Nolawi wrote a piece about Munit’s video “Noro Noro” a little over a year ago. He was referring more to her style of music and how much he loved the fact that it was not synthesized, or over synthesized, like a lot of Ethiopian music nowadays.

I don’t remember how I met Munit, but I remember the first time I saw her sing. It was at an event organized in DC  with the Ethiopian Student Association 5-6 years ago. I remember seeing this tiny woman, with so much energy walking around and talking to mutual friends. Her laugh was infectious. Little did I know,  she had a voice that could render a room silent.

Munit has sang back up for Wayna and has collaborated with countless artists. For those of you who had a chance to go back to Ethiopia in the last few months, she had a successful few months at Club Alize.

I could go on and on about her and her music, but I’d rather you come and see her perform and be blown away. Bernos’ 4th year anniversary on  Sat May 29th is at The Warehouse Loft. She’ll be performing alongside BSheba and Meklit Hadero. Make sure to purchase your tickets for the show.

When it comes to Ethiopian/Habesha mainstream musicians I’m always skeptical about the talent, or lack thereof.  Yes, you can call me a harsh critic.  I have my circle of friends to thank for that and who were nice enough to groom me into the music lover I am today.

Betty was introduced to you, the general public, by us through a photo shoot we did for the “Roots” tshirt.  At that time, we were not aware of her musical aspirations.  Fast forward a couple of years later, she’s been involved in several projects that have showcased her talent and her ability to be diverse.

Her bio states “It’s impossible to place B-Sheba in one particular category or mold. Her compositions encompass various genres and often blend several different styles.” She was involved in a group called Kaffa Beanz &  featured in a movie score for “Toe 2 Toe” . She is now working on her solo album “Hello World” and working on putting a group together with APthePrince called “TheeInCrowd (T.I.C)”. Does she ever sleep? I don’t think so.

I admire individuals who pursue their passion and focus on perfecting their craft. In addition to that, being a female in this industry is not an easy thing.  There aren’t a lot of females industry who are up to par, or some haven’t been given a chance at all. Bsheba is a lyricisist and will take you on a journey.If you’ve never seen her live, you will not want to miss her performance.

Bsheba will open for Meklit Hadero at our 4th year anniversary on Sat May 29th, 2010.

For more information about the event and to purchase advance tickets, please click here.

As a music lover, I’ve always been open to different genres and musicians. I always want to hear the next best thing. I think I’ve been privy to a lot of new music and good music the last few years.

Meklit and I have never met. We have mutual friends and have heard about each other. It wasn’t until recently that I realized that she was an amazing artist. My world keeps getting smaller and smaller. It also until recently that I received her album, “On A Day Like This“  in my inbox to listen to it. I’ve kicked myself from day one, because I didn’t listen to it right away. It’s a gem.

It wasn’t until one dreary Saturday afternoon, while working with Nolawi and the Blen Team, that I decided to listen to it. We were all in awe.

Usually when listening to an EP/LP, I pick out 1 or 2 of my favorite tracks. I’m pretty good at memorizing album names, lyrics and track lists. Over the years though, I’ve been very picky about what I’ll commit to memory.  Meklit’s “On A Day Like This“  has been on repeat, loop, shuffle in my iPod for the last month and half. Every single track speaks volume and will move you.

However,  her rendition of Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good” was an unexpected surprise.  As soon as I heard the washint playing in the beginning of the song, I was sold.  The way the washint is played in the intro will leave you with goose bumps. As Meklit begins singing the first verse, you can feel the power in her voice and almost as if she feels liberated.

Her album will make you feel good,  her songs will enchant you and her voice will mesmerize you.

As her bio eloquently puts it, “If Joni Mitchell were East African and met Nina Simone for tea in San Francisco’s Mission District, she might end up sounding like Meklit Hadero.” I cannot stress enough how amazing she is. She’s been featured on NPR’s “Tell Me More” (3/24), as well as several blogs.  In amazon.com pre-sales, Meklit’s album reached #9 for sales in the category of Jazz vocals, #20 in the category of broadway/vocals, and #42 for pop vocals. It reached the #1 slot for music movers and shakers.

Meklit will be on tour in the East Coast. We are pleased to announce that her first stop will be in DC for  Bernos’ 4th year Anniversary .  Please mark your calendars for:

Saturday, May 29^th @ the Warehouse Loft – 411 New York Ave NE , Wash DC.  More details to follow soon.

And she’ll be in NYC, as well – at the New Africa Live at Le Poisson Rouge on June 1st.

The Album is already out on Amazon only and will be released nationally on April 20th.

You can find Meklit on Facebook & Twitter .

I remember when I attended my first ESAi summit. I remember the trouble I went through to get there and I’m pretty sure those around me then can vouch for it too. It was one of the most invigorating and unforgettable experiences of my college years.

It was the 3^rd annual Summit in Berkeley, CA.  I was excited to meet some new faces and see what they hype about these summits were about.  I may be biased, but that was my favorite summit. I then went ahead and ran for a position in ESAi and proud to say that I loved each and every moment of it.

Fast forward 7 years later, I still hold on to those memories and look how far ESAi has come. For those of you who are not familiar with what ESAi means, Ethiopian Students Association, International. For the first time, ESAi is putting living up to the “I”. All summits have been held all over the US but never have they crossed the border. It’s great to see that this year’s host are located in Canada.

I wish I could make it. The other day I asked Mike Endale whether he was going or not, he said of course.  I was sort of worried that we’d only be the “seniors” and not too many to join us, so I’d feel out of place. He also said something poignant. When we used to organize past summits , we were always looking for folks to attend and it would only be right to support their efforts.

So if you live in Toronto, or you know anyone who lives in Toronto, please make sure to support these young, energectic individuals who’ve poured their heart and soul in organizing the summit.

10^th Annual ESAi Summit
March 25th -March 28th 2010
Toronto, Canada

Following the Summit on Saturday is the Selam Visual Arts Festival. The visual exhibit ranges from photography, oil paintings, motion graphics, textile and digital art and brings together Ethiopian and Eritrean artists from across North America and Ethiopia to Toronto, Canada. This year’s artists will feature : Abye Kifle, Assegid Gessesse, Naz Mebrahtu and Kal Assefa : For more info, please Click Here. 

Wale – My Sweetie (directed by tabi Bonney) from tabi Bonney on Vimeo.

2009 was a great year for us; we experienced a lot unexpected positive outcomes, and a lot of our hard work came to fruition.  As soon as we were ready to call it a year and start working on 2010, Dawit gets a call from Tabi Bonney’s production company and he tells me that Bernos is going to be featured on Wale’s video “My Sweetie” off his new album “Attention Deficit.”

For those of you who are not familiar with Wale, he is a local rapper who got signed to a major record label and released his album in late 2009.

It was a chilly, dreary and rainy Saturday morning as Dawit came and picked me up to go to the location. We were both excited and sort of unsure on how to proceed with such things. Obviously, we are going there to provide wardrobe and that was it.

However, what we didn’t expect is what really goes on behind the scenes. Tabi Bonney and his production company were directing the video.  Earlier in the week, they had a casting call for African female models in the area for the video.  We were able to bring one of our favorite models, Selam who was gracious enough to accept our offer.

We had to opportunity to meet some local talents who work in the industry. It was also amazing to see the hard work and organization that goes into these type of productions. Wale & Tabi Bonney were gracious enough to accept a few of our tshirts.

Once the video is up and ready for viewing, we’ll upload it and share with you. In the meantime, click here to listen to the single.

Every year around this time we, at bernos, begin losing our minds, in a good way.

We start brainstorming on new shirts, Nolawi starts designing and the feedback process is never ending. We have to choose the color scheme, how much inventory we have to get, how many designs we should do for our fall collection… I could go on and on with the details but I won’t bore you to death. We love it, we never complain.

But all of this leads to our open house; For those who had the chance to visit our open houses know that it’s a ritual.

We started doing them  so that we can meet our customers. We rarely get to connect with our customers, except via email when purchases are made, or when we get requests online through Facebook, twitter or our blog. So yes, this is an opportunity for us to meet you and you to meet us. In addition, we get to introduce our latest Fall Collection.

For the last three months, Bernos tees have been available at our DC store DEKKA. DEKKA is a Fashion, Art, and Music Showroom & Retail Store in the heart of DC’s most exciting area, the U Street corridor. We’re going to showcase our fall collection at DEKKA. We’re doing a BLOCK PARTY, the bernos way.

So we are inviting all of you in the area to join us for some music, refreshments, and NEW SHIRTS. I can give you a hint, we’re bringing back some classics and some new shirts! You’ll get a chance to meet some of your fave models, connect with people and hang with us on U st. Mark your calendars!!

Bernos BLOCK PARTY:
Presenting our Fall Collection | New Tees & Classic Comebacks

Saturday Oct 24th at 3:00pm til 8pm

DEKKA :1338 U st NW 2nd flr , DC

RSVP here

My summer has been busy. Busy, as in I  have had no rest.  I like it like that.  It keeps me going, motivated about every project I get involved in. This project is special. It’s near and dear to me and I have been wanting to be a part of it for a while now.

I am talking about working with Prof. Haile Gerima on the US premiere of Teza (Morning Dew). Gash Haile (as I refer to him) has been a prominent figure in my life since the day I joined ESAi.

There used to be a group called EthioStudy, and we’d come together at Gash Haile’s Sankofa Bookstore & Video on Saturdays to discuss about current events,  history and we’d also watch independent movies.  When he had time, or was around, he’d drop by and lecture us and challenge us.  I will always treasure those Saturdays.

Some of you ask me how I got involved with Teza? It was a simple decision for me. I wanted to give back to the man who’s been somewhat influential during my college years.  Given the fact that I have the skills to market the movie was an added bonus.  I have not seen Teza. I’ve only seen a few scenes. I must tell you that from what I saw, it left me wanting for more. There are characters we all can relate, scenarios that might be familiar to some us and a history lesson to others.

For those of you in the DC Area, Teza’s Premieres for the first in the US @ the Avalon Theater on Thursday 9/17/09 at 8pm. Tickets are $30. Included in the price of the ticket is a wrap-up party at Liv Nightclub on Friday 9/18/09 where there will be live entertainment, Prof. Haile Gerima & the Cast will present, as well some light H’ors D’Oeuvres. Tickets can be purchased  here .

If you cannot make the premiere on Thursday but wish to see the movie, Teza’s general run debuts on Friday 9/18/09 at the Avalon Theater. Please make sure to tell your friends, family and communities.

For those of you outside the DMV area wishing to see it but cannot make it to town, the movie will run all through  most of  September into October and beyond, with the support of people like you.

Hope to see you all this weekend.

A couple of months ago, we told you about this artist named K’naan. We also told you that we attended his concert in DC and that was great. I also wrote a short review of his album , Troubadour. We also had the chance to meet K’naan, his band and his management team.

At that particular moment, we gave them some Bernos shirts. Now, we didn’t think they were going to wear the shirts on stage for any concert. Most of the time, artists have a set wardrobe for their shows, or some prefer to wear what they feel. A few nights later, they had a show in philly, which I attended (yes again, sue me). Rayzak, one of the band members wore the “ET ALIEN” shirt. It was such a surprise! I did not expect it.

Yesterday morning on my way to work, I read online that K’naan’s wearing the “MADE IN AFRICA” shirt on his new music video, T.I.A (This Is Africa). Now mind you, this on the train with a phone that I can’t really stream videos. I call Nolawi and he doesn’t pick up.

I call Dawit 6:30am, he thinks that something happened to me. When I informed him, he said “what? beshou I thought something was wrong with you! Call me back later” and he hung up the phone. I don’t think it registered. So here I am on my way to work and no access to VIMEO.

Long story short, I saw the video later that day and was blown away. Not only is the video visually stimulating, but that K’naan was wearing the Bernos shirt throughout the video. It litterally made our day. Dawit and I were calling each other throughout the day and could not hide our excitement. I finally got a hold of Nolawi and expressed how excited I was.

We want to thank all of you for your support the last few years. We have a positive artist sending out a great message wearing our shirt. This is the greatest gift to us. Next on our list is to be in your local store, to go national and international. This is just the beginning for us and we hope you join us on our journey. Because without you, our customers, supporters, friends and family, Bernos would not be where it is at. Thank you!

Enjoy the following videos!

K’NAAN “T.I.A” music video directed by: NABIL from nabil elderkin on Vimeo.

Wavin’ Flag

Bernos is back at it again! And this time we’re here to spruce up your wardrobe, with some African flavor. Who says a t-shirt can’t be sexy, fashionable and make statement?

We have 2 new shirts that will be available for sale. Be the first one to purchase your shirt! We usually don’t do open houses, so this would be a great time for us to meet our clientele, our customers and our avid blog followers.

If you’ve been to our events in the past you know what you’re in for and if this is your first time…you don’t want to miss it.

4NXC Boutique is allowing us to host the launch of the new line with an in store event.
Beverages will be provided by Blue Storm Energy.

Hope to see you all there! For more info check out our website.

Over the past few years, this phenomenon of blogging has taken over the Internet. Personally, the only blog I religiously follow, and this may be because I am biased, is Bernos. Not to say there aren’t any good ones out there, because there are,  I just may not know about them or don’t have enough energy to muster up and search the world wide web.

However, an honorable mention would be Tse’s Senduq. That being said, in college we were used to web zines. What are web zines?  A prime example would be abesha . I actually used to submit short stories and poems to them, before i lost my knack for writing. More than a webzine, the writers, the individuals behind abesha became family to me over the years.

As the website grew, so did my thirst for perhaps something similar to abesha. Much to my surprise, I landed on Seleda . A friend of mine wanted me to read an article he had written to be submitted to them. I had no idea what they were about, who they were. One thing I knew is that they had peaked my interest. Here was a website (or webzine) whose contributors were not only writing in English but almost in Amharic. But the Amharic was not only in fidel, it was in latin. Seleda is/was from a different breed.

Call me naive, innocent, or what have you but I was impressed and intrigued. Moreover, these contributors were only known by their monikers and their identities remained a secret. So here I am, a 19 yr old college student, thinking I had found the best thing since sliced bread (in the case the sliced bread would be abesha ). A secret society of intellectuals who prefer to addressed as ‘Seledochu’ had me little old me mesmerized.

I’d engulf myself in their website and I could not wait until the next issue came out. One day, I waited, waited and waited. Nothing. Still Nothing. Rumor had it that they were coming out with a new one. Weeks passed, months passed and NOTHING.

The ‘Seledechoh’ had left the world wide web without a proper good bye.

Five years after their dramatic disappearance, they ARE BACK!! Back for one last hurrah! And this time they are going out with a BANG.I wish I could give you a preview of what is in the works, but I can’t. It’s not because I don’t want to, it’s because I do not know, which means it’s something great in the making. Nolawi told me they were coming back and I was ecstatic!

One last issue to quench my thirst and put me (and others) at ease. I’ve always wondered about the identity behind these fascinating characters, but I don’t want to kill my curiosity. So ladies, gather up the jebena and the senis, this is going to be one ‘Intin’ buna session you are going to gossip about for a while. Gentlemen, forget the politics chewata or the next barca vs ‘Intin’ game. This is one virtual event you do not want to miss. When is it you might ask? Well, we’ll leave that up to Seledochu.

It was the fall of 2000, in my dorm room and as I was setting up my desktop I fell in Love with Hip Hop: Outkast’s “spottieottiedopaliscious” was the first song I downloaded. My brother had some of the best tapes and records growing up. Eventually, music became some sort of therapy for me. When I hit a wall or some hard times, I end up listening to all kinds of music.

In 2004, I remember watching this video on MTV by this new and upcoming rapper from Somalia called ‘Soobax‘. I was fascinated how he was able to get away with a hook that is entirely sung in Somali, and get featured on MTV. Even though I didn’t understand it, I was in love with the beat and his rap verses.

His name is K’naan and little did I know, his journey and story is one to be told. And that’s exactly what he is, a storyller. His latest album is aptly titled Troubadour, which according to wiki has Latin roots and loosely translates to “invent” or compose”. Also, its lesser known etymology in Arabic points to its various meanings of ‘finding’, ‘love’, and ‘music’. The latter would be a better representation of the album. Troubadour is filled with 14 solid tracks. With his opening track, “T.I.A (This Is Africa)” which K’naan clearly demonstrates is street cred to rappers and takes listeners on a trip through the streets of Africa and the sample of Bob Marley’s “Simmer Down” is quickly recognizable.

Forward to another track ‘Somalia’ where he introduces the listener to the current troubles of the country and its people by putting a face to the struggle. My personal favorite is “Dreamer”, which is pretty much self explanatory on following and chasing your dreams even if it’s hard. ‘Bang Bang’ feat Adam Levine opens up with a classic line by Pharcyde “and there she goes again, the dope is ethiopian…”, which clearly is a nod to his fellow East Africans. Other honorable mentions are “ABC’s” and “Africa” in which he samples a few Ethiopian tracks on the latter.

I am not going to give you a detailed account of each track, but there is a track for everyone, representing every emotion and that will somehow speak to you in a different way. I feel as though he is the new face of hip hop. His art of storyteller will bring something new and fresh we can all look forward to in music.

Recently, I was lucky enough to attend 2 of his concert, in DC and Philly. The one in DC was held at the Kennedy Center and the line was literally wrapping around the building, given that it was a free show. This is not my first time seeing him perform, however, the crowd in attendance was one of the most diverse I had ever seen. You could definitely feel the love, the unity and the positive energy in the crowd. Not only is he a great performer, but an engaging one.

It doesn’t matter if there were 20 people or 1,000 people in the room, you felt like you part of his show. He did a poetry/spoken word piece about ‘Love’ which literally blew the crowd away. I don’t want to give too much away of his live show, but it is a must see. I caught up with Dawit at the end of the show and we wanted to give his crew and management Bernos Shirts.

So we had to wait one hour as he was gracious enough to sign each and every single CD, poster or what have you for his fans. It was worth the wait. This humble, soft spoken man allowed us 3 minutes out of his busy schedule to accept tshirts on behalf of himself and his crew. K’naan is now officially a Bernos fan, and especially a fan of the ‘Made in Africa’ shirt. Rayzak, his lead singer, wore the ‘Alien’ Shirt, which is my personal favorite, to the Philly show.

So a big THANK YOU goes out to K’naan, his band and his management team, who are all equally humble and incredibly generous for accepting our shirts.

Friends and Family,

Unfortunately, the AfroBeat party has been canceled due to matters that are out of our control. The venue is undergoing renovations. We are as disappointed as you are and we TRULY apologize.

For those of you who were looking forward to the FREE TICKETS to the Magic System show on Sunday, we ask you to join us at Cocktails for Reading!

The group that brought you ‘Premier Gaou‘ and ‘Bouger Bouger‘, Magic System will be performing LIVE in DC for the first time in the US. We have a pair of tickets that we are giving away for FREE at Cocktails for READING! For more info about the show, please visit :WWW.BCBGCONCERTS.CO.NR

We would like to thank TALKOFDC’s Yodit and Nate for their support and everyone else who have supported us at past events. We look forward to future events!

It’s one of those things that you’ve been taught to say, but take for granted as you get old. I don’t mean to sound preachy or anything, but I’ve always been taught to say amen to anyone give me a burake. It doesn’t matter if the person is an elder or someone my age. Also, the simplest word of them all : Thank you.

It wasn’t long ago I went through my little ‘re-evaluate’ life phase and I was also re-assessing friendships as well. One day, I received a phone call from a friend. This person rarely calls and would rather send me text messages. I just accepted the fact that’s who this person is. I can’t change them and if that’s the way we communicate, then so be it.

But back to what i was saying. I pick up to hear this person say

Beshou, I just wanted to tell you are one of the few people that I truly value and thank you for your friendship.“

I can’t remember anything that was said before or after, but that sentence is forever etched in my memory. There is nothing better in this world, than to hear someone (be it a family member, or a friend) tell you that you are appreciated!

I think we need to give praises where it’s due. Bernos is made up of a lot of people. At one point, I believe there were about 6-7 of us, if any of you bothered to take a close look at the ‘about’ section. We love to recognize others who’ve helped get us to where we are now.

However, if it weren’t for this man’s flickering idea, or need for an outlet to let his creative juices flow, Bernos would not exist. Not only that, if it weren’t for him encouraging me, helping me put my photoblog together, my passion for photography would have remained in my close circle of friends. I would like to say : THANK YOU to NOLAWI.

THANK YOU for sharing your stories on the blog,

for giving an outlet to those creative minds out there,

for giving me a platform for my photography,

for taking care of those little technical details on Bernos that most of us have no clue about,

for creating the BERNOS PRESS, (it was great while it lasted)

for being you…i would add the nickname, but i might get shot for it

*sigh*
A strong woman, feminist, independent, goal oriented.
I have a right!
“You have a right dammit!”, my alter ego emphasizes.
Or do I?

It only took less than 1 min for conception
BUT 10 days for the verdict.
For a split second, I was happy.
The idea of something so precious was given unto me.
Precious, something not to be taken away.
I felt ready for it.

“No, are you crazy?! Think about your career, you’re PARENTS!”

Fast forward to reality.
This is insane!! How did it happen?
How am I going to live with myself?
I can’t do it.
I have to go through with it.
At the end, I am the one who is going to get hurt.
I am the one who is going to be happy.
I am the one who is going to have to live with it.
I am the one.

Mixed emotions set in.
I could just imagine his face when it’s all said and done.
He promised never to let go no matter what.
He promised…
He promised…
“I’ll be there. I’m in it for the long run”, he said.

Today is the day, judgment day.
I layed there with my legs wide open.
I still remember the out of body experience
As I saw myself in agony and pain.
Moaning and Groaning, sounds of an orgasmic experience.
It felt as though a spirit was conceived within me.
Spirit of my ancestors?
Looking up at the ceiling, I prayed to a God I never knew.
I prayed for forgiveness.

“You’ll feel a little pinch”, this strange man says.
“Only five more seconds, five more. Hang in there” this man says.
Piercing through my insides, I feel as though I have been violated.
“Breathe, Breathe”, I hear.
It’s done, it’s over with.

I committed a sin.
I had reached the point of no return.
I committed a crime against humanity.
It was once a part of me.
And I was part of It.
It is now gone…
It…*sigh*