An Inquiry into Ethiopian Amharic Film: Reflection of Political History in ‘Tezza

Abstract

Films can be used to tell a story of any part of the past. It is now more convenient for literary historians to accept the representation of political history in films. This article explores the reflection of Ethiopian political history in Tezza , an Amharic film, which was produced in 2008 G.C. Data for this study were obtained from Primary and secondary sources, and they were analyzed qualitatively using a content analysis method. The findings of the study revealed that the director of the film employed different metaphors and symbolic expressions to significantly describe the 1970s political history of Ethiopia. The structure of the movie portrays an apprehension of the political history of Ethiopia using cognitive apparatus, such as the object, background of the film, themes, the plot, camera, setting, characters, colors and sounds. The study also demonstrated the themes and subjects of political history, the viewpoints and stories that are offered in relation to political history, and the ways in which the Tezza portrays historical events and personalities of that era.