Ethiopian teens embark on journey to discover their roots
Documentary film records the journey and interactions of 17 Ethiopian-Israeli teenagers from Addis Ababa to Gondar, on a trip to learn about the country of their parents and grandparents.
17 Israeli teenagers embarked on a search for their roots in northern Ethiopia, and the result is the documentary "Here Was the Home," which will be broadcast on Israeli Educational Television channel next month.
Director Zvika Godel and producer Lilah Rahmany bring the perspective of the teens, who went on a journey from Addis Ababa to Gondar. Some were born in Ethiopia and returned, while others were born in Israel and wanted to see and experience the country from which their parents came. The delegation was headed journalist Danny Adino Ababa.
The film's protagonists are all graduates of a course in communications established by Israeli Educational Television and some of the participants are active parts of the media in Israel. During the trip all over the country, seven meetings are filmed between the teens and relatives.
One such meeting between a group member and a relative was that of Agomas Darba, who until the age of 6, was a goat herder in the village of Jupie. For him, the journey back to Ethiopia was like time travel. When he went on the trip, he had hoped to meet his cousin in his birth village, however due to delays during the day and the inability to travel at night, he could not reach the village.
The group stopped at a coffee house and waited. Agomas's cousin came all the way from the village, which at a distance of several kilometers away, is accessible by horseback and foot. The reunion was filmed, in complete darkness, while the rest of the group stood by and watched affectionately.
The stories will all be screened at a gala lunch put on by Israeli Educational Television at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque on August 22nd.
