Veteran artist Ayalneh Mulatu is among the few society lions that pops up to mind while mentioning a successful Ethiopian author-poet and playwright having ample talent and educational background. Honing his skills learning at home and abroad, he managed to get his name atop the leading Playwrights and Authors of the country. Regarding the potential of literature in nurturing and promoting patriotism he drew lessons about the literary style of socialist realism from Gorky and Dostoevsky. He also developed better understanding of his country from the “students’ movement” political riot led by the “60s” generation.
During those days, the youth had been striving for equality, justice and true democracy. That struggle should have earned due respect. “I can say that I am one of the individuals molded in that struggle. Suffering excruciating pain, my generation had passed down a sovereign country to its successor,” he said.
That generation has sacrificed all what it has for a genuine democracy. A lot of people were put behind bars while not few of them lost their lives. In fact, Ayalneh was among those who spent years behind bars. “I dare say I am living extra time (a bonus life), since I narrowly escaped consecutive assassination attempts at various times,” Ayalneh recalled.
Many from that generation have developed patriotic sentiment and compassion for the people. And the same is true for Ayalneh. Contemporary members of that generation, he has developed compassion to the people.
Similarly, various African leaders who played a key role in the fight for pan-Africanism politically matured while resisting the brunt of colonialism. It is the people known in literature, music, theatre and drama that gave birth to pan-Africanism itself mainly to get rid of colonialism. An art originating from real experience and emotion especially from sympathy of the societal suffering reflects people’s life and earns utmost admiration and acceptance, Ayalneh believed.
Accordingly, many of country’s artistic pieces produced in his age were fruitful and popular. They are also among the preferences of the current generation to tune to. Songs by Tilahun Gessesse, Muhammud Ahmed, Bizunesh Bekele and others are still mesmeric. The literary works written by Haddis Alemayehu, Abe Gubegna, and others are known for their encouragement to do away with feudalism and to ensure democracy.
Ayalneh partook in two pan-African festivals in Nigeria. He recalls that Ethiopia was a star country in those events with active participation of the aforementioned popular singers including Tilahun Gessesse and Bizunesh Bekele. He partook in two artistic groups to Nigeria that exhibited culture and musical theatre. The music was composed by Mulatu Astatike. On the festival, the Ethiopian team also played fascinating musical theatre acted by famous actors like Wegayehu Negatu and Debebe Eshetu, among others.
By the time, Nigerian media had given a wide coverage to the dram entitled Tiglachin and explained it intriguingly as it is not only an Ethiopian struggle but, African. “We had also staged this looked-forward art performance in Cuba by invitation. Our key message was freedom, pan-Africanism, anti-colonialism and it was loved by different audiences.”
According to Ayalneh, the second pan-African platform that Ethiopians partook was in 2007 held in Nigeria. We had staged musical theatre there too entitled Lucy. The theatre illustrates Lucy mobilizing the people for unity. And it was the opening performance of the festival.
Besides these successful artistic tours led by the veteran artist, his two theatres had been widely watched in Russia and England. One of his plays Deha Adeg, translated into English language, is still on the stage in England. Such significant art pieces must be reviewed, criticized, rediscovered so that the youth could learn a lot from them, he suggested.
But the ironic thing is both theaters that had got international appreciation didn’t get the chance to be public at home. “I have no idea yet and nobody knows why they are banned.” The people–to-people platform was a big program that had built Ethiopia’s good image worldwide. It is an art platform which was capable to introduce Ethiopia in more than 40 countries around the globe beyond political and other differences. World popular singers like Michael Jackson and Beyoncé had expressed appreciations that they learnt many things about Ethiopia from people-to-people.
In Ethiopia the artistic industry has two main roles during war times. It preaches reconciliation and forgiveness when the conflict is internal and reconcilable. And it promotes national sentiment, heroism and encourages the patriots to achieve victory through unity- if the war is with foreign enemy. Artists like Yoftahe Nigussie had played a significant role in this regard in producing theatre including the famous Afajeshign in the fight against Italian invasion, he recalled.
During the reign of Emperor Tewodros II, an oral poetess who lost her father and brother at the order of the king had been criticizing him throughout his reign but she was the one to tribute him with her poems when he died heroically. Her tribute to the king stated that Dar eskedar yizo yegezaw nigus, endihs sisu new tebenja sigors, telatochun hulu achido ende gebs, mekdela lay talew erasun beras, which literally means it is hard to accept the suicide of the brave king who tended to be hard-heartened on himself though he won every battle against his rivals. This is how Ethiopian artists react for local conflicts, Ayalneh mentioned.
The background of many of these poets, singers and other artists is indigenous knowledge. Therefore, they usually come up with a matured art piece. However, Ayalneh said, the current generation lacks this as it has passed through modern schools that estranged itself from the background and traditional knowledge of the society and history of the country.
The teachings of the modern schools lean on foreign education, which always refers to foreign publications for any kind of academic investigation which is a far cry from the life of Ethiopians. He is of the opinion learning ABCD gravitates the student to the country that uses that alphabet, he believed.
The modern education would have been suitable to the country’s background had the academicians tried to establish it on the basis of Ethiopian alphabets of ABUGIDA. Then it could go in line with ABCD. Ayalneh reminisces that it was in 1941 when Emperor Haile Selassie returned from exile that he took steps to implement ABCD instead of ABUGIDA with strong ambition to modernize the country by copying the development he saw abroad. A wrong advice led the king to erroneously ignore indigenous knowledge and products and replaced them with imported ones.
“I am a good example to this end. I know Pushkin, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy and other Russian writers and Shakespeare since I started from ABCD. However, I can’t talk for a moment about the artistic pieces and biography of the Ethiopian poetess Emahoy Gelanesh. I have nothing to say about Sheikh Hussein Jibril since I have not comprehensive understanding about these indigenous elites who mentored through our indigenous knowledge.”
Ethiopians have musical experience with own musical notes which can produce thrilling songs that appeal to the ears of the world than those made depending on the tutorials of Beethoven. We have our own writing system that can be learned from our missals, hagiographies and miracles, among others. If we had started from here, we would have better art pieces portrayed in caves and various churches than are nothing less than world famous painters, he said.
He mentioned five stakeholders that can fill the gap between the past and the current generation. For Ayalneh, the government will take the upper hand. But it should first perceive art as the key role player in the overall development of the country. Art builds good image, improves people’s consciousness, and ensures peace through preaching tolerance and unity. Therefore, the government should support art through articulating feasible and clear policy, and subsidizing artistic efforts scientifically.
Secondly, in their respective calling art professionals need to play their due role in leading the people to a certain positive purpose based on knowledge and skills. Understanding the interest of the audience is necessary. Then, it is possible to shape their mind in a way it can lead them to its agenda. The artist should be knowledgeable and confident to address every political, social and economic issue.
Thirdly, the public or the audience must not necessarily accept everything the artist provides. It has to reject less-worthy pieces. It needs to be rational and serious on national and personal contents and reject less-worthy art works. Ayalneh believed that this forces the artist to evaluate its capacity and come up with valuable art products.
There is also a dearth of competent criticizers who can provide independent and profound analysis in each life spectrums. We lack this; thus, we should improve this and find better art critiques for improved art pieces.
On the other hand, the media should play its investigative role in conducting the needed analysis from the past to the contemporary art works. It has to identify the strong and weak sides of the pieces. And explain their strong sides and Achilles heel to the public clearly and concisely.
Journalists too must develop reading culture so as to boost their knowledge and get well-prepared before appearing on the media, he recommended.
BY YOHANES JEMANEH
ETHIOPIAN HERALD 22 SEPTEMBER 2021
