Abraham Afewerki's
Tribute Concert: A Successful Fundraiser Event
April 24, 2007
The Abraham Afewerki tribute
event held on April 14, 2007 and organized by the Abraham Afewerki Foundation
For Music (AAFM), surpassed even the organizers' expectations. The
organizers expected a few hundred people to show up but by the time
the show reached its peack more than a thousand people were in the
Presidential Ball Room inside the Capital Hilton Hotel. Candlelit
ambiance, combined with an elegant décor of the Ball Room
and a huge poster that carried Abraham's
picture hoisted up on the stage facing the audience, made it feel
like Abraham was there in spirit,
even if he wasn't in body.
The charity work that AAFM is about
to embark on was not to be possible without each and every contribution
from our supporters. The tribute night managed to raise $34,000...
more
After event
expenses are paid AAFM will have fund that would enable it start
its work. All that came about thanks to the Foundation's tireless
members who put in countless volunteer hours that would be impossible
to measure in dollar figures. The organizers worked for months,
designing and compositing the Abraham Afewerki calendar,
postcards, T-shirt, event flyers, producing a video tribute, organizing
and coordinating the tribute night event and much more. A warm
thanks also goes to all the artists and other dedicated friends that
assisted AAFM in making the tribute night a resounding success.
The Abraham Afewerki tribute
night was opened by Washington D.C.'s new sensation the Warsai
teenage cultural group performing "Erena". Wearing t-shirts with Abraham's
image imprinted on them, the groups' combined voices haunted the
room as they sang Abraham's prolific
words. The show was lead by the renowned artist Hailemichael "Lingo" Berhane
who graced the stage by his presence and his reflective words.
The artists that took part in the
event came from near and far and they played and sang Abraham Afewerk's
songs one after another and were received by the audience enthusiastically.
What made this show different than other Eritrean shows, in addition
to its meticulous organization was, the fact that there were two
full bands that included percussion instruments such us drums and
congas that livened up the stage and provided the audience with a
classy test.
John Gebray
and Biniam Tekle gave speeches representing AAFM. Following the
speeches a video tribute to Abraham Afewerki produced
by AAFM in association with Eriplanet.com and
Horizon production was shown. Narrated by Robel Tesfai, the video
covered moments form Abraham's
short live and was by all accounts the highlight of the show. In
addition a short video tribute to Abraham Afewerki produced
by Mike Sium was also shown.
The night then progressed into the
second phase of the program and the musicians gave their all and
the singers gave a jaw dropping performance and the audience came
alive. The overall feeling was this was the event to be.
In addition to the community members
that turned up in hundreds, among the audience were invited guests
and the Eritrean Ambassador to the US and Canada Ambassador Ghirmay
Ghebremariam.
This event was possible through the
support of many individuals; the performers were instrumental in
making the night a celebration of Abrahm's life that no one will
ever forget. Most of the artists who came from far came on their
own expenses, which showed their enormous generosity as well as their
love and respect for Abraham. Thanks
also goes to the local businesses who were generous with their contribution
in support of AAFM and the supportive individuals that dedicated
their time and effort to help us fit all the pieces together. Special
thanks goes to ECCC, Alegeta Belay, Aurora Cafe, and Expo restaurant.
The Abraham Afewerki Foundation
For Music thanks all the people that came to express their support as
well as the many individuals who could not make it but sent us
their contributions anyway.
AAFM
For pictures click here
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