Beyonce Knowles was pictured as she performed at the millennium celebrations in Ethiopia with a very lively concert in the capital of the Horn of Africa nation on Saturday.
The event was part of Ethiopia’s yearlong celebration of its 2,000th birthday according to its ancient calendar.
5,000 screaming fans attended the performance ,in a country that normally dislikes Western music .
In Ethiopia, even the teenagers tend to be loyal to music in the national language, Amharic.
Nonetheless Beyonce got a warm welcome when she arrived on stage and returned the favor by saying:
“I want to thank you,”
“You have been one of the best audiences of my lifetime.”
In a country where women are dressed simple white, cotton dresses, Beyonce showed up wearing costumes covered in sequins or shiny, space-age material, from a modern interpretation of a hula girl with shiny black tendrils replacing the grass skirt to a high-necked Victorian-style top paired with sequined hot pants.
Last month Black Eyed Peas performed on the same stage but the reception was not a good one,Beyonce’s opening act, Ludacris, also got the same reception on Saturday.
The music promoter Michael Melake said:
“Rap music doesn’t suit Ethiopia,” .
“Ethiopians need a melody.
“Rap music is all about the message and we don’t identify with that,” he said. “It’s all about the black American experience, and we don’t relate to that.”
But for Beyonce it is another story according the a person in the crowd:
“She’s hot,” “She’s more than hot.”
“Because she loves Ethiopia,”
Beyonce,will be performing in Romania, Turkey, India, Thailand, Indonesia and China on the upcoming weeks.
