[Ethiopia] ‘Ethiopian Idols‘ Offers Hope Amid Poverty

from Leading The Charge

By ANTHONY MITCHELL,

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - "Ethiopian Idols" is a far cry from the glamour and glitz of its U.S. and British inspirations.

But "Ethiopian Idols" has it own answer to Simon Cowell — the acerbic judge on the American and British versions. Feleke Hailu disses contestants by telling them they "sing like donkeys."

While "Ethiopian Idols" cannot promise the riches or fame enjoyed by American and British winners, it does offer hope in an impoverished country where most of the 77 million people cannot afford a TV set.

Feleke‘s catch phrase — "alta fakedem," or "you didn‘t make it" in Amharic — may seem positively meek compared to Cowell‘s biting reviews. But it has caused a sensation in this tradition-bound culture.

"Sometimes they get angry. The girls burst into tears and a few weeks ago one singer threw a stick at me after I told him he had failed to get through to the next round.

Fan Ejigahu Melesse says at first she and her friends were astounded by the bluntness of Feleke and his three fellow judges.

While fans may be captivated, performers have been stung.

"I am a very good singer but the judges kept saying I had serious problems reaching the high notes," said Natinel, who practices each day in front of a mirror. "They did not even listen to me. What they have done is a very bad thing. They made me look a fool."

Contestants like Natinel are drawn by the prospect of winning a local record deal and as-yet-undetermined cash prize. The yearlong program scheduled to end in September was put together on a budget of $100,000.

"We love it," she said.

"Feleke wasn‘t too tough, but his reputation made me nervous," added Medina, who has tribal scars on her cheeks and performed in the multicolored beads and red cloth of her Afar ethnic group. She sang a traditional love song, "I‘m So Glad You Came."

Judges described her voice as "honey-like," and her appearance was rebroadcast on a special for Ethiopian Christmas.

Some contestants tackle songs made popular by Whitney Houston and Britney Spears , but most sing local love songs and appear draped in the traditional national dress of white cotton or fabulous ethnic costumes.

After the four judges whittle down the original 2,000 contestants to 96, the winner will be decided by the public by a phone-in ballot. This is the first time such polling will be used in Ethiopia.

That and other details were copied from the "Pop Idol" original without permission from its British producers, Fremantle Media, acknowledged co-producer Jamal Ahmed.

Fremantle, which own the global intellectual rights, said it does not want to force "Ethiopian Idols" off the air but does intend to charge a fee per episode.