Tsedal Passes with Flying Colors

By Issayas Tesfamariam

I just came back from Eritrea on a work/visit trip less than a week ago. I will give you a report of

my trip in another encounter. Despite my jetlag, I decided to write a short commentary on Tsedal – newly launched arts and culture magazine in Tigrigna – in order to honor the efforts and the vision of the creators of the aforementioned publication. I don’t know about you, but whenever I travel long distance by plane, I cannot follow their film showings, concentrate on my reading or even fall asleep. For my trip back to the United States, I put Tsedal to test. Honestly, at first, I was not sure whether Tsedal would outlast me or I will outlast Tsedal. From the beginning, it was going to be a tag of war, not knowing who will survive the friendly skies. Just to let you in ahead of the story, I just could not put it down. So, here is my reaction to the new magazine. First, I will start with a brief reaction and summary of some of the contents and second, I will give some suggestions.

My first reaction after reading the magazine was that it was about time! I say that because we as Eritreans needed a specific, targeted, focused arts and culture outlet or forum, which will direct us to study our arts and culture in a systematic way. In this regards, the magazine is heading in the right direction. However, this in no way means that this is the first forum. But the previous ones had or still have arts and culture as components but not solely dedicated to arts and culture.

Any cultural or artistic movement that existed in the world before had its humble beginnings in magazines or outlets such as Tsedal. All the artistic and cultural activities and accomplishments of the 1920’s and 1930’s Harlem (known as the Harlem Renaissance) could be cited as such an example. Paris was also a center of such activities in Europe. So, what does an arts and culture focused or specialized magazine accomplish? It serves as a medium and accomplishes for the nourishment and flourishment of a specific culture. A fine-tuning machine, if you will. It is in such platform that new and upcoming artists, authors, etc. show their debut.

Tsedal’s first issue deals with a myriad of topics. From Beyene Haile’s creative writing to Alemseged Tesfai’s thought provoking historical analysis to Solomon Tshaye’s Griots and Town criers, to Abraham Tesfalul’s Shilan to Beyene Hailemariam’s surgical poetry, to Elias Amare’s Ali Farka Toure and many more. I leave the reading to you. But just to wet your appetite, I will give you short synopsis of Beyene Haile’s, Alemseged’s, Solomon’s and Elias’ articles. What Beyene Haile (author of “Abidu’ do?”, “Dekuan Tebreh”, “Tisbit Bahgu”) describes in his article is nothing but a creative writing course that major universities in the West let known authors teach. Beyene describes the thought process that goes into putting ideas into words, words into newly created characters with their complexities. I would have called the article “Creative Writing 101”. Alemseged’s historical analysis and his understanding of historical events, people and his making of history come alive and well are clearly noticeable from his article and interview. Solomon Tsehaye’s ethnographic studies of griots and town criers are phenomenal. His on-going meticulous research brings the art of narration and memory combined with wit, humor and deep philosophical understanding of the complex nature of man and nature. Elias’ introduction of Ali Farka Toure to the Eritrean audience is timely. Ali Farka Toure is one my all time favorite musicians. Despite being small and poor, Mali’s contribution to world music scene is unmatched by any other country. And Ali Farka Toure being at the forefront of that success. These are some of the subject matters that you will be treated with when you sit down to read Tsedal.

Now, I will go to the second part, where I will point out some minor things for future improvements. As a new publication, I would have liked to see Tsedal’s mission statement at the beginning of the magazine as opposed to putting it at the end. A nice color template that goes with the title and the contents would have been desirable. A catchy slogan with the title would also help establish a committed audience. Let me explain a little in detail. A mission statement at the beginning (especially the first issue) will let the reader know as to who the people behind the publication are, the story behind the need and vision of the publication. The mission statement should be short and to the point, whereas the mission statement should be clearly articulated and stated in an elevator speech (a system designed to let a business plan told to a busy executive about the presenter’s business plan). Tsedal’s color template of green and yellow could be improved especially given the fact that the contents inside the magazine are alive and vibrant. Color template is important because it represents the personality of the presenter or seller or producer. Hot slogans that go with the title are also important. Hot slogans should be used in the present and future tense and by all means avoid the verb in the past tense. All the successful commercials and advertisements follow the above statement. Just to cite as examples, “Just do it”, “I’m lovin’ it”, “It’s in the game”, “Think different”, etc. I would have liked to see Tsedal come up with a short catchy slogan. Also, for clarification, it must be noted that right at the beginning that Tsedal is a quarterly magazine. If I were not told that it was a quarterly magazine, I would have assumed that it was a magazine produced for the occasion of Eritrea Festival 2006, instead of being launched at the occasion of Eritrea Festival 2006 to be published every three months.

Finally, it is in every Eritrean interest to let Tsedal be afloat and take off. It needs our support and encouragement for it to grow and prosper. It is with our support that the quality of the magazine will improve. Tsedal have set up a high standard that they need to match every quarter. The editors have planted the roots, and it is up to us all to bring in the fruits.