As a continuation of Herald’s last week’s Sunday edition, the discussion with Ato Ayalneh Mulatu proceeds with the interview as follows:
Herald: Where were your dramas shown to the public and when?
Ato Ayalneh: My dramas were shown both in Ethiopia and abroad. As I told you earlier, my writings are based on the objective reality of the country. Many of them were repeatedly shown at National Theatre, Ager Fikir and other cinemas. After EPRDF came to power, I was chased out of Addis Ababa University and I was denied the right to stage my plays in any government theatre halls. Since such is the situation, who do you think would accept me? No institution would offer me a job either. Because of this, I used nongovernment stages such as Russian Cultural Center, Italian Cultural Institute, the British Council and Pushkin Hall.
One of the things that happened in these theatre Halls was the appearance of the drama entitled ‘Diha Adeg’. It was translated into English language by an English man and was shown at Edinburgh World Drama Festival. On other occasion, the same drama was shown consecutively for twenty-three days winning admiration of foreign spectators. This happened while I was abroad. The second one is, a play known as Menta Enat (Mother of Twins) is translated into Russian and shown there. The third, during the time of the socialist military junta, the musical drama known as People for People, written by me, was shown around the world winning fame and admiration.
Herald: Have you ever written TV drama?
Ato Ayalneh: Of course, many. If can you recall, a drama called ‘Yeaine’, which was also written by me was shown to the public several times. The script was based on the social problems of Ethiopian children – HIV AIDS, child abuse and other similar issues. These dramas later appeared on TV.
Herald: Play write has strong attachment with poetry; is there anything you can tell Herald about it?
Ato Ayalneh: Yes, I have a lot to say about that; many of the things that we see these days have a lot to do with poetry. Any play write begins his profession with poetry. Pushkin was a poet; Ato Tsegaye G. Medhin was a poet; Ato Mengistu Lemma was a poet. I for one started my writings with poetry. Once I read my poems to my best friend Ato Mengistu Lemma upon which he asked me what I called myself.
I said I am a poet. He laughed and said you are not a poet, but you are a play write. Your poems have characters. Later, as a secretary of the Ethiopian Authors Association, he sent me abroad, to Russia. He made me incline to play write. Therefore, in such situations, poetry and play write are inseparably together. During the time of Shakespeare, dramas were written in poems. Ato Tsegaye used to write plays in poetry and I, too, sometimes write my plays in poems. When I say poem, it is in the form of speech to attract attention of the audience. What brings play write and poetry together? For one thing, a poet is stingy when it comes to the use of words. He does not randomly use them; he thoroughly values and thriftily uses each word as a package of many ideas; so is a play write. The play writer, as he increasing characters and words, the play becomes too saturated and creates monotony to the extent of losing spectators. Therefore, the play write, like the poet, uses the gist of the words in the way people can understand and enjoy the message of the play therein. Personally, I feel this is the common ground for both of them. Poems and play have rhythm, symbols and imagination.
Herald: Have you been involved in translation?
Ato Ayalneh: Indeed I have done a lot of translations. I have translated Pushkin’s other works and poems. I have also translated Gogol “Wanaw Tekotatari”, Chekhov, Yedem Gabischa” and Spill’s, the famous play write work from Russian to Amharic. With the same impetus, I translated two Italian plays: One Carlo Goldony’s ‘Tibebegnawa Galemota’; the second one Filamina Marturana which is currently being shown. There are a lot of translations which have not yet been on the stage for consumption of the public. I believe that I have made a lot of contributions in this respect.
Herald: What can you tell me about the Survey of World Literature?
Ato Ayalneh: I had a class called the Survey of World Literature at Addis Ababa University, but there was no text book at all. Therefore, I made it my bounden duty to write a book on the Survey of World Literature within one year.
As I told you, I worked at Addis Ababa University for one year. Previously, as a student at the university, Ato Tesfaye Gessese had made me show a theatre at this place. Later, when I was employed to teach art at the university, the first thing I saw was the same cultural center. I was very shocked to see it reduced to a simple book store. I applied to the president; the request granted, I transformed it to a higher level of Addis Ababa University Cultural Center. I named it such and organized a board and embarked on work. The board members were Ato Mulatu Astatke, in charge of modern music, Ato Tsegaye Lemma, in charge of cultural music, the journalist Ato Gebremariam, in charge of journalism club, Dr. Hailu Araya, in charge of literature, Debebe Ishetu and Debebe Seifu, in charge of drama.
The songs, ‘Abay, Abay’ and ‘Inquan Des Alachihu’ were composed at that time. While I was busy and zealously teaching as well as writing books such as Survey of World literature, Fundamentals of Journalism, and Creative Art of Journalism, yet, for unknown reason, lecturers of our department, decided to transfer me to Asmara University, as a public relation officer. Because of this very reason, I quit the university. In fact, I was chased away from the university twice. Regarding the Survey of the World Literature, the production the second volume is underway.
Herald: How much, do you think, your works have benefited the young artists and journalists?
Ato Ayalneh: This issue is better mentioned by the beneficiaries. As you see today, in the history of Ethiopian literature, the young artists who are playing big role in the current theatrical art were initiated by me. Bete Kendil Theatre, which was established by me has served as an eye opener for their great accomplishment. Those who prepared poetic jazz Misrak, Abebaw Melaku, Ewketu, Endale Geta and many others who laid firm foundation for the current theatrical art, all of them started with me. Whether it is in drama or in poetry, they worked with me. In my opinion, producing all these is not easy.
Personally, what I want stress is that there is nothing that I have contributed in the mental development of these young artists; yet, if there is anything, it was creating the opportunity for them to learn, to know to, try their articulation and to develop their spirit Ethiopianism. Along with this, I created the chance for them to use Pushkin Cultural hall. Because of this, these young artists are able to thrive.
Most of them are grateful to me. However, it does mean that I taught them in the classroom, yet by observation, by freely using the stage without fear that anything would happen to them. Yet, for enabling them to prepare their scripts and boldly act, I feel, I deserve their recognition.
Herald: How do you rate yourself in the light of book criticism?
Ato Ayalneh: Concerning this issue, there is one thing we should consider. That is, in Ethiopia and even worldwide, a critique has a big role in the development of literature and setting the social, political, and economic views of the people. A country that does not have a critique, its literary work does not develop. The criticism is not only in literature; independent political critique free of government pressure, who can truly criticize the politics and an economist critique, who truly criticize the state of the economy of the country, and a historian who can make true criticism of the real history of the country; such critiques are in great need for the country. Unfortunately, such once are not in available in our country.
What we hearabout the politics, economy and history are all from government institutions. Therefore, there is not economist able to tell us about economy free of government pressure. So is the situation with literature. With respect to this, I cannot, at all, identify myself as a critique. Criticism is an independent institution that qualifies an individual to a PhD level. Rumors, character assassination and similar dehumanizing writings have no place in the standard critiques. In addition, criticism is the ability to separate the poison from the milk in a glass.
To identify the characters in Addis Alemayehu’s Fikir Iske Mekabir book, the feudal, the liberal and the progressive represented there, were not identified by the author himself. It is the critique who can identify and label them. I am absolutely not a critique evaluated by such professional criteria. I am nowhere near it either. Whatever I write at the back of a book is just a promotion to sell the book; it does not mean that I am a critique as many people think I am. Of course there are books I have criticized, but they are not how the professional critique does. It was what I did, based on my emotion.
The Ethiopian herald May 31,2020
BY JOSEPH SOBOKA
