BIG ARAIA 

By Araia Tesfamariam

ABOUT THE DOCUMENTARY:

BIG ARAIA is a reclamation of a lost connection with a very personal history. For most of my life, I only knew my father's name and the country he came from. I searched for information about my father for over a decade without any success, until an unexpected phone call from an old acquaintance opened a door that had been closed to me since birth.  In this documentary, you will see me return to my father's home, meet his family and begin to fill in the missing puzzle pieces of his past. It's more than a personal narrative, it also symbolizes the yearning many African-Americans have to reconnect with their African roots.

"You look Habesha!" I have always found this comment interesting. As you can see, my mother, who is African-American, and I look very much alike. But for most of my adult life, when ever someone who was Eritrean or Ethiopian would see me on the street or in some other public place they would aways stare at me for about 5 min and then ask me what my name was. And that would, of course, turn the light bulb on in their minds, "Ah yes you look habesha, it's in the blood!" Airports in DC and Atlanta are always fun because they are practically run by habesha so when they see my ID they start speaking Tigrinya to me. That's always a weird moment for me. Their reaction always is, " What? You don't speak? Why not?", as if I have insulted them, like it is logically impossible for me not to speak. And that reaction really does happen all the time. In most instances I don't have time to tell them the whole story, so I just say, "It's complicated." But the feeling is always the same, like I am some lost child in the mall and everyone is asking, "Where are your parents?". And it won't stop happening until I learn the language, it's in the blood I guess.

WHY I WANT TO MAKE THIS PROJECT:

This is a film about the diaspora. It's bigger than just going to a new country to meet new people, this is the realization of a dream many African-Americans have. To find their roots and hold history in their own hands. I am lucky enough to get an opportunity to make that dream a reality, and it is an experience that is meant to be shared. Eritrea is a country few people know about. The small East African nation holds within it a people and culture that has survived an epic war and built a brighter future in its short, but extraordinary  existence.

HOW YOUR CONTRIBUTION WILL BE USED:

I am raising funds to hire a film crew to go with me on this journey and to cover the cost of post production. Principle photography for BIG ARAIA will take place during my first trip to my father's birthplace, Eritrea. It will feature my interactions with new-found family members, the Eritrean people, culture, and the natural environment. The first person narrative will be blended with interviews with American and Eritrean family members recounting stories and details relevant to my genealogical walkabout. The soundtrack for the film will be mostly provided by Eritrean musicians to help share my full immersion into the culture with the audience. This money is strictly for production purposes (crew, equipment, transport on location, edit suite rentals, etc.), and I have to reach my fund raising goal or all money is returned to the backers of the project in the exact amount they donated.

CONTACT ME!

Please feel free to contact me at araia1906@gmail.com with any questions or details you want to know more about. I have been working in production for 12 years and have experience shooting in Africa. But this is my first trip home, my first time meeting relatives in Africa, and my first chance to get to know more about a man who was no more than a ghost story for 33 years.

Note:  For my Eritrean brothers and sisters, where this page lists "Location" as "Asmera, Eritrea", please note that is the spelling the preset choice on this website has for Asmara, I cannot change it even though it's not the correct spelling. 

Music for the promo provided by Kevin MacLeod.