I once heard filmmaker Haile Gerima speak:
You know we have so many stories, so so many stories to be told”
I couldn’t help but think that he couldn’t be so right. We Ethiopians lack the ability to speak about ourselves. Keeping secrets is not only tradition & culture but also a requirement. As the popular saying goes, ‘don’t air your dirty laundry,’ there are more that a few reiterations of the same saying in Amharic.
Our struggles are not dirty, they are accomplishments. Success should not be measured by your accomplishments, but by the amount of opposition you have endured through to reach wherever it is that you have reached.
Our laundry is our story, and our stories like Professor Haile said should be told. Mothers land is one of those stories, a story in which Yosef Haimanont struggled through overwhelming odds to be where he is at today.
Yosef, today has an Masters of Arts in filmmaking and that led him to document his journey to his mothers land after 21 years in exile, an exile in which he lost his language and his family.
This is a story not just to be told but also to be heard!
Published by January 27th, 2007 in Thoughts.
So true!! Thanks for the info Nolawi! Sounds like there are many passionate Ethiopian filmmakers from all over the world starting to tell exciting and worthwhile stories.
Is Mothers land showing in the U.S yet?
I hear Chelema’s echo. Very true.
And nol, couldn’t agree more;
We somehow have this notion… this need that everything told about Ethiopia, everything about us, be shown in a positive light as if Ethiopia, Ethiopians, and the Ethiopian experience is one dimensional without all sorts of nooks and crannies of depth and nuance.
We also tend to think if someone’s account of his life experience does not fit ours, then he must be making it up. I remember this controversy when Nega Mezlekia’s “Notes from the Hyena’s Belly” came out. Maybe he lied. I don’t know. But I thoroughly enjoyed his book.
Anyway, I agree with you and the Professor.
Nolawi, I am so happy you brought this up. Haile Is a very respectable black filmmaker of our generation. He was so right when he said “There are so many stories to be told”
I also like the fact that you mentioned
need I say more. thanks for posting this. It was wonderful
What we fail to realize is that historically we have managed to maintain some sort of a subjectively perceived dignity by covering the truth. That attitude has been adopted and cherished generation after generation. Glad to be of the generation willing to let the cycle break. Our self-imposed gag has caused too many important lesions to go by unnoticed. We need more proactive voices feeling an honest obligation to speak up and educate the public and our community about what is up.
Yemi and Keila
thanks for your comments with much wisdom!
Yemi I couldn’t I agree more to:
And Keila
I think in our hesitation to tell these stories with imperfections we have nurtured a stubbourn, flawless and unilateral pride that is holding us from objectively looking at Ethiopia’s current condition and making what we percieve to be compromises.
Plus, despite an exitence of an ancient script, the fact that we did not write personal stories, record the explorations of different people in the land may have held back our advances… (or did we have these written histories??)
After all, the west was thoroughly entralled by the idea of journals, dairies, traveler’s logs, merchant’s account book etc..(all personal books) and literature even in the early ages.
Of course, even the west had to move from primary usage of the written word in the church to the use of it amongst the people
….hmmm… it’s puzzling to me…
[quote comment="14702"] Glad to be of the generation willing to let the cycle break. Our self-imposed gag has caused too many important lesions to go by unnoticed. [/quote]
but are they lesions? I think not, i see it as a story, not negative or positive
here again, do you think the reason they want a sense of secrecy is because the story is seen as negative
It’s always great to see an Ethiopian venturing into the film making biz. As mentioned before, there are many great stories which are begging to be heard.
This personal account of Yosef is also one that reflects the struggle and success of other Ethiopians.
I believe the fact that many Ethiopians would like to see positive images of our country is because of the many negative and sometimes depressing stories(often quite true, btw) that have clouded the positive images of the country that most seem to be ignorant about. However, one can also not also claim that all is nice and rosy.
Nolawi, yes, they are stories. And just like any country, any group of people, any culture these stories are more complicated than a simple categorization of positive or negative.
But we, as people, tend to categorize them in a certain way and that is it. Generally, our (Diaspora) categorization centers around whether or not we/Ethiopia is seen in a positive or negative light.
During my stay in Ethiopia, I met a lot of young, educated and interesting people in Addis that are shaping the new generation that is rising.
Unlike the Diaspora who generally refuse to explore issues beyond absolute categorizations (be it in politics, Ethiopia, ethnic relations, or in simple personal stories), they seem to understand that our stories take us to many many places. And generally, they are willing to follow with open mind.
Anyway, cheers to our stories! Cheers to those telling them!
P.S. Bgfela, there are some records. They are a few and not widely available. I recently read a book that had copies of letters written between Minilik and wellega rulers. I was amazed and was incredibly happy these letters existed!
Oh yes the stories are out there, if we care to look for them. You would be amazed how many incredible books you could pick from the used book dealers of the Beherawi theater area, let alone those found in wemezekir and IES. There are voluminous books written by our own literary giants that could be produced to run a whole season and more. Lots of moderate size novels could make excellent movies. Brilliant short stories written by old as well as young ethiopian writers can be made into beautiful films. For an imaginative screen writer a whole lot of lyrics pouring out of the good old azmaris could be insight for short features. We should be humbled and inspired by those who wrote and are writing our stories and duly acknowledge and pay due respect to their work. The film making business can capitalize on these and more that come from our very own. We should also do more in supporting the ones in the process to be made. I will trade a free viewing of all the future oscar winning films to see the film by Solomon Deressa and Yemane Demissie on the big screen.
I understand zgent.. but why is it that Ethio filmakers residing in ethio do the same movie over and over…
there are a couple… the lady cheats and the guy wants to kill the guy she cheated with…
if that story sounds familiar.. let me know!
Nolawi,
I understand, thats a genuine concern. I was only replying to the comments that imply there are no stories to be made into a movie. The movie makers, except for a few are tapping into the viewer that is tuned to the bolywood productions. If the whole talk is about the movie making business I have voiced my opinion about the script writing, casting etc on this nblog earlier. Here it is>
Most of the recent poductions, mostly those by the diaspora or returnee filmmakers are marred by some problems the cumulative effect of which is rendering the production almost useless. Somre of these are:
1. absence of coherent story line or carefully crafted dialogue exacerbated by the one take phenomena that put the actors in frame without proper rehearsal
2. casting ones own friends and family to reduce production budget (serious casting problem, it is not unusual to observe the actors mostly acting out of character)
3. lack of clear objective other than fulfilling the actor/producer/director’s film making dreams
4. Inability to distinguish film making from producing stage dramas
5. A thoroughly thought out screenplay that is done professionally
wezete
6. Most films also try to address all the ills of Ethiopian society and wander with no purpose
Isn’t it amazing to find: Ethiopian history and landscape; all the possible classes and occupations: CHiseNa, Balabat, Negus, Liqemenber, Teqlayminister, negade, sera askiyaj, birokrat, telalaki, yemeged eb’d … plus all the diseases and epidemics contained in one film and all played by glib characters.
thank happens to me my concern as well.. a short term success here….in the market doesn’t necessarily qualify it as good art.. spoke a little about it before
zgent,
Wholeheartedly agree with your observations about the problems associated to Ethiopian films. Suppose this is bound to happen as the industry grows and learns into becoming a mature one. So,most of the time, I am pretty forgiving.
I also second your first response here. There are amazing books out there.
Nolawi, I agree good art is not something you do when the primary focus is making money.
Yemi, forgiving is a wonderful attitude, after all the whole business is only a few years old. I also agree with your earlier comments. Maturity is on its way, one can be amazed by the number of crappy films Clint Eastwood has been involved in judging by the quality of his films that are winning the hearts and mind of the movie industry the past successive years. The signs of mature and responsible film making are already there in some of the films and music video productions, including the films that were pulled out of the cinema halls and found their way into the VCD propagating cartel. I am sure the artistic success of Haile Gerima, Salem Mekuria and Yemane Demissie and other Ethiopian film makers will be followed by the new and upcoming artists.
Is it showing anywhere?
Coca, sorry it seems that the website is now down. but the info was there… Hopefully it will be online at a later time….
Dear Nolawi
mothers-land.com has closed down, will be replaced with mothersland.net with new features inc further teasers / and film info.
Hopeful we will be here with you as soon as we could.
thanks Love, hopefully you can answer some of the questions about the film.
at what stage in production are you?
are you showing it around the world?
when will it be released on DVD?
among other things!
thanks!
Thanks Nloawi
We are in the final stage of post-production, the muscial score is being composed while we are mixing the sound, the film should be completed by the end of May 2007.
We are planning to submit it to three UK major film festivals. And also so far we have about 5 cinemas planning to screen the film here in UK.
we are working on theatrical distrubution in America and Europe country .
It will be released on DVD in 2009.
But during all this time we will have the website up and running for you guys to keep with any news.
Thanks
Yosef
our new website has been uploaded.
http://www.Mothersland.net
Thank you Love will edit the blog info.
And good luck with your project. And all of us, here at bernos are here to support it.
Good or bad. Happy or sad. As long as the story is about Ethiopia and/or Ethiopians I’m happy to stop, look, listen and support.
? ????????, ??? ??? ????? ?????? ???????????.
?????? ???? ????
?????????, ?????? ??????