Thank you everyone for your tremendous support & efforts. We are already at 80% towards our goal!! I am overjoyed with tears...this is an emotional experience and I cant thank you enough. It reminds me of my time documenting the incredible life story of HAWA. Her tears will forever inspire me.
Please check out the second SNEAK PEAK of my dearest HAWA.
::: SOSENA:::
In honor of our final week countdown I will be sharing sneak peaks of::::MERKATO:::: This is a glimpse into Wurro's story. Her courage has inspired me in so many ways. I hope it will do the same for you! Thank you everyone for helping these important voices reach far & beyond.
Please make a pledge..only 6 days left!
http://www.kickstarter.com/pro
Im so excited to announce today as my first day launching my Kick Starter campaign. MERKATO is almost finished and I need your help to get me there.
For the next 45 days, I will be campaigning to raise the much needed finishing funds to support the film and have it be seen all over the world.
Please visit the site for my special MERKATO teaser & more information on how you can help!
Thank you for all your support on this journey!
::::MERKATO KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN::::
It so hard to say goodbye, but I realize this is only just the beginning. My heart grows warm as I think of my MERKATO family who welcomed me into their lives. After months of struggle and triumph it is finally a wrap on the shooting end. I am extremely grateful for this experience, as a young filmmaker, I have learned so much from this project. It will grow with me forever. Thank you all for your undivided support on this journey.
::::Blessings & love Sosena::::
photographed by Michael Tsegaye
Hawa has been selling incense in Merkato for over 40 years. At 105 years old she still gets up at 6am to walk several long blocks to her section of the market. Don't let her age fool you, she can feel money and sense how much it is without seeing it....how remarkable! I spent a couple days following Hawa on her journey. It was an honor, her colleague told me she trusts no one, so to be able to sit beside her was truly special. She told me she has seen Merkato when there were no walls. "When we all used to just sit on the floor and sell our goods..those were the good old days".
Meet Wurro. She was given this nick name in Merkato because in amharic it translates to the calling of a cat. I have had my eye out for a female character since I got here and found her to be an interesting perspective. She is simply one of the most hardworking young women I think I have ever met. She works seven days a week washing uniforms for the workers in minalish in addition to serving them their daily coffee and tea.
After a couple days with Wurro, I really felt her pain, strength and independence as a young working female in Merkato. Her voice inspired me, which is why I decided to include her in the film. She has seen allot and worked hard to gain respect from the men in minalesh terra...now that is a force to be reckoned with.
The last two weeks have been beyond stressful, so we just had to make time for some fun in minalesh. I discovered two new characters that I feel are quite captivating. I will introduce them to you soon. I just wanted to show some fun moments that keep us going. xo
"Selam New york! Indetnew Chicago?" (Hello New York! How are you Chicago?) "Welcome back sosie…did u forget me?"
I was warmly greeted back to minalesh terra by my body guard Gedion, the most feared and respected gangster in Merkato. He also buys and sells used car parts in minalish terra. He has been a major influence on the making of this film. Beyond his guidance and protection, he has truly become a main character to this project. His unique perspective has been on my mind these last couple months away. It took lots of trust building and mind games (the merkato way) but I finally got him to be in the film. So I have been in addis for the last three weeks story building mostly without my camera, taking sound interviews until I was ready to start building images again.
"One day I will make it out of here...Merkato made me but now i'm ready for more."-Gedion
masinko is a traditional ethiopian violin. I thought it would be nice to surprise my friends in minalesh with a masinko player as a token of gratitude. It was really a pleasure getting to know everyone and I wanted celebrate with some songs.
Although Gashe Amde was on a serious Ramadan fast, which permits dancing, he had a blast listening to the folk singers hilarious poems..
so did my dad.
I have less than a week in addis and everyone seems to ask me if im finally done with this project...my heart tells me the doors are still open.
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