A Semoitic Critical Discourse Analysis of Selected Amharic Films of Ethiopia: With Reference to ‘ZUMRA’ and ‘SEMAYAWI Feres
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Date
2010-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Film production started in Ethiopia 90 years ago. However, its development was
stagnated for long and began flourishing in the 1980s. With the development of film
production, nonetheless, critical and professional recognitions of films have not yet been
developed along with popular recognition of films. This study was intended to find out
discursive practices of a society by using film semiotics as an approach under the
umbrella of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to give critical recognition to the selected
films_ ‘Zumra’ and Semayawi Feres’. The study used qualitative method of analysis
using the selected films as primary and related documents as the secondary sources of
data. The researcher has used, as his method of analysis, Chandler’s (2000) categories of
codes and adapted Fiske’s semiotic model in order to match with CDA and the
consequent discursive practices in the selected films. In ‘Zumra’ film, racial
discrimination and its subsequent results are vocalized via social, interpretative,
syntagmatic and paradigmatic codes. These codes are moved by two regulatory codes_
racism and love. Setting, background music, pictures, customs, events, natural
phenomena (darkness) and psychological state of affairs are some of the signs which
reflect implicit meanings. Similarly, in Semayawi Feres’, the political discourse is the
main salient feature of the film. In this film, the controversies of the Blue Nile are the top
agenda. In the film, colors (white, black, green, red, and yellow) are manipulated as
broadcast codes. Besides, flags, cars, pictures, statues, flowers, highways, games and
conversations reinforce hidden meanings of the Blue Nile controversies. In addition to
these, as in the film ‘Zumra’, darkness and brightness have been manipulated for echoing
implicit meanings. Thus, this study contributes, in a modest way, to suggesting a
systematic approach to the study of Ethiopian films in order to appreciate and evaluate
their communicative and aesthetic impact as a powerful mass medium using semiotic
discourse practices.
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Keywords
Zumra’ And ‘Semayawi Feres