NEW!!! WATCH OUR PERSONAL MESSAGE ABOVE,
VIEW SCENE SELECTIONS IN OUR GALLERY
AND RECEIVE COOL REWARDS WHEN YOU GIVE
TO OUR CAMPAIGN HERE! --->
THE CAUSE: We need your help! We need to raise 37k
to complete our documentation of the Armenian
community of Ethiopia and their story. This means
equipment rental, rights to archival footage and
photographs, travel expenses and media storage. We
want to do this film right and bring this remarkable
story to an international audience. With your help we
can do it!
THE STORY: Armenians and Ethiopians have shared a long
history, with music serving arguably as one of their
greatest contributions, as well as one of the driving
forces keeping their community together. From 40
Armenian orphans adopted by Emperor Haile Selassie
to serve as the first imperial orchestra of Ethiopia, to
Alemayhu Eshete, the 'Elvis' of Ethiopia, Armenians
have left their imprint on the cultural and musical
landscape of Ethiopian society.
Now, a small, relatively undocumented group
of Armenians in Ethiopia are striving to preserve their
historical and cultural legacy as they persevere in
continuing their community.
Below are stills from interviews in November and December.
We accomplished much but we have more to go!
![Stills from footage Stills from footage]()
TEZETA IS A SONG FORM FAMOUS IN ETHIOPIAN MUSIC.
IN AMHARIC IT TRANSLATES TO “MY MEMORY,” BUT IT
MEANS MUCH MORE. IT CONVEYS A SENSE
OF NOSTALGIA THAT CAN BE LOST IN TRANSLATION.
SHORT SUMMARY
TEZETA [The Ethiopian Armenians]is a film about the tremendous impact of a small minority of people on the culture of a nation; the struggle to retain cultural identity and remain a viable community; and the role that music played in serving as a bridge between two cultures.
We started collecting footage six months ago in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. During this time, we became acquainted with many Ethiopian Armenian community members whose families have lived in Ethiopia for several generations, as well as others touched by the Armenians’ profound legacy. Particularly compelling is the mark Armenians have left on the musical landscape of Ethiopia, which is why we’ve chosen to focus on this aspect of the story.
To date, we’ve conducted forty-five half-hour to hour-long interviews with Ethiopian Armenians, as well as Ethiopian musicians, historians, and clergymen. Our interviews have been in French, Amharic, Armenian, & English. We’ve filmed concerts, recitals, & church ceremonies. We’ve photographed places and people relevant to the story.
We’ve come a long way but we have a lot more to go!
![Stills from TEZETA [The Ethiopian Armenians] Stills from TEZETA [The Ethiopian Armenians]]()
WHAT WE NEED
With your support, we can:
-
Purchase reproduction rights and collect more archival articles, photographs, and footage from ETV, Library of Congress and National Archives as well as other private collections.
-
Begin with post-production including editing footage, color correction and sound mastering
WHAT YOU GET
To show our appreciation for our supporters, we’re offering a range of gifts including:
TEZETA [The Ethiopian Armenians] postcard ![Postcard of Appreciation Postcard of Appreciation]()
An original TEZETA [The Ethiopian-Armenians] T-Shirt
![T-Shirt of Thanks T-Shirt of Thanks]()
TEZETA [The Ethiopian Armenians] DVD![DVD of Indebtedness DVD of Indebtedness]()
Original photographic prints from our production![Photographic Prints Photographic Prints]()
![Photographic Prints Photographic Prints]()
![Photographic print Photographic print]()
![Photographic prints Photographic prints]()
THE IMPACT
We believe that this film has the potential to appeal to wide audiences through its exploration of music, as well as social themes, such as overcoming adversity, prevailing against bureaucratic challenges, pursuing dreams, revealing hidden truths, and the relationship between two unexpectedly connected cultures.
In short, this story will highlight the legacy of a once flourishing and now diminishing minority community through the narrative of music.
We believe that this story needs to be told.
OTHER WAYS YOU CAN HELP
To continue production on the film, we need your help. Even if you cannot donate at this time, please consider:
-
Sharing our trailer with your family and friends via email, word-of-mouth, a phone call, any shout out is always appreciated
-
Posting our materials on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Reddit, Google+ or any other social-media platform and asking friends and family to take a look at our campaign
To those who have supported our film already,
we are eternally grateful.
To those who are new
to our project please consider giving to our project.
Thank you.
Շնորհակալություն.
አመሰግናለሁ!