A Love Letter to Teddy Afro

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Editor’s Note: Since being released early from prison in August 2009, Teddy Afro has been touring the U.S. This Saturday, July 17^th, Teddy’s tour brings him to New York. He will be performing at 630 Second Ave (between 34th and 35th street). Teddy has inspired fans across the globe, and the following is a letter addressed to him which was submitted anonymously to TsehaiNY.

My Dearest Teddy:

We never officially met but I feel like I have known you my entire life. Although you probably have heard this many times before, I am your biggest supporter and your biggest fan. I was there at your first performance in New York and felt chills as you sang Abugida. That was the start of my admiration for you and while it has been tested, it only grows deeper with each passing day.

Several years later, you brushed past me before taking the stage in Boston. I tried to speak but being so close to you left me in awe. Years later during your performance in Washington, D.C., we locked eyes and those short seconds were the most intense that I have ever experienced. Sometimes I can’t help but wonder if my face has ever reappeared to you. Maybe in your dreams, or perhaps during long days when you have some alone time reserved? If the answer is yes, then did you wonder long enough to give me a name? Perhaps I even inspired you to write a love song? See, to my friends I may be crazy, obsessed or just delusional but I mean it when I say I feel an undeniable connection to you.

At first I tried to fight this love affair that I concocted but then your single Tarik Teserra was released and along with the pride for Ethiopia you fueled within me, you also sealed my love for you. The flame grew wildly with time and with your second album Yasteseryal, which sealed the fact that you are indeed an artist with a conscious, not only put the focus back on Ethiopia’s strenuous political climate but made me believe that you and I are meant to be. Then came your arrest for which I sat up long hours in contemplation over. After spending a year and some months in prison, you were finally released. I celebrated in my one bedroom apartment with a bottle of champagne and Yasteseryal playing in the background. And now after almost one year since your freedom was granted, I wrestle with conflicting emotions taking over me.

Earlier this year, and I hate to admit, I started to feel a strong disconnect between you and I. While others can speculate, and rumors in the air become heavy, I wonder if I can still hold on to you Teddy. Where this sudden shift originated from I cannot easily point out but can say that suddenly I feel like we are separated by worlds.

Despite this indifference, I feel that I must come see you this Saturday after everything we have been through. And so I will drive the 226 miles it takes to get to New York and stand in the crowd, hoping to once again lock eyes with you.

Love,

Your Most Secretive Admirer