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Hachalu Hundessa

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Biography

Hachalu Hundessa (Oromo: Haacaaluu Hundeessaa Boonsaa; Amharic: ሃጫሉ ሁንዴሳ; 1986[1] – 29 June 2020) was an Ethiopian singer, songwriter, and civil rights activist. Hachalu Hundessa was born in Ambo in Oromia Region, Ethiopia, to Gudatu Hora and Hundessa Bonsa in 1986.[1] The son of Oromo parents,[3] Hundessa grew up singing in school clubs and tending cattle.[4] In 2003, at the age of 17, he was arrested for taking part in protests.[5] He was imprisoned at Karchale Ambo for five years and later released in 2008.[4] He was married to Fantanesh Demisse, with whom he has two daughters. Hachalu composed and wrote most of the lyrics of his first album while he was in prison. The album, Sanyii Mootii, was released in 2009. In 2013, he toured the United States and released his second album, Waa’ee Keenyaa, which was the #1 best-selling African music album on Amazon Music.[4] Hachalu revealed that he was working on his third album, Maal Mallisaa, a week before his death. In 2021, the album was released on the anniversary of his death.

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Hachalu played a significant role in the 2014–2016 Oromo protests that led to Abiy Ahmed taking charge of the Oromo Democratic Party and Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front, and subsequently becoming prime minister of Ethiopia in 2018.

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