INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE ON THE VISUALIZATION OF LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: FILMS ON HEREDITARY SINGERS IN ETHIOPIA

Abstract

This paper explores the constructive dialogue between an anthropologist/filmmaker and the audience on the visualization of knowledge through anthropological films. The dominant discourse in visual anthropology has paid insufficient attention to the general viewer's role in the construction of meanings and evaluation of ethnographic inquiry. This paper examines how viewers from different cultural/screening contexts interpret and respond to my works on musicians and children in Ethiopia. It also seeks ways to project the active voice of the audience in regard to the development of existing ideas on how local knowledge is best conveyed via visual media. I consider cases from academic film festivals in Europe, screening seminars among Ethiopian immigrants in North America, discussions via blogs and university lectures in Japan. The paper focuses on the role of the audience in the formation and rediscovery of cultural identity with regard to local knowledge presented via filmic documentation, and explores the appropriate manner of film-presentation in the form of montage and screenings, on the basis of my experience using films as an educational medium.