ፋነዋ ኣቦ

ኣቦይ ተኽለ፡ ቡን ተቘልያ ክሳዕ ካልኣይቲ እትስተ፡ ብዙሕ እዋን ካብ መንበር ተንሲኦም ንደገ ክወጹ ሃቂኖም ተመልሱ። ኣደይ ስላስ፡ ብዓልቲ ቤቶም፡ ከዕጠጥዩ ርእየን ነቲ ፋርኔሎ ተቐላጢፈን ከክንዲ ዓዀር ዝዀና ሒደት ፈሓም ወሰኻሉ። ኣብታ ብዙሕ ንጻል ዝነበራ ንእሽቶ ሸሓኒ ንቝርሲ ቡን ዝተቐረበ ነቒጹ ባርኔጣ መሲሉ ዝነበረ ጣይታ፡ ኮሮሾ ንኽኸውን ዝፈረድዎ ክመስል ክልተኦም ኣይለኸፉሉን።

“ቀሪባያ... ክትባረኹ ሓንሳብ ጽንሑ፡” በላ ኣደይ ስላስ ብላይ መሽረፈት ተጠቒመን ነቲ ፋርኔሎ እናንበድበዳ።

“ቅርብርብ ኣቢልክዮ ከይትጸንሒ ድማ ንስኺ ኣርፊድክለይ፡” በሉ ኣቦይ ተኽለ ብውሽጦም ክህውጾም ዝሓደረ ከይገልሁ።

“ናበይ ደሊኹም፧ ኣይ ጌና ‘ንድዩ ዘሎ…”

“ስራሕ ኣለኒ፡ ብጽሕ ኢለ ክምለስ’የ።”

“ምሉእ ለይቲ ከይደቀስኩም ሓዲርኩምሲ... ኣዕሪፍኩም ዘይትኸዱ፧”

“ናይ ዕረፍቲስ ሓቅኺ ነይርኪ፡ ግን ኣይድንጕን’የ፡ ቀልጢፈ ግልብጥ ክብል’የ።”

ኣቦይ ተኽለ፡ ኣብቲ ናይ ለይቲ ሓለዋ ስራሖም እታ ወትሩ ቅሩብ ቀም እናበሉ ዘውግሑዋ ለይቲ ከይገጠመቶም’ያ ሓሊፋ ዝነበረት። ካፖቶም ከየውጽኡ ግምስስ ምስ በሉ ኣብ ገምገም ትኻስ’ዮም ኣውጊሖማ።

ክኸዱ’ኳ ተሃዊኾም እንተ ነበሩ፡ ነደይ ስላስ ከቐይሙወን ኣይደለዩን። ኵሉ ንሰን ዝቐረባኦ፡ ይጥዓሞም ኣይጥዓሞም፡ ብዝግባእ’ዮም ዝቋደስዎ። ናይታ ረፋድ ቡን’ውን በረካ ከይተሰተያ ክወጹ ኣይደፈሩን። ምስ ምሉእ ተርባጽ ፍንጃሎም ኣቃሪሮም ድማ፡ ልቦም ብስፉሉ ንብዓልቲ ቤቶም “ደሓን ወዓሊ” ከይበሉወን ተሃንፈፉ።

“ብሌን ሂወት” - ነጸብራቕ ህይወት ስደት ኤርትራውያን ኣብ ኤውሮጳ

“ብሌን ሂወት”፣ ብያሲን ዑመር ዓሊ (ቅጫ) ተጻሒፋ ዝተኣልየት፣ ትሮንድሀዬም፡ ኖርወይ፤ ሰላም ነቢል ኣፍራዪ ፊልም፡ 2014፣ 2፡04 ደቓይቕ።

“ብሌን ሂወት” እትብል ፊልም ምስ ረኣኹ ነዚ ርእይቶ’ዚ ንምጽሓፍ ዘበገሱኒ ምኽንያታት ተምሳጥ፡ ቀጨውጨው፡ ሓጐስ፡ ሕርቃን ክዀኑ ይኽእሉ’ዮም። ልዕሊ’ዚኦም ምኽንያታት ግን ነዛ ፊልም ምስ መዳቕስተይ ኰይነ ስለ ዝተዓዘብኩዋ፡ ርኢና ምስ ወዳእና ካብ’ቶም ብጾተይ ሓደ፡ “ከምዚ ፊልም ክንሰርሕ ኣይምኸኣልናን፧” ዝብል ሕቶ ምስ ሰንዘረ’ዩ ነይሩ። ከም’ዚ ዓይነት ሕቶ ሕጂ ጥራይ ዘይኰነ፡ ቅድሚ ሕጂ’ውን ካብ ዝተፈላለዩ ሰባት ይገጥመኒ ብምንባሩ፡ ሸለል ክብሎ ኣይፈተኹን’ሞ ውጽኢቱ ድማ እዚ ዝስዕብ ጽሑፍ ኰይኑ ኣሎ።

መእተዊ

ኣብ ገበር ዲቪዲ’ዛ ፊልም ንመወዓውዒ ተብሂሉ እዚ ተጻሒፉ ንረክብ፤ “ብሌን ሂወት፥ ደቂ ሰባት ኣብ ስደት ምስ መጹ ኩሉ ነገራቶም ዓራት ብ ዓራት ፍቕሪ ብ ፍቕሪ እንዳሓለሙ ኣብ ጋህዲ ግና ብ ኣንጻሩ ኮይኑ ምስ ዝጸንሖም ዝገብርዎ ላዕልን ታሕትን ኣነጺራ እተርኢ፣ እዋናዊት ፍቕራውን ማሕበራውን ሂወት እናተንትነት ንብዓትን ሳሓቕን ኣብ ሓደ ወቕቲ እናካፈለት እተርኢ ብብዙሓት ሰብ ሞያ ኣብ ሃገረ ኖርወይ ዝፈረየት ፊልም እያ።” ደቂ ሰባት ኢሉ ዝጅምር ምሉእ ሓሳባት፡ ዓለም-ለኻዊ ጉዳይ ክትትንክፍ ትኸውን ዘብል’ዩ። ሕቂ ድዩ፧ ወይስ ነብሰ-ምትዕብባይ፧

እዛ ፊልም፡ ሓደ ተርጓሚ ብዛዕባ ኣብ ስራሑ ዝጐንፉዎ ዝተፈላለዩ ስደተኛታትን ህይወቶምን እናስተንተነ ጀሚራ ናብ ህይወት ብዙሓት ሰባት ትሰግር። ደራሲን ኣላዪን ፊልም “ብሌን ህይወት” ያሲን ዑመር ዓሊ (ቅጫ)፡ ኣብ’ዛ ስራሕ ተወሰኽቲ ካልኦት ኣበርክቶታት ይርከቡዎ፤ መራጺን ኣላዪን ተዋሳእቲ፡ ሰኣሊን ኣላዪ ሰእልን፡ ተሓጋጋዚ ኣርታዒን ንኩባያ ዝተባህለ ጠባይ’ውን ይዋሳእ። ኣርታትዖት ፊልም ብኤሳው ሃብተሚካኤል ኰይኑ፡ ተርጓሚ ጽሑፍ ናብ እንግሊዝኛ (ሳብታይትል) ብኣብራሂም ሳልሕ ተኻይዱ።

“ተረፍ”፡ ህያብ ነቲ ብተመኵሮ ኲናትን ድሕረ-ኲናትን ኣብ ምሕላፍ ዝርከብ ወለዶ ኤርትራ

“ተረፍ -- እኩብ ሓጺር-ዛንታታት”፣ ብኣኸደር ኣሕመዲን፣ ኣስመራ፡ ኤርትራ፤ ቤት ማሕተም ናለት፡ 2014፣ ገጻት፡ 206።

ሓፈሻዊ መእተዊ

“ተረፍ” ብመጋቢት 2014 ንማሕተም ዝበቕዐት ናይ ሓጸርቲ ዛንታታት እካብ እያ። ደራሲኣ ንነዊሕ ዓመታት ኣብ ስነ-ጽሑፋዊ ስራሓት ኤርትራ ክነጥፍ ጸኒሑ ዘሎ ኣኸደር ኣሕመዲን፡ ኣብ ዝተፈላለዩ እዋናት ንዓወት ዝበቕዑ ሓጸርቲ ዛንታት ምጽሓፉን  ኣብ 2011 ጽንብል መዓልቲ ናጽነት ኤርትራ ዝተመድረኸት ሓንቲ ዓባይ ተዋስኦ ምትርጓሙን ይፍለጥ። እተን ኣዝየን ተዘከርቲ ዝዀና ሓጸርቲ ዛንታታቱ “መልሲ ኣብ ጐደና” ከምኡ’ውን “ዓራዪ ሰዓት” እየን።

ኣኸደር፡ ብምህንድስና ኤሌክትሪክ ብዲግሪ ካብ ዩኒቨርሲት ኣስመራ ዝተመረቐ ኰይኑ፡ ኣብ ርእሲ ንጡፍ መንግስታዊ ስራሑ ኣቦ-መንበር መማዪት ሽማግለ ፊልም ኤርትራ ምዃኑ ይፍለጥ። ቅድሚ ሞያ ምህንድስና ምጽሓፍ ዝጀመረ ኣኸደር፡ ኣብዛ “ተረፍ” ዝሰመያ መጽሓፉ 11 ሓጸርቲ ዛንታታት ኣብ ዝርዝር ትሕዝቶ’ኳ እንተ ኣቐመጠ፡ ንኸባቢ 15 ገጻት ዝተዘርዘረ “ሀ ሁ. . . መእተዊ ዛንታ” ዝበሎ ክፋል ንባዕሉ ሓደ መሬት ዘይወድቕ ዓሚቝ ዝተሕዝቶኡ ዛንታ እዩ። ስለዚ እዛ መጽሓፍ ደርዘን ሓጸርቲ ዛንታታት ሒዛ ቀሪባ ኣላ እንተ ተባህለ ካብ ሓቂ ዝረሓቐ ኣይዀነን።

መጐት ኣሰራርዓ ትሕዝቶ’ዛ መጽሓፍ ብንጽህና ቍልዕነት ጀሚራ፡ ብዘይብሱል ፍልጠትን ንእስነትን ኣቢላ ናብ ብጽሕና መንእሰይን ፈተነንታትን (ፍቕርን ኲናትን) ተሳጊራ፡ ኣብ ዓመቝቲ ኣስተንትኖታት ህይወት ትውድእ። ጸሓፊ፡ ኣብ መቕድሙ እዚ ዝስዕብ ኣስፊሩ ይርከብ፤ “እዚ ምስ ግዙፍ ሓይልታት (ማለት፡ ፍልስፍናታት፡ ፍልጠታት፡ ሕብረተሰባዊ ሕቶታት፡ ውልቃዊ  ኣስተንትኖታትን ዕንደራዊ ሓሳባትን ወዘተ.) ዝዛመድን ዝማጐትን ስነ-ጽሑፍስ ገና-ገና ኣብ ባህግታተይ ዝርከብ ጥራይ እዩ። እዚ ዛንታታት’ዚ ነጸብራቕ ስምዒታተይ ደኣ’ምበር፡ ውጽኢት ጥልቀት-ሓሳብን መጐተን ኣይኰነን።” እዚ ምቕሉልነት ዝመስል ኣባህላ’ዚ፡ ንዝስመዓካ ክትገልጽ ምኽኣል ካብ ንሓሳብካን መጐተኻን ምግላጽ ዝቐልል ምዃኑ ዘስምዕ ይመስል። እንተዀነ፡ ስምዒታት ካብ ሓሳባትን ምጕታትን ወይ’ውን ብተዘዋውሪ ካብ ሕድ-ሕድ ክነቕሉ ከም ዝኽእሉ ምስ ኣንግንዘብ፡ እዚ ኣበሃህላ ትርጕም ዝህብ ኣይመስልን። ዓመቝቲ ስምዒታት ክትገልጽ ምኽኣል’ውን ብቕዓት ዝሓትት ምዃኑ እንተ ተገንዚብና፡ ኣኸደር ኣብ’ዞም ሓጸርቲ ዛንታታት ዝተዓወት ይመስል።

ኣርእስቲ መጽሓፍ ኰይና እትርከብ ሓጻር ዛንታ ኣልዒልካ ኣብዚ ምዝታይ ዝግባእ’ኳ እንተ ነበረ፡ ኣብ ኢደይ ዝበጽሐት ቅዳሕ እዛ መጽሓፍ ካብታ “ተረፍ” እትብል ሓጻር ዛንታ ክልተ ገጻት ጐዲሉዋ ስለ ዝርከብ ንርእይቶ ከጸግም ስለ ዝኽእል፡ ሓንቲ ካብ’ተን ካልኦት ክመርጽ ተገዲደ ኣለኹ። ከም ዝፍለጥ ግን፡ ትሕዝቶ እዚ ርእይቶ ንምሉእ መጽሓፍ ዝመልከት ኣይኰነን፣ ምኽንያቱ ነፍሲ-ወከፍ ሓጻር ዛንታ ናይ ባዕላ ጠባይ እትሕዝ ስራሕ’ያ ዝብል እምነት ስለ ዘሎኒ፡ ንብምሉአን ኣሕፊሸ ርእይቶ ኣይክህበለንን እየ።

“ቦሪን ኰይነ… ኢንጆይ ክኸውን ደልየ”

“ኢሂ ተገባሪት… ብሰንክኺ ድቃስ ክንስእን? ንባዕልኺ ኢንጆይ ኰይንኪ ንሕና ክነንባሁቝ።”
“ተዝርከብስ ንዓይ ምሓሸኒ። ኣይትደቅሲ ኢለ ድማ ኢድኪን እግርኽን ኣይኣሰርኩኽን። ኣሕልፍና ጥራይ ሕጂ… ኣብ ኣፍ ማዕጾ ኰይንኪ ጀላዕላዕ እናበልኪ ሰብ ከይተተስኢ።”
“ኪዲ ኸዝዝዛብ… ምስ’ዚ ሓለንጋይ ቅዙፍ ኣምሲኺ እንተይ ከይትስእኒ።”
“ካብኣ ነጢርኪ ድማ ናባይ መጺኺ ሕጂ? እንታይ ዓይነት ሰብ ኢኺ ግን?”
“ምዃን ሓንቲ ፋራ እንድያ’ዚኣ። ኣብያትካ’ያ ምሽ? ኰይስ ተትብለካ መቸም ኣይመፋነኻያን ነይርካ። ንፈልጠኩም እንዲና ኣወዳት፡ ኣብ ዓራትካ ኰይንካ ቻው ምበልካያ።”

ንጉሰ

ወዲ እልፉ ብዓል ሓሞት
ኣንበሳ ቀጺዑ ብሞት
ፋረ ምስ ተተልበበ
ሽዑ’ዩ ስሙ ዝሃበበ።

“Men’yu Tehatati?” - A Film Seeking Responsibility for Women’s Plights

Title: “Men’yu Tehatati?” (“Who’s Responsible?”)

Directors: Elsa Kidane and Gizenesh Menghis

Running Time: circa 1 hr. and 40 mints.

I saw an advertisement about a film written and directed by a woman indicating that the director was the first woman to have explored film production in the Eritrea. Although I had seen another film directed by a woman, the ad made me wonder why it used that last info – first woman film director – as its catchy phrase.

Notwithstanding my stand about women’s ability compared to men’s, I wanted to check it out at first hand. I expected a change of attitude about presentation of women in artistic productions. I went with high expectation to find it to be unlike the products of men that portray women for their physical look or from the perspective of men only.

ስምያ

ንግስቲ: ነቲ ጕዳይ መጀመርያ ኣቕሊላ’ኳ ርእያቶ እንተ ነበረት: ድሮ ጥምቀታ ዝነበረት ምሸት ግን ጭንቀት’ያ ተደሪራ። ኣብ ቀዳማይ ጥንሳ ዜርኣየቶ ኵርዓት: ኣብ’ዚ ናይ ሎሚ ፍጹም በኒኑ። ምስኣ ሰላምታ ኪለዋወጣ ፋዕራ ዘይነበረን ጎረባብቲ: ኣብ ሎሚ በጺሐን ሰላም ንኺብላኣ ደው ኢለን ይጽበያኣ፣ ካብ ጸጕሪ ርእሳ ክሳብ ጽፍሪ እግራ ዚጥምታኣ ኣይወሓዳን፣ ኣዒንቲ ጠመትታ ኣብ ከብዳ ኬዕርፋ ምስ ርኣየት: ኣብ ንኡስ ዕድመኣ ዝሓለፈ መንእሰይ ነተን ውልዶ ኣጥባታ ዚጥምተሉ ዝነበረ ግዜ ኣዘኻኸራ። ክሳብ ክንደይ ዜጨንቕ ምዃኑ ድማ: ንግስቲ ሃብተ ወልዱ ብልባ ሓሰበት። ልዕሊ ፍርቂ’ቲ ጕዕዞ ከም ዝኸደቶ ኣሚና ነይራ፣ እታ ተሪፋ ዝነበረት ሓንቲ መዓልቲ ግን ከየጨነቐታ ኣይተረፈትን። ብኸመይ ክትከስባ ከም እትኽእል ድማ: ኣዕሚቛ ሓሰበት።

እቲ ቐንዲ ንንግስቲ ዜሕሰባ: ጕዳይ ሓይሎም ሓዋ’ዩ ነይሩ። ጥንሳ ምስ ተፈልጠ: ካብ’ተን ጎረባብታ እንተ ዘይከፊኡ ዚሓይሽ መልሰ-ተግባር ኣይነበሮን። “ሰብኡት’ሲ ዕድለኛታት’ዮም: ምጥናስ እንታዮም ኰይንዎም:” ባዕላ ንባዕላ ሕሹኽ በለት። ጸኒሓ ድማ: “ቱፍ-ቱፍ” ኢላ ንሓሳባ ባዕላ ነጸገቶ። ኣደነት ዝፈጠረላ ባህታ ዝዀነ ወዲ-ተብዓታይ ኪርድኦ ከም ዘይክእል ዘከረት። ምንቅስቓስ ዕሸላ ኣብ ውሽጢ ማሕጸና ዘኪራ ጓለንስተይቲ ኰይና ምፍጣራ ኣሐጐሳ። ተወራርዶም ዝነበረት ሓሳባት: ከም ኮቦርታ ኣምዩቖማ: ከይተፈለጣ ድማ ጸሓይ ናብ መስፈሪኣ ሳገመት። ብርሃን’ቲ ዝነበረቶ ክፍሊ ድማ: ደብዘዘ። ካብ ክሽነ ኣደኣ ኪደሃየኣ እንተ ዘይትሰምዕ: ካብ’ቲ ታኼላ ሓሳብ ዜውጽኣ ኣይምረኽበትን።

Drawing Exhibition: A Change of Taste for Art Lovers

The Artist

Most art exhibitions in Asmara host acrylic on canvas medium with the emphasis of modern art that go as far as abstractions. Certainly, this does not mean that there were no artists who like to stick with realistic presentations of their subjects as well as who use other mediums – such as water and oil colours, and found objects.

An art exhibition that was totally different from such exhibitions was staged by artist Seare Fessahaye at Casa Degli Italiani in June, 2008. Seare came with unique works of art mainly drawings and sketches without a single painting. Of course, there have been exhibitions that brought drawings along
with some paintings – such as drawing works by Elsa Yacob – on various occasions. However, this is probably the first exhibition which is all black and white or drawings and sketches to be displayed in the city.

Artist of the Depths within Self

Self-Portrait

“Dream is the beginning of creation. I am a dreamer. My dream is a wheel. I dream in my imagination. I dream in my intellect. I dream in my talks. I dream in [others’ faces]. I dream in void. I dream in chaos. I dream…,” wrote artist Ermias Ekube in a brochure for his 2003 art exhibition titled ‘Dreams of Consciousness’.

His words reminded me how modern artists branched off from the preconceived way of studio painting in the late 19^th century. According to Lorenz Eitner’s book An Outline of 19^th Century European Painting: From David through Cézanne, the realist painters pressing concern was devising ‘interesting’ subjects. Eitner states, “The success of their work depended in large part on the cleverness of the thought expressed in it, in other word, on its dramatic, poetic, or historical theme and the effectiveness of its staging.” However, a group of painters broke this rule of painting that applied invisible brush strokes producing photographic-image-looking subject matters. The group, mainly including Édouard Manet, Edgar Degas, Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir at the beginning, known as Impressionists took painting practiced in studios to the open to explore nature especially the effects of light on colour.  Subject matters did not have to be necessarily ‘relevant’. Eitner in the same book indicated that they emphasized on visual experience, optical facts of vision, light, and colour excluding a wide range of themes and subjects.

A Bird's Eye View on the Book "Zelo'yu Zihilu"

Zelo'yu Zihilu, Collected Poems. Meles Negusse. Asmara, Eritrea: Atlas Printing Press, 2008. i+105.

The Poet

Anyone with the habit of looking through newspapers has probably read a number of Meles Negusse's poems. He is well-remembered for his famous poem Armadiona (Our Cupboard) since it said how many families felt when they continuously moved their residence from one neighbourhood to another during the mid 1990s. Many of his poems have been printed in newspapers and those who have made poetry their cup of tea have been familiar with them.

These poems that have been dispersed on various newspaper issues have been collected and published in a book. This book of collected poems titled Zelo'yu Zihilu (He Who is Alive Will be Alive) comprises about 70 poems composed between the years of 1994 and 2007. Its first print sold out right away and went into reprint reaching into many people's hands and tickling their fancy.

In the preface of the book, the poet has put these about poetry: "Composing a poem begins from the idea of how one understands life, correlates feelings on ideas and ideas on feelings, it is to create profound feelings from high rising towers by salvaging observation on the art of living." Meles's observation, like his words above, has been able to dig numerous things which many of us take for granted.

Enduring Reminiscences Of The Black Star

This evening STV1 (Swedish TV) featured a documentary on ABBA. It was "mycket bra" as a Swedish would have said about it. It kept me thinking if there is any such iconic group in Eritrea, if not in an international context, at least at national level. Maybe you could chirp in your ideas on this. Grabbing this opportunity, I thought of sharing here the following piece from some years back.
 
The all-time Eritrean music star Yemane Ghebremichael (Baria) passed away on 5 November, 1997, leaving his fans – Eritreans of all walks of life and age groups – in a state of shock. No single person could accept and believe his death.
The list of reasons could be long and shot from logic than intuition. He was only 48 when he left living physically. He had only lived in free Eritrea – for which he toiled, fought, dreamed, hoped, and longed to see it free from the yokes of oppression for years – for only three years. His fans had been still coveting his sonorous voice that touched every cord of what their hearts felt in depths. Those whose lives have changed for the better because of his always stretched hand had not finished expressing their gratitude to him. The list would go on and on.
If there has been a vocalist, songwriter, lyricist and musician whose love is shared by the young and elderly in Eritrea, Yemane Baria would probably be the first. His songs in his seven albums – Zemen, Meskerem, Natsinet, Delay Selam, Aykonen Oromay, Wegihaya Meriet and Mesob Ade of which the last two came out after Eritrea’s independence – reflect the reality of their release time, yet their attraction to people does not dwindle with time. Their flavour always gets one’s feelings engrossed with every passing time as the taste of vintage wine.
Each topic he touched in his songs – love, freedom, family, martyrdom, exile, nationalism – always have mass appeal. One would never find a single line in his lyrics that does not relate back to the topic. His tunes set the mood of the song and carry it to reconcile inner feelings that are provoked in effect to some happening in reality.
In early 1970s, no youngster who listened to Yemane’s Wedebat Adey (My Sea Ports) could stand living under Ethiopia’s oppressive rule. The sea ports were what tantalized all the colonial powers that set their feet in Eritrea. And the youth fl owed to the columns of the struggle to seize the ports from the oppressive regime to their rightful owners.
Baria’s imageries in his love song Chira Feres (Horse Tail) are so vivid that one sees the description of the persona’s feelings and the woman he is in love with in the song as real. His mastery of Tigrigna language is really seen exalted in all his song as in this one:

My body went thin like a thread,
It got braided with your love…
One who didn’t know thinks I’m ill,
But when you’ve my flesh skinned
And he sees that my heart is swollen,
He will believe that my life has been sold.

The song Harege-Weini is believed that it is an autobiographical song written to his wife. Here he symbolizes her as a shade of leafy vine – synonymous to her name. Seeing him sing this song on stage one could easily understand how much he loved her. All his blood vessels are tightened to a point of bursting as he thunderously voiced the verse that expresses his devotion to her; and his big heart is bared for all to see. Unlike many musicians who groan about negative qualities of women, Baria lit up the best of them asking them to share the expanse of his heart.

“Yemane” (Acrylic on Canvas 120 X 80 cm) by Artist Tesfai
Ghebremichael (Hanksh)

Of exile, he always reminded people that home is home. In one of his songs about exile, Zemen, he personifi es time and asks why it brought all the predicaments and harassments. The song clearly puts it that exile meant a chronic sore that does not heal, where one cannot keep one’s chin up and walk tall, and bitterly asks time again why it had stripped him off his human rights. It also reminds time that it had changed the meadows to desert and affl uence to poverty. Let alone people in exile, any Eritrean during the years of the liberation struggle certainly broke into uncontrollable tears and sobs listening to this song. Everything of the song has a mesmerizing effect.
Yemane sang with words that reach deep into one’s morrows to the oppressive rules that tried to take away Eritrea’s identity through any possible means. Some of them were warnings to the people to take learned decision like: asking the people to heed his words “so as not to step on bubbles assuming that it is a stone.”
In some of the songs, the words could be taken coming out of a lamenting heart. Of course they touch the hearts of those who understand the pride of having one’s own nation; however, they do not tie one down to one’s seat and do nothing. They propel one to decisively rise to put an end to the oppressive rules which he described it as:

Endless dream in a night without daybreak
Sunless summer and rainless winter
Not allowed to farm but always kept in jail…

As he was lucky enough to see Eritrea in its joyous moments and free of any colonial rule, he sharpened his voice to eulogize freedom and what it is like to live in one’s own country. He equated independence with daybreak at dawn, a mother’s embrace to an infant, pride, homecoming, the essence of life, the most precious gift, precursor to hard work, justice, reconstruction… the list is very long. He also repeatedly reminded that freedom is found with sacrifice and martyrdom.
As Baria was the son of the people, he understood the people’s heart beat. He also had elegies to the fallen heroes. His songs pay tribute to those who martyred for the nation and consoled their parents. He is also most remembered by his last song Segenai, which he sang on the occasion of Martyrs’ Day in 1997.
Yemane was well-known with the usage of some heavenly elements like the sun, moon and starts, as well as natural ones – mountains, streams, meadows… – within his songs. He used these elements to create various imageries that last long and recur expounding the reality as one listens to them whenever and wherever the person is. That is why Baria has left the legacy of enduring reminiscences to those who were lucky to see him sing and again an enduring experience from which those who did not see him sing can learn.
Yemane Baria was born in 1949. After completing his studies in different schools in Asmara, he joined the renowned Asmara Theatrical Association (MATA) in 1968. As he was politically matured youngster, he enlisted in the liberation struggle for independence in 1975. After returning to Eritrea in 1994 and lived in the free Eritrea for a few years, he followed the martyrs who fought beside him having accomplished a noble cause. Baria is survived by his wife and five children.

Following his departure to the non-earthly life, efforts had been done to help raise funds to support his family. Especially many musicians were so involved in the efforts towards that cause. Within this effort, some of his songs have been remixed and were sold in the market. Although the cause was very noble and has to be commended, there had been some damages done on the process of reproducing the songs.
Instead of reproducing the songs from the master copies as they had been produced by Yemane, additional musical instruments – especially saxophone – were added to the original songs. One who is familiar with Yemane’s songs would only be dumbfounded to listen to them than appreciate them. The songs that carry a listener’s mood were turned into irritating one’s feelings. If those who reproduced them thought that they were trying to show some innovation, they should have carried out their innovations in their own respective works. Whatever cause set them on that track, they should have respected his work and see into reproducing them as they were. The all-time star that has shaken the old, the young, and every Eritrean would not have missed what would have made his songs better if they were a bit less than that.
Whatever happens, the all-time star will always be remembered for his talent, for the mark he left on Eritrean music arena, and for his generosity.

Zemen - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEOCZHJMCV8

Chira Feres - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGLbLie9OxY

Znafkeki Fikrey - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1hhfqWgefA&list=PL3498884792551AB6

Disclaimer: This blog takes no responsibility in the distribution of the above shared music as they have already been uploaded in the net by outside sources.

“Fewsi Libi”: The Long Awaited Album Paid Off

This evening STV1 (Swedish TV) featured a documentary on ABBA. It was "mycket bra" as a Swedish would have said about it. It kept me thinking if there is any such iconic group in Eritrea, if not in an international context, at least at national level. Maybe you could chirp in your ideas on this. Grabbing this opportunity, I thought of sharing here the following piece from some years back.

There is always a talent we see evolve in front of our eyes. We don’t doubt that success would be its last destination. We only give it time to fully develop and be the talk of town one day. And Wedi Tikuabo is one such talent for me. Seeing him play the kirar (mesenqo) for the first time at school, we wished to spend every evening to listen to him sing. Many of us who were his juniors in high school crowded around him after school when he played the kirar.

Whenever I listen to Yohannes Tikuabo sing now, I always go 18 years back in time. Although we couldn’t foresee his prominence in the Eritrean music then, we saw his talent even in dramas he acted with the Halai Comprehensive Secondary School drama group. The scenes of a drama in which he acted as a young man who turned mad for the love of a girl are vivid and unforgettable by many.

Ever since the graduation ceremony of the first round national service, many people have waited Wedi Tikuabo to release an album. Many of the single songs he released for over ten years were certainly delightful. Singles like “Rigbit Meror”, “Nimenom Tefkri”, “Kebebuwa”, “Luwamey” and others were real hits and had rocked many of his fans.

When a friend asked Wedi Tikuabo to sign him an autograph in the second half of 1990s – when he was not known to a wider audience – he put his signature with a sentence that reads “One day I’ll be someone, and you too.” He has certainly made himself a name and is someone – an Eritrean music icon – just like his words.

Although he stated on an occasion that he has got over 150 songs, Wedi Tikuabo had never released his own single album till May, 2009. There could be many reasons for his delay for such a long time; however, some of the reasons, according to an interview he gave in 2004, were that he wanted to keep his work up-to-date and timeless, he got dissatisfied after he recorded some of the works, and that he was afraid not to disappoint his fans who always encouraged him.

After the delay, the time has come now and the album “Fewsi Libi” has reached a wide range of audience. Unlike Wedi Tikuabo’s fears, his fans aren’t, for sure, disappointed. There is no distinct feature one can give to all the songs in the album; it can’t be argued that the songs have similarities in their melodies which is very common among many singers of the country; if we try to find a distinct feature among the songs, it will only be the profundity of the meanings of the lyrics which are full of figurative languages.

The whole album can be heard anytime with no fear of being disturbed. It includes eleven songs that fall under the divisions of traditional and modern beats. The traditional songs have melodies that make them different from the commonly incorporated traditional melodies. While the modern ones are packed with slow pop, disco and reggae beats. All the songs could not be regarded in one style; as a result, they are catered with a variety of them making a listener pick different favourites.

Wedi Tikuabo’s voice is well-known for being sonorous; however, at times it had some vibrations when performing live on stage. In “Fewsi Libi”, it appears that he has taken great care in his voicing. There isn’t much unnecessary vibration of his voicing in the songs. One can’t just go without wishing that he had sung all of his songs in reggae beat as his voice fits really well for that beat.

Most importantly, all the songs in “Fewsi Libi” carry their listeners to the end. They have a clarity that enables a listener to keep up with their lyrics. Although this could depend on the mixing quality, his strong voice has also helped Wedi Tikuabo to be heard over the accompanying music. This is a very important issue as the voices of many other singers are usually dominated by the music; consequently, their voices are neither appreciated nor are able to transfer the message of the song.

The lyrics of the songs are really full of imageries and figurative languages unlike many songs produced these days which lack depth in their expressions. In stead of literary expressing wealth and destitution, Wedi Tikuabo used ‘butter, honey and number of cattle’ in contrast with ‘pelt for a bed sheet as an only possession’ which all are deeply rooted expressions in the society and are not used very often these days.

Two songs in the album – “Gue Leminey” and “Fewsi Libi” – have a persona in them who is from countryside. Wedi Tikuabo, who grew up in a city, composed the lyrics with so many terminologies taken from the lifestyle in countryside.

In the first one, there are some elements that have some deep roots in Tigrigna oral traditions. The persona in the lyric tells his lover that he set out early in the morning to protect her from a rogue of their village – named Wedi Haile – who breaks water pots of the village girls. Oral tradition has it that Nigusse Wedi Elfu, a legendary figure in the southern highlands of Eritrea, used to break water pots of village girls as a shooting practice. There is also an oral poem collected by Carlo Controsini that opens its verse with the phrase ‘Gue Leminey’ (meaning green or unripe lemon). The usage of such types of symbols is very rare among other singers nowadays.

“Fewsi Libi” (a medicine for the heart), also the title of the album, is about a young man who left his ploughshares, cattle and farming to track his love down. The love of the young man is symbolized a medicine for his heart and an angel; and lists the problems he faced for not finding her. In both these two songs, Wedi Tikuabo used vocabularies that are fit for country life; and it appears that he has made efforts to dig out those expressions from the traditions which are fading in the day-to-day language of the urbanized society.

The two patriotic songs in the album – “Za Adi Amenti” and “Mieraf” – are no different from the other songs in the deep meanings of their lyrics. They both signify the stand of Eritrea and its people as well as the challenges they are going through.

“Kedereyti”, “Lbey Ayneberen”, “Beluwa” and “Fikri Teasiru” are songs that get general appeal by many just listening to them for the first time. The first being in a fast disco beat, the second reggae. The lyric of the song “Lbey Ayneberen” draw a picture of the persona and smitten one completely with it. In it, the persona daydreams about his lover during a discussion with his friends. The juxtaposition of lonely feelings despite in a crowd of friends passes the message of the song.

Wedi Tikuabo also reminds those in their late 30s or early 40s about the time when they wanted to date a girl in their teens. Going back for over twenty years, the way the youth asked girls to go out with them was like in the song “Beluwa”. Now young people of both sexes appear to have freer atmosphere to talk and create relationships. The song fits decades back when those who loved had to keep it within themselves and try to show it by persistent body language or indirect means of letting the girl know it. In the fourth song “Fikri Teasiru”, Yohannes Tikuabo personalizes love and calls it pitiable. The song goes that love was imprisoned for tying down two hearts.

“Mezekerta Nay Metaabitey” could make one drop his tears if he had ever tried to check out old photos. As it is about the memories that flood from looking at old photos; it really is so touching. Especially for Eritreans who went through the losses of brothers, sisters, friends, fathers and mothers during long and continued wars, this song puts one in deep thought and memory. Sung with predominantly strong vocal harmony and minimal instrumental backing, its lyric are emotionally direct that sink into one’s mind with profound effect. Wedi Tikuabo has used a single instrument – kirar (mesenqo) – that sounds an acoustic guitar. Its intro music goes for over one minute; and it really sets the mood for mind-boggling thought. This song could mean listless things for every individual and many things could be said about it. The style he has used in this song appears to be experimental; and it probably would encourage others to produce some of their songs with the accompaniment of a single musical instrument.

One thing that should be stated here, as a defect, is the absence of live drum and other Eritrean traditional musical instruments (except kirar) in the songs.

Fekuisu Mizaney - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eify3mHD51E
Beluwa -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwNYR6LKuhw

Mezekerta Nay Metaabitey - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_rm4yK1Vx8
(from 6:00 onwards)

ABBA's Dancing Queen - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8O79uP0JmM

Disclaimer: This blog takes no responsibility in the distribution of the above shared music as they have already been uploaded in the net by outside sources.

Giving Life Again to What Seems Dead

The Artist

Artist Yosief Abraha exhibited art works at Casa Delgi Italiani here in Asmara from February 12 to 15, 2011. This exhibition with around forty works of collage and water colour attracted a big audience. Some writing on the comment book said that they finally found something they can understand.

This statement drew my attention and forced me to think what they meant. Very often exhibition goers are heard complaining they are not for abstract or semi-abstract works. What I then thought was that this exhibition probably brought to the audience what they knew represented artistically; it might also was different with the dominant medium – collage – which is not very common in other exhibitions wherein paintings dominated; and it was only in kindergarten school closing ceremonies that such works were often viewed.

Over half of the works Yosief exhibited were collages put up from magazines and a bit of acrylic paint. The realistic presentation of many of the subjects in the works reflects how tiresome it could be to cut out bits of coloured magazines for various details.

A collage of one of Asmara's city buses

Speaking of his collage works, artist Yosief said that he had never studied it and never seen it done seriously by his contemporaries. However, his interest goes back to around 15 years when he made a collage post card as a good wish gift to a friend on honeymoon. As that post card became a talk of his cronies then, he gave it a second thought and exhibited his first eight collages in his first solo exhibition in 2002. He made those works in a style of stained glass which he could not do himself then for their costly price.

The inspiration for the recently exhibited works came from a work – about 6.4 meters long – Yosief was commissioned to produce by Sunshine Hotel three years ago. This work which he titled “The Street after My Own Heart” is an intersection of six streets in the area known as historic Asmara. The area is very well-known for its art deco buildings and requires one to take long time to notice the breathtaking architecture there. Artist Yosief stated that he decided to use collage medium thinking it would strike people’s attention more than acrylic on canvas that might pass on stale feelings on such a big work. To achieve his goal, he had to collect huge amount of discarded magazines; and working for about a month on this piece his eyes widened their horizon and came to understand what he can do with the medium.

A collage of a street in Massawa

Although Yosief didn’t continue with the momentum he had on that work when he broke to study carpentry for some time, the idea incessantly lingered in his mind. Using the magazines left from his first work, he realized his vision that materialized in his latest exhibition. The works featuring buses, noteworthy buildings in Asmara and Massawa and portraits have some elements that force the viewer to focus on things that are usually overlooked.

Yosief created his work “Sweet Home” – showing a door and dilapidated wall around it – from a collage of dry paints peeled off his pallet. The deterioration of wall with its coarse texture feels like a real wall. For the artist the door and the wall pass on some nostalgic feelings for they harbour old memories of one’s home. He added that it is common to give directions to one’s home by indicating the colour of the door and wall of our homes; and when they are repaired and painted, the age old memories might be buried for good.

The most priced work in the exhibition was another collage and acrylic titled “Love Letter”. The work portrayed a young Hidarb girl gazing far away and an Arabic poem on the right side of the canvas. Although Yosief intended to prepare that by sticking pieces from Arabic magazines, he was not able to get what he needed. Therefore, his friend Suraj – whom Yosief call very resourceful and helpful in his work – came to his rescue with the poem that expresses a lover’s promise to her lover who is away from her. The gazing eyes of the beautiful girl complementing with the poem reveal that her heart is far away from where she is.

A collage and some acrylic of a street in Asmara

Comparing his working on collage and water colour for which Yosief is very well-known, he stated that collages can be done in a relaxed mood and in any creative way one wants to do. As he loves water colour, he finishes them in one or two sittings involved emotionally that require him extra focus and/or concentration. With collage, however, the emotion may not exist and one needs to start two or three different works at a time so as to use the piece he can’t use in one work can be used on the others, he indicated. Yosief added that working with water colour gives you hope and can have a grip of what would come out of what one is working on; on the contrary, one may not understand what the collage would look like till it is a finished work. The disadvantage of water colour not tolerating a mistake is a reversal in collage; the writings on magazines can only be used on front view of subjects when one works on realistic representations. As collages can be affected by wear and tear, the artists might be required to use some fixatives or tempera medium to keep them for a long time as they were made first.

Speaking of why he often paints buildings as his main subjects, artist Yosief explained that buildings reveal to him the behaviours of people who dwell in them. He stated that the way some build their houses, keep their fences, repair their doors show psychological make ups such as defensive, moody, angry, happy…. He went on to say that narrowing down the view of large areas brings out the beauty of some buildings that people might not give a heed and/or showing various buildings collectively as viewed from elevated areas – as he often does by climbing on the bell tower of the cathedral in Asmara – helps people admire the ingenuity of town planners who are artists in their own terms.

Artist Yosief, who likes to prepare the technical aspects of his art work (making canvases, cleaning his studio and preparing his tools) and then to get into working for months on a time frame that is not too tight, has used a bit of acrylic paint along with his collages. He used it to get the right colour, to minimize disturbing colours and writings, to get a touch of Eritrean subjects, as well as on spaces, curves and corners where he couldn’t achieve by sticking magazine cuttings.

A water colour of downtown Asmara

An Italian magazine Internazionale had featured artist Yosief’s first collage work “The Street after My Own Heart” in relation to the issue of recycling various publications that are discarded once they are used. Yosief, however, doesn’t only recycle magazines as in his collages; almost every furniture in his house is salvaged from different materials disposed considered old. Sitting on his comfortable sofa which he designed and made you see the counter he reconstructed for his kitchen. The ping pong table which he turned into a snag bed with its handmade blanket stands across the cupboard which again is his design and handmade. Yosief said, “It has become part of my life; it feels like giving life again into something dead. When I succeed on what I started, I feel like what a doctor might feel when he succeeds in saving a life.”

Whatever medium he is using, finishing a certain work had always been the hardest part of his creative endeavours so far, Yosief indicated. He said that one should stop when all his feelings are brought out on the canvas – a comment he got from Yegizaw Michael (Yeggy) and found effective. Thanking him, Yosief stated that Yeggy visiting him at his studio appreciated some works which he had left as unfinished. He added that he used to minimize or add some details on his works for an extended period of time. This difficult part of painting – when to say done to a certain work – Yosief indicated was revealed to him by Yeggy. He also came to understand that stopping when his feelings start to dwindle leaves room for the audience to interact with the work. Yosief concluded that collages transcend borders and have universal appeal more than painting as they can be practised by anyone who is not an artist unlike painting.