Faytinga

The personal history of Faytinga is a reflection of the history of her country, and her life and music symbolize the fight for the defense of Eritrea. In the 1950s, the British occupied a settlement they called "Fighting Gun." In local parlance, this became "Faid Tinga," the word from which Faytinga takes her name.

Born in 1964, Faytinga became directly involved in the fight for liberation at the age of 14, and fought until 1991. Because of her origin and her personal engagement in the struggle for liberation, Faytinga has become a symbol for the entire country. Faytinga hails from the low country in the southwest of Eritrea, and bases her music on the traditional sounds of the region's Kunama ethnic group. Her mother is from the high plateaus and the Blen ethnic group, while her father is from the Tigrinya ethnic group.

Faytinga's first album, Numey, was directly inspired by Kunama folklore. Faytinga continues to drawn upon the musical traditions of Eritrea for inspiration, while introducing guitar, flute and a variety of percussion, all while leaving important places for the krar (a sort of lyre) and the wata (the traditional single stringed violin). —Courtesy Calabash Music