Ethiopian music icon Kuku Sebsebe is set to make a highly anticipated return to the spotlight with the release of her eighth studio album, “Dejazmach,” scheduled to debut on Friday, May 2, 2025. The new album marks the culmination of seven years of creative work and collaboration, reaffirming Kuku’s enduring influence on Ethiopia’s rich musical landscape.
Born and raised in Addis Ababa, Kuku Sebsebe’s passion for music was evident from a young age. Her early performances at Nazareth School and the American Mission School, where she entertained classmates with renditions of popular Amharic and English songs, laid the foundation for a remarkable career. Her musical journey took a pivotal turn at her high school graduation party at the Hilton Hotel, where an impromptu performance launched her into Addis Ababa’s vibrant music scene.
Kuku quickly rose to prominence, collaborating with legendary bands such as Ibex, Walias, and Roha Band. She became the first female vocalist for Roha Band, breaking new ground for women in Ethiopian music. Her breakthrough came with the hit single “Engedaye Neh/Sh,” a duet with the late Alemayehu Eshete, which captured the hearts of audiences nationwide. In 1974 E.C., she released her debut album “Fikirh Beretabign” with Roha Band, further cementing her reputation as a leading voice in Ethiopian music.
Throughout her career, Kuku Sebsebe has performed alongside some of Ethiopia’s most celebrated musicians, including Mahmoud Ahmed, Tékle TéSfaye, Ali Birra, and Mengesha Getahun. Her international performances have taken her to Djibouti, Yemen, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and major cities across Europe and North America, where she became a beloved figure within the Ethiopian diaspora.
In the late 1980s, Kuku relocated to the United States, where she continued to perform and record, notably collaborating with Teddy Mekonnen (Teddy Mak) and releasing albums such as “Gize” with Abegaz Kibrework and “Ethiopia” with Teddy Mak. Despite her success abroad, she took a hiatus from recording to focus on motherhood before eventually returning to Ethiopia in the early 2000s.
Kuku’s return to her homeland reignited her career, leading to new albums and regular performances at renowned venues such as Jazz Amba and the Taitu Hotel. Her music, known for blending contemporary grooves with traditional Ethiopian melodies, continues to resonate with audiences both old and new.
“Dejazmach,” her latest album, features 13 tracks and showcases collaborations with some of Ethiopia’s most prominent poets and songwriters, including Teddy Afro, Yilma Gebreab, Mesele Esmaamaw, Natnael Girmachew, Moges Teka, and Misikir Awel. Eight of the songs are penned by Teddy Afro, adding a contemporary edge to Kuku’s signature style.
Kuku Sebsebe’s dedication to her craft is evident in the rich lyrical content and captivating melodies that define “Dejazmach.” The album promises to be a testament to her commitment to artistic excellence and her ability to bridge generations through music. After seven years of meticulous work with Ethiopia’s top creative talents, Kuku’s new release is poised to make a significant impact on the country’s music scene and beyond.
Tuberculosis remains a global health crisis, disproportionately affecting children in high-burden countries. For young patients battling drug-resistant strains of the disease, the arduous treatment regimens often feel as traumatic as the illness itself. But a groundbreaking study is offering a glimmer of hope. Dr. Graeme Hoddinott, a socio-behavioral scientist at Stellenbosch University and a fellow of the African Research Initiative for Scientific Excellence (ARISE), led a project that put children’s taste buds at the forefront of drug development, potentially revolutionizing pediatric TB care. Capital’s Groum Abate spoke with Dr. Hoddinott about the ChilPref ML study, its surprising findings, and its implications for improving treatment adherence and reducing suffering for young TB patients worldwide.Excerpts;
Capital: Can you explain the significance of the ChilPref ML study in the context of pediatric TB treatment?
Dr Graeme Hoddinott: The ChilPref ML study was about two of the drugs (Moxifloxacin and Linezolid) that are priority treatments for drug resistant TB. Typically, treatment of drug resistant TB, including among children, uses a combination of more than five drugs, combined in a regimen and taken daily for at least 6 months, though often for longer. Moxifloxacin and Linezolid are two important drugs used in many of these regimens. Unfortunately, available formulations of both drugs are often highly unpalatable. Imagine, trying to administer handfuls of drugs to young children (often younger than 5-years-old or 2-years-old), every day for many months. And the available formulations of those drugs taste disgusting. They are not designed to be portioned (cut up), even though they have to be for children who need smaller doses, and they do not dissolve. Just think about what that is like for a child and their caregivers. In ChilPref ML, worked with two pharmaceutical manufacturers (MacLeods and Microlabs respectively). Both company were in the process of creating generic formulations of Moxifloxacin and Linezolid. We worked with them to select three versions of each drug that they had tried to make as palatable as possible for children. We then asked children to taste these and select which of the formulations they preferred.
Capital: What motivated the researchers to focus on the taste of moxifloxacin for children?
Hoddinott: To clarify, the study was about moxifloxacin and linezolid. Both drugs were reported in small qualitative studies and anecdotally to be especially bad tasting. Poor palatability (taste) of drugs – when it is as bad as these are – is itself a trauma for children and their caregivers. For example, in previous studies, TB survivors have reported that the experience of treatment is worse than the experience of disease. So, improving acceptability of TB treatments for children is an important goal in its own right – to reduce treatment-associated morbidity. In addition, poor acceptability also compromises administration and adherence. For example, the child may spit up some of the dose, and therefore be under-dosed. If the caregiver attempts to then administer more, then they may be over-dosed. And there are other similar challenges, e.g., treatment fatigue – after months of physically restraining your 2-year-old and forcing these awful medicines into them, its understandable that sometimes caregivers may start skipping some doses, especially as the child recovers. In turn, these challenges to administration / adherence negatively impact the child’s outcomes, increasing their risk of death and long-term negative health consequences.
Capital: What were the key methodologies used in the study to evaluate children’s taste preferences?
Hoddinott: This was a ‘swish-and-spit’ taste panel evaluation. Imagine like a wine or cheese-tasting experience, but with different taste blends of the drugs. The panel included (a) a relative ranking (i.e., putting the formulation versions in order of preference), (b) five-point Likert-scale questionnaires about the experience of each blend, and (c) nested qualitative data.
Capital: How did the researchers ensure the safety and feasibility of the study design involving children?
Hoddinott: The participants are healthy volunteers. I.e., they did not have TB at the time of the study. Both the drugs (moxifloxacin and linezolid) are safe and used routinely in the treatment of children with MDR-TB in South Africa (and many other countries). And, as a swish-and-spit approach, the children did not ingest any of the drugs – they spit them out after swirling in their mouth for a few seconds. All caregivers of participants completed informed consent, and all the child participants also completed informed assent.
Capital: Can you describe the process of selecting the flavor blends that were tested?
Hoddinott: Both manufacturers started with a flavour blend that they believed would be child friendly. Each of the manufacturers independently used their routine internal processes for developing flavour blends in their labs. The project team provided general advice from parallel research on what types of flavours children with TB tend to prefer. And then each manufacturer then developed two more flavour blends of each of the drugs.
Capital: What were the main findings regarding the taste preferences of children for the different formulations of moxifloxacin?
Hoddinott: For both manufacturers, for moxifloxacin, the children demonstrated a significant preference for the novel flavour blends over the blend that the manufacturer had originally proposed as child friendly. I.e., that both manufacturers should change from the blend that they would have proposed and instead propose one of the novel blends. We also found that for linezolid, there was no improvement in preference for any of the novel blends, and the manufacturers could proceed with the blend that they had originally proposed. Secondarily, we described the palatability of the preferred blends in absolute terms and noted still needing to further improving even the most preferred formulations to be genuinely ‘acceptable’.
Capital: How do you anticipate these new formulations will impact adherence to TB treatment among children?
Hoddinott: Firstly, making the drugs taste better is good in and of itself, regardless of any benefits for adherence. We did not assess adherence in this project. But given how much more preferred the blends were, we can only assume that they would be easier to administer and therefore adherence will also be easier. From the qualitative data, some children did indicate that the preferred blends weren’t that bad and they could take this medicine.
Capital: What role does taste play in the overall treatment experience for children with drug-resistant TB?
Hoddinott: Taste is one component of palatability, which also includes other attributes such as mouth-feel, smell, etc. And palatability is one component of acceptability. Taste is disproportionally important, especially to the younger children.
Capital: How has collaboration with pharmaceutical manufacturers contributed to the outcomes of this study?
Hoddinott: This was a close collaboration with the manufacturers (MacLeods and MicroLabs), and the TB Alliance. The project could not have been completed without their engaged participation.
Capital: What are the next steps for implementing the findings from this research into clinical practice?
Hoddinott: The manufacturers have submitted their generic formulations (with the flavour blends identified here) for oversight by regulatory bodies. Once approved, these will then become available to the global procurement processes and the supply-chain of country programmes.
Capital: What does this study suggest about the importance of involving patients, especially children, in the development of medical treatments?
Hoddinott: We already know that this is essential. And that especially children are often excluded from such involvement. The study demonstrates that we can have high-impact from listening to affected communities, including young children, and that this can be done with limited additional investment and rapidly.
Capital: How can this research be a model for improving treatments for other pediatric diseases?
Hoddinott: There is no reason why this same approach cannot be applied to the drug development pipelines for all drugs used for children. And wherever poor palatability might be an important driver of treatment associated morbidity and negative adherence / outcomes, we advocate that it should always be included.
Capital: What challenges did you face during the study, and how did you overcome them?
Hoddinott: Honestly, there were very few challenges. Recruitment for participants went very fast – affected communities understood the importance of the project because they had personal or vicarious experiences of how awful TB treatments can be, especially for children, and they wanted to help. The findings have also been received positively, and we genuinely hope that this model will be adopted widely.
Capital: What message do you hope to convey to healthcare providers and policymakers based on the results of this study?
Hoddinott: We do not have to accept the suffering imposed by sub-optimal palatability on children. It is not good enough to only inform decisions based on safety and efficacy. This is a relatively simple, inexpensive process that can make a big difference. Let’s do it.
Banks are being urged to align their foreign exchange rates with the parallel market to foster a functional market economy and strengthen economic reforms. However, challenges such as governance issues and taxation are becoming more prominent in the economic landscape, overshadowing the forex concerns.
In July 2024, the Ethiopian government initiated bold macroeconomic reforms aimed at revitalizing the economy, including the liberalization of the foreign exchange (FX) market.
This move was designed to address chronic foreign currency shortages and stimulate market competition. However, experts monitoring the reforms note that banks’ cautious approach to maintaining their valuations has hindered progress.
Tewodros Makonnen, Senior Country Economist for Ethiopia at the International Growth Centre (IGC), remarked that it may be premature to fully evaluate the reforms’ impact on other economic areas, such as the growth of the export sector.
He did highlight, however, that goods previously traded illegally are now entering the formal market, which is boosting export revenues.
“To truly gauge the reform’s success, new export products must be introduced,” Tewodros stated. “While nine months is sufficient to evaluate the FX market,” he explained that although the FX market has been opened, it is not yet operating efficiently. Banks, worried about declining forex assets, have been reluctant to engage actively. When the reforms commenced, banks faced significant foreign exchange liabilities, and the shift to a market-based exchange rate further widened their losses in local currency terms, exacerbating their hesitance.
While the gap between the official and black-market rates has narrowed from over 100% to around 8%, Tewodros argued that the rates should be nearly identical. “Other countries’ market experiences differ from Ethiopia’s current situation,” he noted. Although tight fiscal and monetary policies have stabilized the market, further convergence between official and parallel rates is necessary.
He criticized private banks for mirroring the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) rather than responding to market dynamics. “CBE’s rates remain stagnant and significantly below black-market levels,” he said, emphasizing that banks should adjust their rates to align with the parallel market.
Currently, many banks impose service charges exceeding 10% on forex transactions to offset losses. While banks primarily earn from interest rather than FX dealings, these heightened fees reflect efforts to compensate for diminished assets.
Tewodros recommended that banks absorb short-term losses by narrowing the gap with the parallel market. “With remittances and export revenues flowing in, banks can rebuild their forex assets over time,” he stated. He also suggested that banks slow their forex sales to strengthen their balance sheets. “If banks take these steps, they can transition smoothly into a more stable market environment.”
“Banks play a crucial role in signaling market activity, and without their full participation, the reforms may not yield the desired results,” Tewodros, who has also contributed to the reform process, opined.
Initially, the reforms focused on alleviating severe forex shortages, but emerging challenges—such as corruption, tax disputes, and inefficiencies in public services—now require attention.
The government, facing reduced direct advances, is advocating for higher tax collection. While macroeconomic reforms aim to overhaul legislation, issues like tax administration, corruption, and public service delivery will take time to resolve.
In an exclusive interview with Capital, Tewodros emphasized, “Broader institutional reforms are essential to sustain long-term economic transformation.”
The IGC, a collaborative initiative established by the London School of Economics and the University of Oxford, has been actively contributing policy recommendations to support Ethiopia’s macroeconomic reforms.
China has officially launched the China Chamber of Commerce to Africa (CCCA) in Addis Ababa, marking a significant step in deepening Sino-African economic ties and highlighting a stark contrast to the United States’ increasing reliance on tariffs in global trade policy.
The inauguration ceremony, held on April 28, brought together high-level officials, business leaders, and diplomats from across Africa and China. The event underscored China’s commitment to fostering economic partnership with Africa based on principles of coordination, open markets, and free trade.
Hu Changchun, Head of the Chinese Mission to the African Union, emphasized that the CCCA will serve as a vital bridge between Chinese and African markets, facilitating dialogue, investment, and shared prosperity. “The founding of the chamber will create better synergies for China-Africa economic cooperation, and enable our friendship to grow even stronger,” Hu said, highlighting the chamber’s mission to mobilize resources and build an ecosystem for common prosperity.
The CCCA launches with 15 founding members representing key sectors such as agriculture, construction, manufacturing, telecommunications, energy, and healthcare, with plans to expand membership across both traditional and emerging industries.
Speakers at the event drew attention to the differences between China’s approach to Africa and the current U.S. stance on trade. Moussa Mohamed Omar, Deputy Chief of Staff of the African Union Commission, praised China’s consistent support for free trade and bilateral cooperation, contrasting it with what he described as the U.S.’s “misuse of tariffs” and protectionist measures. China’s recent move to exempt imports from 33 least-developed African countries from tariffs was highlighted as a concrete example of its commitment to open markets and mutual benefit.
Chinese companies have played a significant role in Africa’s development over the past decade, constructing approximately 100,000 kilometers of roads, 10,000 kilometers of railways, and 1,000 bridges, while generating over one million jobs across the continent. These infrastructure projects have improved logistics, strengthened regional value chains, and raised living standards in numerous African countries.
Wu Jiuyi, Secretary-General of the CCCA and Deputy General Manager of China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation’s Ethiopian branch, reiterated the chamber’s vision to foster partnership and promote shared prosperity. “Today’s Africa is a land of boundless opportunities, and China stands as its most steadfast partner,” Wu said, inviting more Chinese enterprises to join the chamber and work with African partners to “write a new chapter in China-Africa friendship”.
The CCCA has pledged to conduct in-depth market research and provide tailored support to its members on regulatory issues, taxation, labor policies, and real-time market data. With strong backing from both Chinese and African stakeholders, the chamber is poised to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of Sino-African economic relations.
