Tag Archives: Maaza Mengiste

Novelist Maaza Mengiste Writes Script for ‘Girl Rising’ Film

January 9, 2013 Tadias Magazine 1 Comment

Tadias Magazine

By Tseday Alehegn

Updated: Thursday, January 10, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – Last week we highlighted an upcoming documentary entitled Girl Rising, which is scheduled for release in Spring 2013. The feature-length film displays the power of access to education in the life of a girl residing in a developing nation. Each girl’s story is told by a talented writer from her native country. The script writer for the segment on Ethiopia is Maaza Mengiste, author of the critically acclaimed novel Beneath the Lion’s Gaze. In preparation for the documentary, Maaza spent time with a young girl from a village outside of Bahir Dar.

Below is our interview with Maaza Mengiste.

TADIAS: Please tell us about how you got involved with the film?

Maaza Mengiste: I was living in Rome when Richard Robbins, the director of the film, contacted me about the project. I learned more about it then spoke further with two of the producers, Martha Adams and Alex Dionne. I was skeptical at first about whether this could really happen, but soon, I was on a plane to Addis, then a smaller plane to Bahir Dar, then on a very shaky Land Rover through mountain roads to Yilmana Densa to visit Azmera and her family.

The main focus of the 10×10 campaign is to show audiences how educating one girl can impact her entire family and her community and make positive changes. Each of the 10 segments in the 10×10 film highlights a country and the biggest obstacles preventing girls from getting their education. It’s different in each country and in Ethiopia, the biggest issue is forced early marriage. This film is different from so many of those charity programs or other documentaries we see. It’s not about the tragic lives of people in poor countries. This film is about how these young girls took their own first steps in making their lives better. They aren’t asking for charity. They only want the right to fulfill their potential and go to school. The idea of working on a project that told stories of how young girls were changing their own lives, rather than waiting for adults, fascinated me.

TADIAS: Can you also tell us a bit about your script and character?

Maaza: This is a documentary film, but Richard gave me full freedom to create what I wanted based on the time I spent with Azmera and her family. I talked to her and found her to be painfully shy, like a typical abesha girl. But something else was there also, a quiet strength and a stubbornness I saw when she played with her cousins. I also witnessed the intense love her family has for her. She is adored. I was interested to put this picture next to the image of a young girl forced to marry a stranger when she wasn’t even a teenager. But I had a chance to talk to her mother and other family members and the story that emerged helped me to write my script and find a focus of how to write about their lives.

TADIAS: The 10×10 site also features a book club focused on your novel Beneath the Lion’s Gaze as well as articles and policy briefs on Ethiopia. Can you tell us more?

Maaza: Each of the writers on the project (there are 10) has a specially designed book club tool kit available on the 10×10 website. That tool kit gives you step-by-step instructions on how to host your own book club, how to invite people, how to facilitate discussions, what questions you can ask, and even has an in-depth interview with the writer. It’s a wonderful way to get involved with the 10×10 project beyond the film.

TADIAS: What do you see as the primary challenge for girls seeking access to education in rural Ethiopia?

Maaza: It was heartbreaking to see how hard young girls were trying to go to school and get their education. They are intelligent, they are eager, they are determined, but they don’t have the simple resources to attend school. They are needed to work at home and take care of family or bring in extra income. I think the primary challenge involves finding ways for families to be able to send their daughters to school and still survive financially. It wouldn’t take much, and there are good organizations helping, but more needs to be done and I hope this film raises that awareness. I hope the film shows the world that these young Ethiopian girls have had the courage to fight for their future, and now they want the ability to continue living their dream of going to school. I am so very proud of each of them, and of Azmera and her family.

TADIAS: Thank you for sharing with our audience!

Maaza: Thank you, Tadias!
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Watch the trailer:

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Related:
Learn more about ‘Girl Rising’ Film + Campaign (10 x 10)
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Family

‘Girl Rising’ Film & Campaign Coming in Spring

January 3, 2013 Tadias Magazine 2 Comments

Tadias Magazine

By Tseday Alehegn

Updated: Friday, January 4, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – At the Clinton Global Initiative’s Annual Meeting in New York City two years ago, New York Times columnist and author Nicholas Kristof moderated a panel discussion focused on better preparing girls for the world, launching the 10×10 project – a film and social action campaign that highlights the significance of investing in girls and compels people to action. Ethiopia is among the countries featured in the upcoming documentary entitled Girl Rising, which is scheduled for release in Spring 2013.

The feature-length film displays the power of access to education in the life of a girl residing in a developing nation; each girl’s story is told by a talented writer from her native country. The script writer for the segment on Ethiopia is Maaza Mengiste, author of the critically acclaimed novel Beneath the Lion’s Gaze. In preparation for the documentary, Maaza spent time with a young girl from a village outside of Bahir Dar.

Click here to read our interview with Maaza Mengiste.

Below is the trailer.

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Related:
Learn more about ‘Girl Rising’ Film + Campaign (10 x 10)
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Join the conversation on Twitter and Facebook.
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Cover image credit: (10 x 10)

Featured, Profiles

Celebrating Women’s History Month 2012: Tadias Interview with Maaza Mengiste

March 21, 2012 Tadias Magazine 10 Comments

Tadias Magazine
By Tseday Alehegn

Updated: Thursday, March 22, 2012

New York (TADIAS) – Maaza Mengiste is the author of the critically acclaimed novel Beneath the Lion’s Gaze. She was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and graduated with an MFA in Creative Writing from New York University. Maaza is also the writer for the Ethiopia segment of the “Ten by Ten” project, a feature film that tells the stories of 10 extraordinary girls from 10 developing countries around the world. These stories, written by a female writer from the girl’s country and narrated by a celebrated actress, describe a unique personal journey of triumph and achievement against incredible odds.

Maaza ‘s book Beneath the Lion’s Gaze has been translated into several languages and her work has appeared in The New York Times, BBC Radio 4, The Granta Anthology of the African Short Story, and Lettre International, to name a few. She is a Fulbright Scholar who has also received fellowships from the Emily Harvey Foundation, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, the Prague Summer Program, and Yaddo. She teaches at NYU and lives in New York City.

Below is our Q & A with Maaza Mengiste:

TADIAS: What would you like to share about Women’s History Month with Tadias readers?

Maaza Mengiste: As I continue my reading and research and learn more about Ethiopian history, I’ve become increasingly aware of how significant women have been throughout that history. Can we talk about Ethiopian history without mentioning Saba or Zewditu or Taitu or so many of the women whose names aren’t in history books but in their families’ memories? I’m so proud of all the heroines, famous and unsung. My hope is that somewhere, there is a writer putting some of their stories down on paper.

I think it’s hard to consider Women’s History Month and consider Ethiopian women without thinking of what’s happening to domestic workers across the Middle East. In particular, the horrible and tragic death of Alem Dechassa. I still don’t have the right words to describe how I feel. I swing between so many emotions, most of them degrees of sorrow and anger. I think as women and as Ethiopians, we are each other’s sisters. In 10×10 film, through Azmera’s story and those young girls in her school who are saying ‘no’ to forced marriage and supporting each other to study hard, I’m hopeful of the potential we unleash when we band together. If we can reach even one woman trapped in an abusive household, if we can give her a place to tell her story and a place to turn for help, then maybe, in some small way, Alem’s death will not have been futile. It is a horrible price to pay, and one that I hope no other woman chooses, thinking it is her only way out of a terrible situation. It’s wonderful to see people, men and women, coming together to do something as a result of Alem’s death. I know events are happening in many places and social media is spreading the word and it’s great.

TADIAS: What do you enjoy most about being a writer?

MM: Most of the time, writing is hard work. It requires hours of solitude and many, many weeks and months and years of conceptualizing, writing, then revising again and again. It can often be the most difficult thing I’ve ever done, but it is also the most rewarding. One of the most rewarding aspects of my current life, as a writer with a published book, is the opportunity to meet so many people with incredible life stories. Writing demands that I am alone most of my days, but being able to interact with so many whose lives in some way echo those of my characters, or to connect with people who worked in Ethiopia or are students of Ethiopian history, has been a wonderful experience.

TADIAS: You are the writer for the 10×10 segment on Ethiopia. Can you share with us a bit more about your work on this project?

MM: The 10×10 documentary is a film focused on girls’ education as a means to positively impact a community and a country. The producers and director chose 10 countries and looked at the biggest obstacle to girls’ education in those countries. For Ethiopia, that issue was forced early marriage. I had the opportunity to meet Azmera, a young girl from a village outside of Bahir Dar. She was going to be married at age 12, but reported this to her teachers and the marriage was stopped and she was allowed to continue school. My role in the documentary was to spend time with Azmera and her family, which included her mother and grandmother and her aunts, uncles and cousins, and get to know her and learn more about her life. Then, I would write a script based on my time with Azmera and the director would take that and use it to shoot the documentary.

What I realized through this process was that, contrary to so many stories we hear about cruel parents forcing children into these marriages, Azmera comes from a loving, caring family. They adore her. Her mother was doing her best to make the right decisions for her child. She began to understand the physical and psychological damages inflicted on young girls when they’re married too young, and she was determined that her daughter finish school and improve her life. What was important to me as a woman, as an Ethiopian and as a writer was to convey this mother’s love but also talk about the thousands of young girls who are not as lucky as Azmera. The experience has been life-changing, I’m excited to see the finished film, which will be released sometime in 2013. But most important, I am so grateful for the kindness Azmera and her family extended to me and their willingness to let me into a small part of their lives. We will continue to stay in touch.

TADIAS: Who are your female role models?

MM: My grandmother and my mother. I learned kindness from one and stubbornness from the other, and it’s good to have both in this world, I’ve found.

Tadias: What challenges have you faced as a writer and how did you overcome those hurdles at work or life in general?

MM: Maybe the hardest thing is to maintain the daily discipline of writing, no matter what. It is often a juggling act between work, family and writing. Sometimes one outweighs the other, but the most important thing is that every day, I’ve spent some time focused on my writing.

TADIAS: What are some practical tips you can give for young women who want to follow in your footsteps?

MM: There will be many, many people who will find many, many reasons to discourage you from writing or from the arts. But the best advice I’ve ever received was from one of my aunts, who told me that no one lives with your decisions except you. So no matter what you want to do, do it well. Practice discipline. Be fearless. And be kind to people.

TADIAS: Please tell us more about yourself (where you were born, grew up, school and how you developed your passion for your work?)

MM: I was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia but came to the U.S. when I was a child. I’ve grown up in the States but maintained ties to Ethiopia through family, friends and my work. I got my Masters in Fine Arts at New York University and I teach creative writing there. I developed my passion for my work by reading writers I admire. My passion for reading came much earlier than my passion for writing. I still love to read, I read every day, and that’s continuing to help me become a stronger writer.

TADIAS: Thank you so much and Happy Women’s History month from all of us at Tadias!
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Stay tuned for more highlights celebrating Ethiopian women role models and change agents.

Watch: Maaza reading from “Ten by Ten” (The story of Azmera, a young girl from Bahir Dar)

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‘Girl Rising’ Film & Campaign Coming in 2013 (TADIAS)

Related:
New Book Highlights Stories of 70 Accomplished Ethiopian Women (TADIAS)
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Events, Featured, News, Podcast, Reviews

Harlem to Horn: Fundraiser for Famine Relief

October 7, 2011 Tadias Magazine 16 Comments

Tadias Magazine
Events News

Published: Friday, October 7, 2011

New York (TADIAS) – The following is a video coverage of “Brunch for the Horn of Africa,” the fundraiser for famine relief held last month at Marcus Samuelsson and Maya Haile’s home in Harlem. The sold-out event was attended by a diverse crowd from New York and nearby states.

“The big part of this event is to inspire people to do it in their homes” said Marcus. “A brunch like this can raise awareness about a part of the world that is very troubled right now.” He adds: “This is something that as Ethiopians we can’t avoid…12 million people whether it’s on the Somali side or Ethiopian side it doesn’t matter.”

“It sends a signal that it’s very possible for all of us to do something to organize small groups to work within our mahber, book clubs, schools and organizations and set something up to help those who are in our home and our country,” said the author Maaza Mengiste, who attended the event. “I am very proud that as Abehsa we are helping each other, whether we live in Ethiopia or we are in the Diaspora, we can still reach out to those in need.”

“Famine is terrible because it’s something that is preventable,” said Robert Kayinamura, a Harlem resident who also attened the brunch. “I think it’s important not only to create awareness about this event but to continue to be aware of things in Africa.”

Watch: Harlem to Horn: Fundraiser for Famine Relief (Taped on 9/18/2011)

Featured, Profiles

Q & A With Maaza Mengiste

January 11, 2010 Tadias Magazine 16 Comments

Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff

Published: Monday, January 11, 2010

New York (TADIAS) – In the last few years we have witnessed the emergence of Ethiopian-American authors who are making their mark on the tapestry of American literature. The latest such work comes from Maaza Mengiste, a Pushcart Prize nominee who was recently named “New Literary Idol” by New York Magazine.

Her debut novel, Beneath the Lion’s Gaze depicts Ethiopia in the 1970s, when the country was undergoing a political revolution. The military had just deposed an archaic monarchy system with a promise of peaceful change. But what followed Emperor Haile Selassie’s removal was anything but peaceful. The country would soon plunge into unimaginable violence.

Following in the footsteps of other highly acclaimed works by Ethiopian-American authors including Nega Mezlekia (Notes Form the Hyena’s Belly) and Dinaw Mengistu (The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears), Maaza delivers what Chris Abani calls “an important story from a part of Africa too long silent in the World Republic of Letters.”

The Library Journal adds “Although the depictions of brutality are extensive, they are also realistic and captivating, helping place Beneath the Lion’s Gaze into a small cadre of Ethiopian fiction, including Abraham Verghese’s Cutting for Stone and Camilla Gibb’s Sweetness in the Belly.”

Below is our Q & A with Maaza Mengiste:

TADIAS: Please tell us a bit about yourself. What/who motivated you to become a writer?

Maaza: I was born in Addis Ababa, and lived in Nigeria and Kenya before coming to the US. While living in the US, I made visits back to Ethiopia to see my family. I received my undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and my MFA from NYU. I don’t know who specifically motivated me to be a writer. I’ve always loved to read and write. I think a combination of many writers gave me the courage to make the move into the literary world, especially world/international writers.

TADIAS: Can you share more about other writing projects you completed prior to this debut novel?

Maaza: Though this is my first major writing project, I have written a few short stories as well as some nonfiction pieces. My main focus over the past several years was this novel, however, and this didn’t give me very much time to do other writing.

TADIAS: Are your own memories of Ethiopia similar to the ones that you describe in your novel? If not, how are they different?

Maaza: Yes, some of my own memories shape this book, but I was also very young. Only after I was older was I able to put events and certain memories into historical and political context. As a child, all that you know is that there are gunshots at night, people are taken away, and you see soldiers, you’re afraid and you sense the fear, but you don’t necessarily understand the reasons.

TADIAS: Do any of the characters depicted in your novel mirror people that you know?

Maaza: Hailu, who is the central character and a doctor in my book most closely resembles my grandfather. However, my grandfather was not a doctor. He (and so many men of his generation) seemed to have a certain dignity and strength that I wanted to convey in Hailu. Most of the other characters are a combination of personalities I know, or purely fictional.

TADIAS: Your book is now part of a growing library of works which NPR has said is coming from a generation of Ethiopian Americans who are “part of a wave of young people whose families fled Ethiopia in the 1970s and who came of age in the United States…adding a new chapter to the epic of American immigration.” Is this something you identify with?

Maaza: I do see myself as part of a wave of Ethiopians who have left Ethiopia and are continuing to express that journey in one way or another. I am excited to see this “wave” grow, there is a new generation of Ethiopians who are telling their own stories through music, art, literature, science, through so many fields. It is impressive, and it reminds me that despite everything that has happened in Ethiopia, we will always continue to strive for a better future for ourselves and our families.

TADIAS: What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Maaza: I enjoy reading and spending time with friends and family. I enjoy photography.

TADIAS: Thanks for the interview and congratulations on the new book release.

Maaza: Thank you all for the support and encouragement. If you know of an artist, a writer, someone struggling to live their dreams, please encourage them also. We need many different voices and perspectives.

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Reviews

Beneath the Lion’s Gaze: Maaza Mengiste’s first novel

January 1, 2010 Tadias Magazine 11 Comments

Above: Maaza Mengiste was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and
graduated with an MFA in Creative Writing from NYU. A recent
Pushcart Prize nominee, she was named “New Literary Idol” by
New York Magazine. (Photo © Miriam Berkley)

The New York Times
By LORRAINE ADAMS
Published: December 31, 2009
Maaza Mengiste’s first novel, “Beneath the Lion’s Gaze,” opens in 1974 during the last days of Selassie’s six-decade rule. A young man lies on an operating table with a bullet in his back. A student protester, he is part of a popular tide that, along with a military uprising, will soon sweep Selassie from power. The attending physician wears a watch the emperor gave him upon his graduation from an English medical school. The doctor sees his patient — and his own younger son, who is also a revolutionary college student — as rash and foolish. His older son, a 32-year-old history professor with a small daughter and a wife, shares his father’s contempt for the burning and looting, the increasingly violent rallies. Read more.

Update (Jan 6, 2009)
*AUTHOR’S NOTE: The January 3, 2010 edition of the New York Times Sunday Book Review has a review by Lorraine Adams that states Beneath the Lion’s Gaze depicts Emperor Haile Selassie dying as a result of being shot, and the killer is the doctor’s (Hailu’s) neighbor. This is incorrect. Beneath the Lion’s Gaze depicts the emperor dying at the hands of another fictional character through other means.

Beneath the Lion’s Gaze

An epic tale of a father and two sons, of betrayals and loyalties, of a family unraveling in the wake of Ethiopia’s revolution.

This memorable heartbreaking story opens in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 1974, on the eve of a revolution. Yonas kneels in his mother’s prayer room, pleading to his god for an end to the violence that has wracked his family and country. His father, Hailu, a prominent doctor, has been ordered to report to jail after helping a victim of state-sanctioned torture to die. And Dawit, Hailu’s youngest son, has joined an underground resistance movement—a choice that will lead to more upheaval and bloodshed across a ravaged Ethiopia.

Beneath the Lion’s Gaze tells a gripping story of family, of the bonds of love and friendship set in a time and place that has rarely been explored in fiction before. It is a story about the lengths human beings will go in pursuit of freedom and the human price of a national revolution. Emotionally gripping, poetic and indelibly tragic, Beneath the Lion’s Gaze is a transcendent and powerful debut.

Publication: W.W. Norton, January 11, 2010

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