveniles Should we not exactly in need of such strength and conviction? 少年的我们难道不正是需要这种力量和信念吗？ 来自互联网

18 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。