Samson Kidane

Singer-songwriter Samson Kidane was born in the Eritrean capital Asmara and has been living in Germany since 1984. He sings in his Tigrinya native tongue, playing the amplified string instrument known as Krar. His music betrays his Eritrean roots as well as reggae, rock and hip-hop influences. “It’s bursting with power and at the same time sounds strangely fragile,” as the weekly paper DIE ZEIT once put it. In his lyrics, he tells of his experiences as a victim of the war in Eritrea and as a refugee in Europe. He denounces violence and the lack of liberty in his native country (in terms of freedom of the press, Eritrea ranges “even behind North Korea which is quite an achievement”), but he also tells of solidarity and love. His albums bear titles like “Justice” or “Serenity” and one of his songs features the lyrics, “Man is jaded, our world is diseased. Man has forgotten that many were here before him and many will follow. Man doesn’t appreciate he’s only a visitor.”