Tizita


Tizita is a type of song in Ethiopia and Eritrea. The term itself may serve as the name of a ballad performed in this style, or it can refer to the qenet, musical mode, used in such songs.
Western sources often compare tizita to the blues. Other musical equivalent are the Portuguese Saudade, Assouf for the Tuareg people, or Dor in Romania. In Slovakia, the closest word is clivota or cnenie, Sehnsucht in German, and "կարոտ" in Armenian.
Azmaris first introduced tizita. Modern Ethiopian artists who have performed tizita songs include Aster Aweke, Bezawork Asfaw, Teddy Afro, Mulatu Astatke, Meklit Hadero, Seyfu Yohannes and Mahmoud Ahmed.