PRESS

Since the inception of the TEZETA film in 2012, there has been interest in the unique confluence of cultures with regards Ethiopian jazz music and the role Armenians have played in contributing to modern Ethiopian music and culture. Here is a collection of international press clippings about our project.

While azmaris are traditional here, jazz instruments first made their way to Ethiopia through a surprising route early in the 20th century. In 1924, Haile Selassie (then known as Ras Tafari) visited Jerusalem. The future emperor was welcomed to the city at the St. James Cathedral, a Crusader-era Armenian church, by a brass band composed entirely of teenage orphans, survivors of the Armenian genocide. What happened next changed the course of musical history in Ethiopia.

“Prince Ras Tafari adopted 40 Armenian orphans from Jerusalem to be the first imperial band,” said Aramazt Kalayjian, a documentary filmmaker working on a film about the Armenian community in Ethiopia. “They played for his honor, and he loved the music and what they were doing, and decided to give them jobs.”

This palace band, called Arba Lijoch (The 40 Orphans), helped to popularize trombones, saxophones and trumpets in Ethiopia. With this foundation, and the work of a few inspired bandleaders, including several Armenians, a jazz scene began to take shape in Addis over the next decades. During the 44-year reign of Haile Selassie, jazz and brass bands were often hired to play for the emperor and his guests.

-Rachel B. Doyle

L’Hôtel Taïtu se trouve à quelques mètres du cinéma. Piano désaccordé, porte tambour et grand escalier en bois, il s’agit du plus ancien hôtel du pays. C’est un lieu sympathique qui mêle Ethiopiens et voyageurs. Nous y rencontrons Aramazt Kalayjian, un designer et réalisateur de Brooklyn qui prépare un documentaire sur la communauté arménienne d’Ethiopie. Aramazt Kalayjian côtoie de nombreux cinéastes locaux et vient même de jouer un petit rôle dans un film d’espionnage, ce qui l’amuse beaucoup: «L’histoire est inspirée de faits réels qui se sont déroulés durant la période de la dictature communiste. Un Blanc – moi dans le film – essaie de se procurer les plans d’une centrale nucléaire en projet. Les Ethiopiens raffolent des rôles de méchants farendji (‘étranger’ en amharique, mais le mot désigne généralement les Blancs, ndlr).»

-Adrien Zerbini

የኢትዮጵያ ዘመናዊ ሙዚቃና አርመናዉያን
(Ethiopian modern music and Armenians)

Filmmaker brings ‘Tezeta’ to life

Tezeta: A Mission to Uncover the Ethiopian-Armenians

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