Cinema of Eritrea

Last updated

Cinema Odeon in 1930s Asmara - Cinema Odeon.jpg
Cinema Odeon in 1930s
Cinema Impero in Asmara In the 1930s Cinema Impero in Asmara.jpg
Cinema Impero in Asmara In the 1930s
Old camera constructed in Cinema Impero Asmara, cinema impero, interno 02 cinepresa.JPG
Old camera constructed in Cinema Impero

The history of cinema in Eritrea dates back to the country's colonial rule under the Kingdom of Italy. [1] [2] In connection with the growth of Italian cinema in the 1930s, so too did the rise of cinema occur in Asmara, Eritrea. [1] In 1937, Asmara's Opera was converted into a dual-use theatre and cinema. By the following year, Asmara had a total of nine movie theatres. [1]

Contents

The Italian missionary film was first introduced in a 1922 work produced in the country by Capuchin monks collaborating with the colonial government. [3] Despite the country's independence, film screenings in Eritrea are mostly still confined to English and Italian language movies. [2]

Films like Eva Nera  [ it ] were produced in Eritrea and shown the culture and differences between the Eritrean people. Directed by Giuliano Tomei, it was told through a viewpoint of Domenico Meccoli. [4] [5]

European influence continues to this day, such as "European Film Weeks", which have been held annually for the last 15 years. [6] Almost 100% of the films produced in Eritrea fall under the "Fiction" category. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Eritrea</span> Historical development of Eritrea

Eritrea is an ancient name, associated in the past with its Greek form Erythraia, Ἐρυθραία, and its derived Latin form Erythræa. This name relates to that of the Red Sea, then called the Erythræan Sea, from the Greek for "red", ἐρυθρός, erythros. The Italians created the colony of Eritrea in the 19th century around Asmara, and named it with its current name. After World War II, Eritrea was annexed to Ethiopia. In 1991, the communist Ethiopian government was toppled by Eritrean people liberation front (EPLF) which earned their independence. Eritrea officially celebrated its 1st anniversary of independence on May 24, 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Italian East Africa</span> 1936–1941 Italian colony in the Horn of Africa

Italian East Africa was an Italian colony in the Horn of Africa. It was formed in 1936 through the merger of Italian Somalia, Italian Eritrea, and the newly occupied Ethiopian Empire, conquered in the Second Italo-Ethiopian War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asmara</span> Capital and largest city of Eritrea

Asmara, or Asmera, is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region. It sits at an elevation of 2,325 metres (7,628 ft), making it the sixth highest capital in the world by altitude and the second highest capital in Africa. The city is located at the tip of an escarpment that is both the northwestern edge of the Eritrean Highlands and the Great Rift Valley in neighbouring Ethiopia. In 2017, the city was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its well-preserved modernist architecture. The site of Asmera was first settled in 800 BC with a population ranging from 100 to 1,000. The city was then founded in the 12th century AD after four separate villages unified to live together peacefully after long periods of conflict. Under Italian rule the city of Asmara was made capital of Eritrea in the last years of the 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Education in Eritrea</span> Overview of education in Eritrea

Education in Eritrea is officially compulsory between 7 and 16 years of age. Important goals of Eritrea's educational policy are to provide basic education in each of Eritrea's mother tongues as well as to produce a society that is equipped with the necessary skills to function with a culture of self-reliance in the modern economy. The education infrastructure is currently inadequate to meet these needs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asmara International Airport</span> International airport in Asmara, Eritrea

Asmara International Airport is the international airport of Asmara, the capital of Eritrea. It is the country's largest airport and the only one receiving regularly scheduled services as of 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eritrean Catholic Church</span> Catholic Church branch in Eritrea

The Eritrean Catholic Church is a metropolitan sui iuris Eastern particular church headquartered in Asmara, Eritrea. It was established in 2015 by separation of its territory from that of the Ethiopian Catholic Church and the setting up in that territory of a new sui iuris metropolitan Eastern Catholic Church. It follows the Ge'ez form of the Alexandrian liturgical rite. Its strictly-speaking official name is "The Asmara metropolitan sui iuris Church".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinema Impero</span> Art Deco-style cinema in Asmara, Eritrea

The Cinema Impero is an Art Deco-style cinema in Asmara, the capital of Eritrea. It was built in 1937 by the colonial authorities in Italian Eritrea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Jews in Eritrea</span> Aspect of history

The history of the Jews in Eritrea stretches back many centuries. Eritrea once had a substantial Jewish community, fueled by immigrants arriving for economic reasons and to escape persecution. The community thrived for several decades before mass emigration began during the Eritrean War of Independence with Ethiopia.

Asmara Brewery is a brewery in Eritrea, founded in 1938. The brewery was nationalized by the Derg during the Eritrean War of Independence. The brewery operates a football team, which plays in the Eritrean Premier League. The factory has over 600 employees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in Eritrea</span> Overview of religion in Eritrea

Religion in Eritrea consists of a number of faiths. The two major religions in Eritrea are Christianity and Islam. However, the number of adherents of each faith is subject to debate. Estimates of the Christian share of the population range from 47% and 63%, while estimates of the Muslim share of the population range from 37% to 52%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eritrea</span> Country in the Horn of Africa

Eritrea, officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia in the south, Sudan in the west, and Djibouti in the southeast. The northeastern and eastern parts of Eritrea have an extensive coastline along the Red Sea. The nation has a total area of approximately 117,600 km2 (45,406 sq mi), and includes the Dahlak Archipelago and several of the Hanish Islands.

Football is the most popular sport in Eritrea. After being under Ethiopian control, Eritrea gained its independence in 1991 and in 1998 the country became a member of FIFA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Italian Eritreans</span> Italian community in Eritrea

Italian Eritreans are Eritrean-born descendants of Italian settlers as well as Italian long-term residents in Eritrea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Italian Eritrea</span> 1882–1936 Italian colony in modern Eritrea

Italian Eritrea was a colony of the Kingdom of Italy in the territory of present-day Eritrea. The first Italian establishment in the area was the purchase of Assab by the Rubattino Shipping Company in 1869, which came under government control in 1882. Occupation of Massawa in 1885 and the subsequent expansion of territory would gradually engulf the region and in 1889 borders with the Ethiopian Empire were defined in the Treaty of Wuchale. In 1890 the Colony of Eritrea was officially founded.

Prostitution in Eritrea is legal and regulated. Official figures state there are around 2,000 prostitutes in the country, who are not allowed to operate near schools, hospitals, and churches. According to the 2009 Human Rights Reports, security forces occasionally follow women engaged in prostitution and arrest those who had spent the night with a foreigner. Some women enter prostitution due to poverty. Prostitutes are known locally as "shermuta" in Arabic, or "mnzerma" and "me'amn" in Tigrinya.

The Italian School of Asmara was a government-operated Italian international school located in Asmara, the capital of Eritrea. The school closed in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Asmara</span> Aspect of history

The ancient city of Asmara is the capital of Eritrea, and is located about 100 km inland from the coast. Archeological evidence has been found in Asmara around the area known as Sembel that supports the conclusion of there having been a pre-Aksumite civilazation in greater Asmara. This ona culture is belived to have been among the earliest pastoral and agricultural communities in the Horn region. Asmara's history is estimated to go back around 800 BCE. During the 20th century it has been a staging ground for Italian initiatives in East Africa, collateral of Britain's colonial politics, and subject of the expansion of Ethiopia’s empire until 1993 when the sovereign state of Eritrea was established. Despite the passage of over seventy years, the city has remained mostly unchanged in structural design, likely influcenced by its position as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Asmara, Eritrea. Asmara was under Italian colonial rule from 1889 until 1941.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eritrea–Italy relations</span> Bilateral relations

Eritrea–Italy relations are the bilateral relations between Italy and Eritrea. Both nations are members of the United Nations.

Cinema of Sudan refers to both the history and present of the making or screening of films in cinemas or film festivals, as well as to the persons involved in this form of audiovisual culture of the Sudan and its history from the late nineteenth century onwards. It began with cinematography during the British colonial presence in 1897 and developed along with advances in film technology during the twentieth century.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Plastow, Jane (29 June 2016). "Teatro Asmara: understanding Eritrean drama through a study of the national theatre". Journal of African Cultural Studies. 29 (3): 311–330. doi:10.1080/13696815.2016.1201759. S2CID   163365452.
  2. 1 2 Indira, Mannar; Lakshmi, P. Vijaya (2012). "Global Television and Eritrean Society". Indian Journal of Media Studies. Tirupati: Sri Padmavati Mahila Visvavidyalayam. 6 (1&2). ISSN   0972-9348 . Retrieved 24 November 2019 via Researchgate.net.
  3. Piredda, Maria Francesca (2013). "Cinema and Popular Preaching: the Italian Missionary Film and Fiamme". In Bayman, Louis; Rigoletto, Sergio (eds.). Popular Italian Cinema. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 214–215. ISBN   978-0-230-30016-3.
  4. Baratieri, Daniela (2010). Memories and Silences Haunted by Fascism: Italian Colonialism, MCMXXX-MCMLX. Peter Lang. pp. 100–101. ISBN   978-3-03911-802-1 . Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  5. Chiti, Roberto; Poppi, Roberto (1991). Dizionario del cinema italiano: Dal 1945 al 1959 (in Italian). Gremese Editore. ISBN   978-88-7605-548-5.
  6. "15th European Film Week 2019 in Eritrea". EEAS – European Commission (in Indonesian). Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  7. "Eritrea". uis.unesco.org. 27 November 2016. Retrieved 24 September 2020.

Further reading