Yawn! “Developmental and Democratic Art” is on duty
Think of Hager Fiker Theater, once the cultural hub of 1940s Addis Ababa. It was the early home of Ethiopian musical giant Tilahun Gessesse and the popular Aster Awoke. Think of those days when the actors of Hager Fiker staged Ethiopian plays along with those of William Shakespeare, Henrik Ibsen and Molière. Spare a thought for Abrar Abdo. He spent most of his adult life in this theater, acting in numerous memorable plays. He is most remembered for his role in the play of the late Tsegaye Gebremedihen, in which he recited the lamentation of the martyred Abune Petros: “Why has the Mother of God forsaken Ethiopia?”
Yet when Abrar appeared on the stage of the Millennium Hall on last Friday’s Ethiopian New Year’s Eve, he delivered another message–replacing his famous recitation of the lamentation of the martyred Abune Petros. He instead uttered the prophetic words, “Welcome to the eve of the Year of Development, what a wonderful hope we foresee!”, in the manner of “developmental and democratic art”.
Hager Fiker and most of the Ethiopian theaters are under the control of the Addis Ababa Administration. Some prominent artists, of course, are becoming members of the EPRDF. The general manager of Hager Fiker Theater, the former artist Meneber Taddes, is herself a member of the ruling party and has a seat on the Addis Ababa Regional Council. Almost a year has passed since her party presented a new blueprint of the artistic guiding principles of “developmental and democratic art”.
What , ”developmental and democratic art”?
Yes, this is not your normal socialist realism. It does not have either the poems of Vladimir Mayakovsky or the “ The Mother” of Gorky. But it has the spirit. For some pundits, it is the dawn of the coming of totalitarian art in the realm of Ethiopian cultural life. It has made some commentators nostalgic for the previous regime’s blanket implementation of socialist realism. Many believe the implicit motive of “developmental and democratic art“ is to create a totalitarian atmosphere for the authoritarian regime. In one of the ruling party documents, the party stated that the success of revolutionary democracy is measured by the number of people who embrace the ideology of revolutionary democracy as their second nature.
“Developmental and democratic art” on duty!
The New Year’s Eve program was not intended only to celebrate the coming of the year 2003 or the Islamic Eid Alfitr. It had another aim: to commence the beginning of the five-year plan of “development and transformation”. The gala was prepared with the collaboration of Serawit Multimedia, owned by Serawit Fikre, and the Ethiopian television and radio organization. At this party, under the banner of “Sending Off Poverty”, many actors and actresses acted as representatives of different ministries of the state. In addition to the actors and actresses, more than 50 well-known singers, filmmakers, artists and other dignitaries were participants in the celebrations.
The exasperating program leaders repeatedly asked the audience to “good bye poverty tonight”. Haregeweyn Assefa was heard saying to the kids monkeying around her, “My heart is full of joy, seeing you playing in this age of knowledge and transformation!” She represented the Ethiopian Roads Authority. Chirotaw Kelkay, representing the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, boasted, “No more wheat begging, we feed 80 million!”, as he ululated and danced for the coming “era of surplus”. Tilahun Gugsa, the actor of the once-popular comedy “Menteko”, spoke on behalf of the Ministry of Industry, saying, “It’s going to take over!”. Mulualem Taddesse, once labeled a gifted artist of her time, delivered her decree. “The decision has passed to put the traditional oil lamp (“Kuraz”) in a museum!” she announced, according to the message from the authority she represented—the Ethiopian Electric and Power Authority. Ethiopian Telecommunication Corporation also dispatched its message through Meseret Mebrate, saying, “Tele is ready to scoff at poverty!”
According to the May 2010 publication of Negadras newspaper in Addis Ababa, similar music festival has envisioned on the dawn of the May 2010 elections. The reason given for this particular program was the peaceful completion of the election. Named “The Peace and Democracy Music Festival”, different organizations were, according to Negadras, asked to sponsor the program in a letter signed by Shimelis Kemal, deputy of Bereket Simeon.
For the love of D&D
Last year, on October 2009, more than 350 artists from various theater institutions were introduced to the essence of “developmental and democratic art”. One of the trainers was Kefyalew Azeze, the deputy mayor of Addis Ababa. Sources confirmed that the deputy mayor himself had written the 52 page document entitled, “Art for Fundamental Change”, with the help of Kurabachew Deneque, an artist.
This document, “Art for Fundamental Change”, revealed its ambitions to place art at the frontlines of the building of a developmental and democratic system in Ethiopia. It argues that, given the current situation of Ethiopia, developmental and democratic art is the only artistic philosophy that our country must pursue. In this respect, every piece of art–films, sculptures, theater, musical theater, paintings and all other art forms must be customized to achieve the objectives of the democratic and developmental goals of the political system.
The role of the Art Institutions consequently, are restricted to solely working to help the fastest growing economy. The leadership of this art institution will directly monitor each work of art in accordance with the principles of “developmental and democratic art”. All musical and theatrical content will be judged in accordance with their adherence to the “developmental way”. For many, this statement asserts the coming of the new era of masked censorship. This document also highlights the perceived weak spots within most of Addis Ababa’s artistic institutions. For instance, the Addis Ababa Youth and Children’s Theater of Arat Kilo received the suggestion that “in the future, this institution must display works of art which could teach the essence of democracy, good governance and the importance of development for children.“
The government of Meles Zenawi has ignored Ethiopian cultural life for the past 18 years. Most of the prominent artists have been accused of being chauvinists and neo-Dergues. After the 2005 election fiasco, the EPRDF government banned the musical theater of Getnet Eneyew, “Woy ADDIS Ababa” accusing it of sympathizing with the previous political establishment.
Nowadays, the Ethiopian government has changed its engagement with art institutions and its communities. The party has planned to manipulate art as a means of further entrenching the utter domination of the ideology of revolutionary democracy. In the time of the armed struggle, the TPLF fighters–led by the late Eyasu Berhe– exploited art to trumpet the Tigrean nationality in a popular manner. Now, they are planning to repeat past practices. On the eve of the Ethiopian New Year, Ethiopians around the world have witnessed the D&DA on duty.
The return of socialist realism?
During the time of the Dergue, socialist realism had been implemented. Art was a mere tool. It sung for a “greener Ethiopia”, the “bread basket Ethiopia”. It declared war, magnifying the victories of the revolution and the crumpling of the reactionary class. Though the ruling elites of the Dergue were not part of the proletariats, it sung about the dictatorship of the working class.
Yet, under Mengistu’s Ethiopia, the social and economic background of society was not fertile for the implementation of the precepts of socialist realism. The political economy of the country did not witness the dominance of the proletarian. In addition, some of the Western-educated artists and playwrights were not reduced to merely parroting what they were told. Greats work of art, like “Enat Alem Tenu” of Tesgaye Gebremedihen, adapted from German poet Bertold Brecht’s “Mother Courage” were staged. At the local and regional levels, many popular musical bands known as “kinet” mushroomed.
The EPRDF’s “developmental and democratic art” is the modified version of the Dergue’s socialist realism. It has substituted the Dergue’s favored word (“revolution”) for its own beloved word, “development”. The implementation and adaptation of D&D art more closely resembles the northern Korean “juche realism”. The North Korean regime emphasizes juche as a national ideology of self-reliance. The late chairman, Kim Il-sung, tried to adopt the socialist realism to the context of his country; Juche realism is the Korean version of socialist realism. The late chairman, in his 1966 instructions, declared, “Let’s develop our national form with Socialist content!”. This sentiment is still regarded as the absolute guiding principle of juche art. But the existential purpose of juche realism is to indoctrinate the people with the ideology of the party and create an absolute totalitarian state. Moreover, it fiercely attacks its perennial enemy, “reactionary art”.
The EPRDF’s “developmental and democratic art” too has tried to develop its national form with socialist content, just as juche realism did. Though the form is quite different, the content is similar. As pundits explained to Addis Neger, placing art under the control of the ruling party is the utmost manifestation of the will to dictate and control the mind of the citizen.
Placing art under custody is the fashion of every authoritarian and totalitarian regime in history. The artist is not a free entity. Socialist realism’s firm principles and enforcement greatly hindered the freedom of artists. The works of many artists are accordingly censored and ignored. The great English philosopher, Isaiah Berlin has written much about the agony of Russian artists under similar conditions.
As one art history instructor at Addis Ababa University said to Addis Neger, “The EPRDF was always trying to control the physical part of the society. This time they are trying to control the intangible.. When the ideology perfectly works, it will be the second nature of the society.”
This phrase is Ato Meles’s yearning. D&D art therefore emanates from the vindictive ambitions of the ruling party to control the artistic and cultural life of the social order. As Joseph Stalin said, the artists are the “engineers of the human soul”. So Meles believes too.