Engaging customs of a rich culture
By Mina Yirga The arid region of Gewane, a county in the Afar Region, is located some 400 km east of Addis Ababa. The first thing one would notice about the region is the unbearable heat, as the temperature could rise to 40 degrees in the autumn. Due to this fact, the earth is barren and one can see desert bushes and shrubbery as far as the eyes can see.
Lack of water has given Afar society a nomadic nature, and so the natives are often in search of grazing land and water for their live stock.
The first eye catching scene in Gewanae, is Mount ‘Ayalu’ (1500 feet). found some 7km away from the town. The majestic mountain seem as if its kept there to protect the city from invaders.
Almost all the inhabitants of the region are followers of Islam. It is believed that more than 30 sub clans exist among the Afar. Within Gewanae itself, clan chiefs act as administrative structures of a certain place. Each administrator is responsible for meeting demands, settling disputes and rendering decisions for his kinfolk.
If one wishes for an amazing experience in the Gewane area, it must be to attend a wedding. They have a completely different ceremony called ‘Degbie’. The bride’s family decide their daughter’s fate in marriage. In Gewane, if a girl reaches the age of 15, then she is considered to be old enough to be married.
The commonly practiced wedding arrangement in Gewanae is between two cousins and is called ‘Absuma’. Most wedding rituals are performed according to the rules of ‘Sheria’. Hence, the bride has to put on a ‘Nika’ (engagement ring) as the first step to the nuptials. The Nika ceremony will be followed by a formal wedding that goes on for a week.
As wedding preparations proceed, the bride assisted by her mother, is expected to make the singular Afari portable shelter which the natives call ‘Afar Arie’. The Afar people use dry grass to build the ‘Afar Arie’ so that they could transport them when the time comes to move to another location. The most important part of the shelter is its supporting pillar, which is called ‘Afelae’. The ‘Afelae’ is circumvented with ‘Afar Arie’ and held in position by ‘Kologeta’ (a thin stick that deputizes as a nail).
Newly weds are treated like kings and queens for the next 40 days. They enjoy cultural foods like ‘Nunfae’ (porridge made of ground maize) which will be served in decorated plates known as ‘Adbirta’, and drink camel’s milk from ‘Kora’. No one eats before the newly weds. Anyone who fails to recognize these traditions, will be penalized either in the form of money or cattle. Such fines are described as ‘Umanae’.
Unmarried girls can easily be identified with their hair style. They have more complex curls called ‘Kumbuda’ and ‘Besita’, with many beads sewn into the hair. But married women wear a scarf called ‘Gufta’ and braid their hair without the beads known as ‘Amermase’.
To enhance their beauty, Gewanae girls dress in loose colorful robes called ‘Kinalae’ and put on handmade jewelry (‘Fearento’ ring, ‘Nuraheru’ earrings, ‘Gumae’ )both on their wedding and on casual days. The Gewanae male are identified by their fierce appearance and their ‘afro’ hair style. Two things that are never amiss on the male are the small dagger around his waist ( ‘Gilae’) and the long tooth pick called ‘Afadena’.
The rich tradition of Gewane continues even as the old are replaced by the new. A father dedicates a camel in the name of the newly born so that when the camel breeds, the offspring later become considerable properties for the youngster.
The urban people of Gewanae are noted for their captivating story telling and hospitality. Grateful acknowledgements are due to the Gewanae residents for sharing with us a foretaste of their rich legacy.
Unique exhibition unveiled
By Tsion Aklilu
The stereo is playing Italian. People are wondering how to solve the mastery of the paintings suspended on the partition. No one has noticed the dusk outside.
Federico Gismondi and Tina San are from Italy exhibiting their collection at the Italian Cultural center. The cultural center has invited these acknowledged artists to mark the 50th anniversary of the center.
Unique-would be the right word to express the paintings of the artists. Tina San is in her late sixties with a different dress code. She has white sneakers decorated with colored beads, a long black skirt, a summer scarf and her hair tied with a colored hair band.
More than ten of her works are on show at the center. The works are different from what we are accustomed too. At first glance, they seem like children art; color full, portraits with long necks and body structure are the style she presents. Her works focus on women, children and circus animals engaged in various activities.
Most of the paintings are done in mixed media on cardboard and on oil canvas. Lots of tiny faces and eyes are shown on a single board .
Tina has exhibited her works in major Italian and other European cities as of 1975.
Her companion, Federico Gismondi presented his first exhibition back in 1961. The elderly man still has the energy and vibrancy. He was putting his signature on sales catalogues and chatting with the guests.
His works are much stranger than Tina’s . The colors he utilizes are strong and dark, and focus on nature and religions events: Sign of Autumn is one of his works that shows a leaf falling in autumn.
He is also a founder of the Manifestation of Peace organization.
Animated is alive !
By Mina Yirga
Most of our childhood memories are packed with fairy tales we hear from our elders. The ETV kids program is our recent memory since it introduced us with ‘Ababa Tesfaye’s’ imaginative stories and witty advice.
Ethio Cartoon Films became the first company to debut in animation by producing ‘The Story of the Clay & Metal Pots’ which is going to be released in a few weeks.
Teshome Kifle, the creator of this sensational animated film spent most of his time in Sweden giving lectures on computer engineering at the University of Gävle.
“I wanted to start my work with a story that has been familiar to Ethiopian kids. In the form of a poem and tales, interesting issues have been written by different personalities like Kebede Michael. I wanted to pursue on that by gracing the stories with animated characters.” says Teshome.
Teshome, father of two, has made an effort in acquainting himself with the latest computer technology.
“At the time, the cost of learning such computer animation was expensive. I had to attend courses on child behavior. I had to read a lot of books on computer graphics. Complete line of the new cartoon art is a combination of 3D and 2D computer animation. I wanted to reach out to kids. In 1995, I presented the first copy to ETV’s children’s program since it’s the best channel to reach my target. I was told I had to look for a sponsor since they do not have funds. What was difficult for me was that the sponsor couldn’t advertise since such advertisements are not allowed on children’s air time. I just didn’t want to give up. I had to go on with the resources I had.”
With the one-hour cartoon animation, Teshome believes that kids from age 0-5 will discover the timeless classic stories.
“Kids don’t enjoy long dialogs in movies. The Clay Pot is something that they are well acquainted with. If we use such materials with a colorful cast of characters, kids easily capture the subtle message while being entertained.”
The DVD features ‘Dotcho’ (the vibrant boy character) and shows his traditional dancing style moving with Oromigna, Amharic and Welayita music, the elderly storyteller and the two differing pots that dramatically teach about tolerance and caring for each other.
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