Challenges and Changes of Female Asho-Azmerti on Performing Praise Poems: Focus on Mai-Emori and Bega-Sheka, Tigray, Ethiopia

The Asho community is a minority occupational group characterized by distinctive cultural and professional features. Members of this community sustain their livelihoods primarily through the income generated from performing traditional music and reciting praise poems. Within this group, the female Asho-azmerti serve as traditional oral poets. This study identifies the challenges faced by these female praise poem reciters and examines the subsequent adaptations reflected in their performances. Employing a qualitative research design, data were collected through ethnographic conversations and field observations. Five female Asho-azmerti participants—three from Bega-sheka and two from Mai-Emori—were purposively selected based on their extensive experience and deep community knowledge. The gathered data were systematically organized and analyzed using content analysis. The findings reveal that female Asho-azmerti face both internal and external challenges. Internally, their children strongly oppose the practice; viewing their mothers' performances on social media platforms like Facebook causes them embarrassment, leading to frequent domestic disputes. Externally, the performers contend with declining societal interest in praise poetry and a growing public tendency to associate the practice with begging. These combined pressures have forced the female azmerti to modify their presentation strategies. Specifically, they have shifted their delivery model from door-to-door recitations to a client-based format. Additionally, they have abandoned the traditional practice of insulting or degrading audience members who fail to offer a financial reward after a performance.