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MOTHERLAND MAKING A FILM ABOUT A CONTINENT: DIRECTORS NOTES BY OWEN 'ALIK SHAHADAH Entering into this project it was critical to make a film to end all lies on Africa, by contributing an authoritative singular body of work into the canon of cinema. And in doing so satisfying the ultimate academic threshold but with no diminishing entertainment value. The aim with the narrative to create clear holistic debates that are solution driven which merge to create a Pan-African cinematic experience, which testifies to the potential of what can be achieved when Africa speaks with a unified voice in the vein of self-determination. The central agent in this documentary, like in 500 Years Later, is the African voice. The landscape of Africa is not a geographical domain but a spiritual one, and to capture Africa on film is to attempt to funnel the spirit of a people into a 4D format. This film is not being made because our skin is dark or because we live on some soil called Africa. It is because of a continuation of a cultural ethos that saw Pyramids cast against the desert, it is because of the principles that allowed the University of Sankore, and the great kingdoms of Songhai and Mali, it is because of the spirit of resistence witnessed by Sokoto and the ingenuity of Aksum. It is for all these reasons that destiny knocks at our door and we charge full steam to cast a momument to the legacy of the past, and to continuation of the nobility within the human spirit. There is something sick on both sides, at anytime when someones color precedes their actions, wheather to mask brute dictators or discount peoples history. Just because a thing is from Africa doesn’t validate it. Some leaders in Ancient history were brutal criminals and today we celebrate their skin color. Can you imagine hutler veing African and we celebrating him because he was successful? What is the premise of Africanness, is it the childish previewing and weighing of history based upon superficial skin color? Or is it in deeper wisdom and morality? Thus history becames less about them against us. Naturally some of our greats did both good and bad things, as with everything but why would it be weighted as bad if they are say berber but okay if commiyeed by someone in the congo? It is critical to deal with history as a separate ideology from polotics. Truth is always washed with perspective but starting in a fact seeking environment is a healthy place to start. Betelihem to put her expertises in One of the pressing issues on the table is free movement of African people within the continent, especially when that free movement promotes development and cross-fertiliation. The ease as which non-African nations can slip and slide into Africa without restriction while their African contempories are burdened with excessive cross-examination is a matter for deep review if true African Unity is a tangible discussion. Former African Heads Of State met in a Presidential Roundtable at Boston University in May 2005. Having discussed the negative Western reporting on Africa, they resolved, among others, that: "African countries, and institutions ... need to develop a set of strategies to counter the negative media portrayal of Africa, including developing: i. alternative mediums through which to tell Africa's story; ii. a multimedia campaign to counter Africa's negative image in the western press, and iii. a strategy for engaging major media outlets in order to encourage more fair and balanced coverage of the continent." Profeesor Alpha Omer Konare in his opening speech ask that the topcs of the AU be implemented on-the-ground in the places where it matters in Africa. He critized African governments for not doing enough to insure that Pan-Africanism doesn’t only live at the yearly summits but is a continuous and pervesaive process which touches the lives of all Africans. Mumar Ghaddaffi in his Tripoli address remarked that The unique quality of film is that it allows in a single body of work a multiplexity of interlinking of ideas and solutions. It is a central social focus that fosters plurality and is truly a egalitarian tool for social persuasion and empowerment. No where else could a president and a street cleaner have voice on the same platform. And for the audience film allows a communal engagement which exports culture across borders it can be a tool for unification and thus is one of the most powerful tools of the developed world. It must be a tool of Africa’s future. To being a film with the title MOTHERLAND, demands courage, but we have been here before with 500 years Later and 3 years later the mission is green lighted for the story of a continent. An what a story to tell, think of everything and that is Africa. The first city, Art, the birth of humanity, the African Holocaust, genocide, famine, kingdoms, heroes and demons. And key to this is what is this place called Africa, what is it that defines this continent and its people. Fear can be a powerful ally and fear births reverence and respect, respect for the fact that we unguided are incapable of anything. Guidance comes from the force that birthed the universe, the all knowing intelligence we call God/Allah/Orisha/Yahweh. When we begin to understand destiny purpose all thing fall into place and we either reply to destiny or run from destiny. BALANCE On the gender issue it is clear that beyond tokenism the woman must play a central role in the narrative of Africa. It has to be also recognized that in all areas where imbalance occurs there is a social consequences of this imbalance which feedsback into our reality. Thus the imbalance creates a social reality, so looking for female editors or camerpersons will turn up a diminished result. Thus the process of empowerment must predate simply hiring people because they are of the opposite sex. The same is true in so-called institutions which claim to be ethnically sensitive. All the Condoleza Rices would never do justice to African womanizim or African people. SPRITUALITY Spirituality is one of those undeniable aspects of African life and spirituality is framed and moudled by the structures of the great religions in Africa: Islam, Christianity, and the mono-ethnic faiths across the continent of Africa. Smoke is one of those elements which is symbolic of African spirituality, we find smoke in Islamic spiritual expression and in the Ethiopian orthodox church, in Voodu and Reecha rituals in rituals of Odu Efa. So smoke as a element had to be a component of this film as a texture to mirror this aspect of African life. In this news day we must call on the highest aspect of intellect and maturity to resolve a crisis that has plagued human beings. It isn’t for us to look at religion, leave it as it is because that is how history handed it to us. It must be the betterement of humanity that heads the religious discourse. We again and again cannot draw lines in the sand and say this religion is pure and perfect and this one isn’t. We all chose systems which best bring us closer to God, but in all of this there is a cross over of values which can be refined for the progressive development of the human being. Somethings must seriously be interigated when we see a so-called ‘chosen poepe invading indegenious peoples lands and oppressing them. Beyond the who is right and who is wrong, there is something amoral and anti-God about the gun and the God. There is something strange about holding a Quran or a Bible and then raping and killing peope because they are African. There is something sick about claiming to be a Christian and a moral leader and dropping bombs on innocent Iraqi people. It is also sick to look at what European Christians did and excusing the same horrible traits when they occur in so-called indegenious faiths. Thus the ultimate debate must not be Islam or Christianity or Judaism or Vodoo but Morality and humanity and how can these systems be used to promote peace and justice and tolerance. MOTHERLAND THE NAME AND SYMBOL You can approach the continent of Africa from a political vantage point, you can surly attempt a cultural take on a united Africa, or you could take a historical path. However all return back to a continent that is diverse and with no history of being a unified landmass as we see it today. The word African is said to be of African Berber origin and subsequently adopted by the Romans who captured Africans as slaves. In any event Africa is more than the word, and what word is greater and more meaning that all the names; Ethiopia, Nubia, Abaysinia. Motherland is a title which describes the undying signifance of Africa to the whole of humanity. Beyond names thus Motherland is eternal as the land that has birth the world we know it. MOTHERLAND, is just that word because it carries every meaning that make Africa special to us. Africa is mother to us all. Motherland isn’t some feminist terminology Women give birth and thus the birthing of humanity was done by a woman, and from the woman both male and female are born, and into this role with their various functions constructed humanity. The map of Africa coincidentally appears like the pregnant woman. LIVING PAN-AFRICANISM There is a myth that diversity and differing ideology is an obstacle to the unification of Africa. Some say, yes China could do it because they are all one ethnic group—but they are not. What is key in China is that they all have a common pride in the Chinese Nation, the same is true for the Muslim Ummah and the World Jewry. So the item on the table isn’t the ethnicity or religion or common politics but common identity. So once Africans have a common pride in this Africanism then unity is unproblematic. The one thing about filming humanity is film is a microcosm of the world. If it is possible to present a single film which discusses via a plethora of people the problems and solutions for Africa in a general way then it is also possible for these people to unify on these points and just as it is possible to build a unified film, then it is also possible to build a unified Africa. Somewhere in ancient history Mali did it, Kemet did it, and surly the Europeans have been doing it under Alexander of Macedonia and Ceaser of Rome. So unless these are not all human groups with similar make-ups why would unity be a dream. What is clear that in making a Pan-African film they are so-called elements that destroy or obstruct as opposed to build, while posing as agents of Africa’s liberation. These is real for film and it is also real for the Pan-African world. The African Code sets basic principles for Pan-African organizational unity, which are non-aligned and broad based in application. Motherland is working from the African Code template by focusing on the 7 Pan-African principles and thus delivering a Pan-African film. So the theoretical bases expoused under the African Code is one such system which in no way interfers with say the Shariah or Democractic system of any country in Africa, or the ideals of socialism. These systems have mutual things in common just as most sincere hardworking Pan-Africanist have in common. What is clear however they are some seriously undesirable qualities which have no place in African unity, and here again the African Code identifies them—Intolerance. Anyone expressing religious or ethnic intolerance is identified as an open enemy to Africa, there is no Pan-Africanism that can be male-centric, anti-Islamic, or antisemetic because the continent of Africa is made up of these people. So the definition of Pan-Africanism is vulgarly against these people who pose under a Black flag while have racist designs on Africa. Africa is diverse has been diverse and will always be diverse, Pan-Africanism must recognize and engage this diversity as a tool for liberation. This is the foundational bases for unity that everyone in this film agrees on. Ethiopia As a director often one must take decisions which will subsequently affect entire productions. Some see Kemet (Egypt) as the most spectacular aspect of Africa, the great Nile valley civilizations was the most influential civilization in the history of mankind, the accomplishments of Africans in Egypt were the light at that ushered in civilizations and innovations that the world has never seen before. So central in many ways Ancient Egypt is the most central of African locations. However just a little South lies another which I chose to be central to this film Motherland—Ethiopia. There are no coincidence and the year we began this production just happened to be at the turn of a millennium for Ethiopia, in the Ethiopian calendar it was just 2000. So what this represents is 2000 Years of African history, continuous history. The new paradigm of though in African history requires that we almost abandon all preconceived notions of African, especially those espoused through the African Holocaust of academic racism against a continent. There are aspects of Christianity, Islam and Judaism which are native to Africa, found nowhere else. Yet both camps, African and European feed the myth of Africa having no historical relationship to these faiths. How ridiculous is this when Ethiopia was not only the one of the first Christian states in the entire history of the world, and also the protectorate of the genius of Islam. How can then Africans feel they need to look to an Arabized Islam or a Eurocentric Christianity, or even a Europeanized Judaism when in Africa all these central world faiths were part from the beginning of the African historical landscape. This is one aspect which has remained unchallenged, how Africans have inherited the poison writing out of history. Unique to Ethiopia is aspects of the Bible, which are found nowhere else in Christianity. Jewish traditions among the Beta Israeli are unique to Ethiopia, further south in Zimbabwe we have the Lemba, a people with more Jewish genes that any Israel today. This is the continuous proof that Africans were not the benefactors of other peoples inventions but active agents in the all aspects of what we called civilization. It was said that the city was the African’s gift to the world, but many of us continue to see Africa as a place desperately trying to escape the stone ages. Africa in antiquity was far different from Africa today, all civilizations wax and wane. WHY ETHIOPIA: THE JEWEL OF AFRICA Economically Ethiopia is unique, where the majority of businesses are owned by African, the richest in the world is an Ethiopian. The oldest human fossils are in Ethiopia. Politically it is one of the world’s oldest sovereign nations; linguistically it houses more languages than most African country and is home to more linguistic families and ethnic groups than anywhere else. Addis Ababa is the seat of the AU, it is one of the first nations, via Haile Selassie to call the African Diaspora home and set the tide against colonialism. Religiously it is one of the oldest practitioners of the three Abrahamic faiths; Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Ethiopia is the first home outside of Saudi Arabia for Islam, and one of the first Christian states in the world. Ethiopia is home to historical marvels such as Lalibella and Aksum. Ethiopia is the only African nation to defeat the colonialist t the battle of Adwa. It is the only African country with its own calendar and time system, and the only African country with a living indigenous script—Ge’ez. AGENCY AND PARADIGM-SHIFT We are all victims of our environment; there is absolutely no way to escape this gravitating fact. It is impossible to exist within the Maafa and not be affected, altered and actuated to it. Thus to solve an illness and be suffering known or unknown from the illness is difficult. The aim of defining a new though process in house of the old infected mind is a paradox in itself, none the less as we the children of Mother Africa seek our African path we with every generation purge the chains of old. In Motherland we begin by re-examining linguistics and agency. The paradigm-shift is directly related to those things which constitute the foundational bases of all thought or thesis. Thus words and terminologies such as ‘black people’, ‘Sub-Africa’, and even words with seemingly non-hostile intent like ‘pre-colonial Africa’ and an even softer one ‘Independence’ The question with some of these terms like pre-colonial African history, while popular among our predecors is one which is with the new progressive generation of Africans taboo. The question of African history beginning or being articulated around European historical presents in Africa is a denial of the determination and historical significance of Africa. Independence is under the same knife of critic, African predates Europe, Africa is not a child of Europe, Children gain independence from their parents when they display civilized self-managing behavior. Independence implies that Africa outside of Europe was previously incapable of this maturity, and the granting of independence was the crowning award for the Europeanization, another way for saying civilizing, of African nations. The interruption in African history self-determination is really what colonialism was, the end of this period is still wanting, for after colonialism the so-called granting of independence was nothing more than the mocking and sporting of European customs on an African landscape. Independence had more dependence. So when we re-examine the linguistics the unfortunate truth is it creates the channels which all pour back into the ‘Dark myths’ of Africa as espoused by the Henry Morgan Stanley’s and Conrad’s of this world. We begin motherland with a paradigm shift of even more epic and less obvious tactic, to define Africa for itself, to set Africa as the rock, which needs no explanation, no defense, no apology. Some of our constructive historians are forever engaging by defending and rearticulating Africa to prove to the world we are civilized. Without them we wouldn’t be here—intellectually. But this is a new day for Africa in which we create a new Africa in the traditions of all humanity, for each generation to make a new on the best of what has gone before them. The referencing of Africa in Eurocentric terms to add merit to Africa as noble is an aspect of denial of African self-determination. Never in the history of Europe do they need to validate Europe by referencing Africa, yet Africa cannot escape this—Why? Moving to the next level requires an examination of a new buzz word, African perspective, BBC in light of the whole debate on Africa is now latching onto this buzz word. What is profound is that in reality the natural perspective on Africa is an African one hence the idea of an African perspective sets-up the position of as the African perspective as the alternative, however all non-African perspectives are alteratives to the natural norm and it is important to understand or overstand this because it shadows everything we do, if we believe we are forming an alternative view of Africa it then discredits the authority given to the African perspective. We understand the legacy and hence it needs to be stated in historical context but moreover we must not live under this title as if there exist another ‘more valid’ point-of-view. Europe must be vulgarly removed from being the authority on Africa, AFRICAN AESTHETIC Perfection is an aspect of African being. When we run our hands over the pyramids of Kemet and Sudan we see perfect. In the obliqse of Aksum we see perfection. Within the African definition of beauty we see strong model of perfection. The attention given to hair in Ethiopia or dress in west Africa speaks to the continuation of a dedication to perfection. In all of these things there is a commonality which threads and identifies them as distinctively African. So when we return to the modern griot, i.e. the African documentary film it is critical to impress an African aesthetic which adds a distinctive and purposeful African sensibility in terms of style and function. Motherland must visually represent the texture and mood of the continent. LIVING AFRICA: AN AFRICAN LOCATION Setting up a production base in Ethiopia was a critical aspect of the Motherland production. Living Africa allows one an insight into the film in question. By making Africa the production base it means the expenditure from the film return to the Africa. And in doing so we are imparting not only the economic growth of the Motherland but the skilling of a generation of filmmakers who rarely would have the opportunity to come across a production such as this one in their backyard. What is realized that romantics aside no people want to live in some ‘mythical’ memory of either Eurocentrics or Afrocentrics. The desire of people is unamously for a better life, for running water for electricity for access to medical care, education and safe shelter, and on top of that security from war and strife. Now the trick is to deliver everything modern and retain the cultural uniqueness, and who ever said that these were competing objectives? In no way shape or form should running water be the end of some beneficial cultural tradition. In Kenya Maasai are in traditional dress using the last mobile phones with keys to the lastest land cruser. Where is it written that traditional Africa means techonologically backwardness, or that to achieve the African ideal one must stay outside the doors of modernity? All of these questions raise the most profound question, What does it mean to be African. NARRATIVE A narrative drives a film, the narrative itself must be held together by glue and be flexible so it breaths and grows. Layers ae essential to a dynamic film documentary which must exist at multipul levels, showing over saying is a powerful paradigm which needs to be engaged. To tell a story you must sho the sory, what is Africa is mostly expressed by actions the visual day-to-day lives of people engaging their environment challenging their problems to bring about progress; progress on an individual and ultimately continent level. Day to day many contribute to this forward flow, from farmers to Pharmacist. The textures of a film narrative must weave together seemingly disconnected components which build the African reality. The natural challenge is film is a limited format which could never truly sum up something as grand as human life, thus it must visually compensate and intellectually be creative to meet these natural limitations. Employing an artistic license is necessary in th limited 2hour space delivering a heavily summarized story of a peoples journey. AFRICANS ON AFRICA In any other part of the universe, this statement would be obvious and therefore redundant. But in Africa’s case it is revolutionary. The Maafa has denied Africans voice, it has set-up a system where Africans all over the globe are the exploited of Arabs, Europeans, Indians, Chinese, everyone. A film on South African music needs a White person from the UK to make it, a story about debt in Jamaica needs a White woman to write it, A story of a new African-American dance craze in California need s the determination of an all white team of filmmakers A Story of Steve Beko needs a white author and filmmaker to produce it, A film on slavery needs white musicians and white directors. If this isn’t a core issue which needs 100% attention then what are we saying about the determination and abilities of African people? What ever one believes is the reason for the above there must be agreement on it must end. Are we to assume that God created a race of incapable people who are perpetually dependent on some caste of skilled intellectuals. What could be a more telling that 500 years later the victims of the Maafa: African Holocaust are still in the chains of others? Motherland being an African film about Africans only needs to look to African for skills and funding, thus there is zero need to hire white camera people as we have enough on the continent, we have enough writers, we have enough producers and associate producers, we have enough DP’s and where skills are diminished we set a precedent and train those people to those position which are under skilled or don’t exist. African cant be for Africa and then we bring in all the Chinese to build the roads, all the Indians to open supermarkets, all the Arabs to run the trucks, all the whites to run everyone else. This has nothing to do with racism but the opposite ending racism where the African continues to be the victim of a system started or mastered 500 years ago which said the African was something less than human and incapable of greatness, so how do we challenge that? We don’t need to prove to anyone what we are capable of, doing for self is simply in our interest and in the case of Motherland, Africans have a direct relationship to the narrative, because it is about African, and for the greater part of theory are the best people to articulate the story of self. While researching this project, as it is more than a film, but a historical charting via visual media the history of a continent and a people, various sources were used to forge the historical backdrop of the film. It is almost unbelievable to discover the degree of historical academic oppression against Africa. When Europeans pen history one sometimes wonders what planet’s history they are noting. Searching Encarta for some information on Congo it was noted no mention of the holocaust that Leopold engaged in. So imagine researching German history in the 20th century and the Jewish Holocaust being reduced to ‘Hitler was critiqued for oppression of some people’ the entire horrors of a people are subtexted to some empty line. While browsing through South Africa with the Lonely Planet guide a similar statement was found as it related to the military service made mandatory by the Apartheid government ‘The soldiers suffered greatly because of the military service the government imposed on them, many escaped to Europe, to ecape the mental tramma.’ This is the lament for the soldiers who were murdering South African people, they cry tears for the soldiers, what about the victims of this nightmare. It has been noticed that as long as the hunter tells the story, the fate of the lion will always be compromised in history. Europeans have the strange ability to write a tale of the 18th century and skip through slavery as if it was some normal business activity. The offense is beyond belief that you could discuss Africa and complete whitewash the Maafa of the African Holocaust. The solution, as stated in ‘The removal of Agency from Africa’ is not to instruct Europeans in how to be more sensitive to African history, the solution is to remove them completely from being the agents of African history and make sure Africans speak on Africa—this is the basic REALITY OF MAKING A FILM One unique experience gained from making a film is the instant exposure to profound knowledge. Sitting with the best of Africa is an instant PhD. Travelling from country to country the different cultures are accelerated before you allowing unique judgments. Thus contrasting say the Ethiopian community to the Ghanian community, or the Ghaniaian community in London to the Ghanian community in Ghana. The duality of good and bad is an experience common to life. Naivity would lead one to believe that the very nature of the film should be meet with resounding support everywhere we go. Resting on the past laurels of 500 Years Later was an indispensible asset and instanct passport in some areas to serious red carpet treatment. However the stark reality of Africa also showed some of the terrible ills of African people. While 98% of Ethiopians greeted the film from mild support to extream eagarness, the Jamaican community in Ethiopia greeted it with indifference to a potential source of ‘give me money’ shamefully there is something deeper in this that a black and white line was clerly visible when moving from one community to another. The Muslim communities were less corporative at a grassroots level compared to the Christian communities. However both were extreamly helpful at the higher senior levels. Trying to work with the Ghanian community was generally a Money driven capitalistic consumer type people where culture was on the far back seat of their priorities. All these are offcourse generalizations but the patterns in our local experiences do have some meaning. South Africa was an open market but the signs of mental slavery and how value was placed on African owned film production was evident by the Media companies, while in Ethiopia this was not the case. Ethiopian media instantly recognized the value and worth and in true Nation style put the glory of Ethiopia first and thus took all steps from government to Media to ensure Ethiopia was placed as a Jewel of Africa. From rich to poor this pride was demonstrated by peoples willingness to ensure that Ethiopia’s representation in this film was a positive one. In Kenya the police couldn’t care less how noble a project this was, and were singularly focused on either bribes or protecting White interest. The amazing difference you get from different communities when you tell them about the film is surprising. How someones eyes open with joy, and in another instances absolute indifference. A Jamaican lady who repartriated to Africa practically said she don’t care and has no interest beyond the Bible in anyform of Pan-Africanism. Also we came across a selfish community of people who talk pan-Africanism but wear it like a fashion and deny their role in any form of support for this project. Even sicker and maybe a sign from God, is how the Europeans who we came across extended indirect support for the project, white people like Richard Pankhurst, and even Europeans in passing who were observers to the project, everyone of them emailed us, asked questions, purchased 500 Years Later, sent suggestions and asked to be informed about future updates. How is this to be read? This is clearly not all Europeans, as many are agents of preventing us from making films like this, but that’s what we expect so no surprise there. There is something in peoples selfawarness, that means because Europeans understand themselves and their historical place they are able to in some instances empathize with another cultured people. Writing on Africa extensively almost gives a sympathy for those writing on culture in the Middle East, or China, because one values culture and traditions in ones own race it isn’t hard to appreciate the same valuing in by another people. Thus we marvel in the Japanese culture, because we understand the significance of culture to the human narrative. Thus people of any revolution Arab, Asian or European generally have a symthaty for other revolutions. In all of this is a message, the future of Africa can be reduced to a single statement, Africa’s future is in the hands of those sincere hardworking people who recognize beyond words the interest of Africa and are thus in an instances able to protect and support those interest. Thinking about a film that has never been made and the volume of timewasters and jokers that either claim to be serious and then produce nothing, these same people have the loudest voices but are in reality the core of the cancer in Africa’s development and there are more people fitting this profile than there are saviours. The good news is, 500 Years Later took a handful of people to make it, the AU the same, the various revolutions happened when a few seriously capable people united to fight the good fight. Beyond the bad we cherish the good and front this in our story. Thus the very existence of all that is written, all that is seen is proof that the righteous of Africa triumpted in victory and history only records the bold and thebrave. SEARCHING FOR AN AFRICAN AESTHETIC