ABDI DIES AGAIN.... OUR FILM MEETS A BITTER END
dinsdag 9 november 2010
The owner of Imperial Hotel in prison
Lula going home
Lula on her way to the infamously decepit Ilyusin propellor plane that will take her from Hargeisa to Djibouti where she will direct (and star in) her self-written first short film. She postponed the shooting of her own film in order to be able to team up with us in the making of Queleh. Picture by Willem Q.
maandag 8 november 2010
SNM celebrities
Outraged by the events that prevented us from making the film that would also have touched on the early history of the Somali National Movement, its former leaders (who also support and protect Dr. Sada Mire and her work) whisked us to the Ministry of Information and National Guidance to have a final word with the Minister.
Only an hour before our plane would leave for Djibouti we were raced into the VIP area of Hargeisa airport where we met the Minister of Transport who apologized for the events that befell us.
The Somaliland government, the clan elders and the SNM really want the film to be made. So does the first lady. She asked me to please stay in the country or at least stay in Djibouti. To be continued!
Only an hour before our plane would leave for Djibouti we were raced into the VIP area of Hargeisa airport where we met the Minister of Transport who apologized for the events that befell us.
The Somaliland government, the clan elders and the SNM really want the film to be made. So does the first lady. She asked me to please stay in the country or at least stay in Djibouti. To be continued!
The Colonel
The Nail
zondag 7 november 2010
zaterdag 6 november 2010
Presidential visit
On the 26th of October (when we had no idea we wouldn't make our film) the President of Somaliland Ahmed Mohamed Mahamoud Silanyo, visited the Maan-Soor hotel to meet with representatives of the World Bank.
He is the suited man with the beard. Left of him is the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohamed Omar who was looking forward of having the DVD of Queleh to present to his colleagues throughout the world on his mission to gain recognition of his country.
He and his government should have acted accordingly.
He is the suited man with the beard. Left of him is the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohamed Omar who was looking forward of having the DVD of Queleh to present to his colleagues throughout the world on his mission to gain recognition of his country.
He and his government should have acted accordingly.
An open letter from Bill Brookman to his Somali friends.
An open letter to my many Somali friends
2010-11-05
Dear friends,
When Abdi Ismael Jama graduated from film school in Amsterdam his dream was to make a film about his childhood in Somalia in the nineteen eighties. Somalis know this period as one of war, death and tragedy which rankles them because they consider it, rightly, to be a climactic period unknown and uncared about in the West.
I spent a month in Somaliland with committed international feature film-makers Roelof Jan Minneboo and producers Michiel and Guillaume (sorry guys, I remember you well but not your full names) as they used precious Canadian and Dutch film fund money to live out there for three months to make this film “Queleh” with local actors and crew.
http://roelofjanminneboo.blogspot.com
This film would have been seen in the West and told the story of that heroic and incredible time and explained to the West why we are hosts to so many of your Somali diaspora now. You would also have had the satisfaction of knowing that your story had been told from your perspective.
They you, my Somali friends, got greedy. Your Somaliland Minister of Information and National Guidance assigned Mohamed Bashir to the team by the as a Security Consultant who then charged $3,500 for unrequired services. Members of Abdi Ismael Jama's clan threatened to harm the crew and equipment if they didn't pay them 30.000euros and $57.500 for Abdi’s half-brother Ibrahim a.k.a. Fakte because, in part, “this film is for black people”.
Such payments are and never were possible. The crew’s fixer was attacked and the ministry decided filming was not possible “for security reasons”. The film is cancelled, abandoned and your story will not be told. The West will continue to only know of your country as inhabited by pirates, warlords and gangsters – Now it will add greed to that list.
I do not want to think this of so many Somali friends who I know to have integrity and honour. Why, good decent Somalis, do you allow others to treat your friends this way?
Bill Brookman
The Bill Brookman Foundation
2010-11-05
Dear friends,
When Abdi Ismael Jama graduated from film school in Amsterdam his dream was to make a film about his childhood in Somalia in the nineteen eighties. Somalis know this period as one of war, death and tragedy which rankles them because they consider it, rightly, to be a climactic period unknown and uncared about in the West.
I spent a month in Somaliland with committed international feature film-makers Roelof Jan Minneboo and producers Michiel and Guillaume (sorry guys, I remember you well but not your full names) as they used precious Canadian and Dutch film fund money to live out there for three months to make this film “Queleh” with local actors and crew.
http://roelofjanminneboo.blogspot.com
This film would have been seen in the West and told the story of that heroic and incredible time and explained to the West why we are hosts to so many of your Somali diaspora now. You would also have had the satisfaction of knowing that your story had been told from your perspective.
They you, my Somali friends, got greedy. Your Somaliland Minister of Information and National Guidance assigned Mohamed Bashir to the team by the as a Security Consultant who then charged $3,500 for unrequired services. Members of Abdi Ismael Jama's clan threatened to harm the crew and equipment if they didn't pay them 30.000euros and $57.500 for Abdi’s half-brother Ibrahim a.k.a. Fakte because, in part, “this film is for black people”.
Such payments are and never were possible. The crew’s fixer was attacked and the ministry decided filming was not possible “for security reasons”. The film is cancelled, abandoned and your story will not be told. The West will continue to only know of your country as inhabited by pirates, warlords and gangsters – Now it will add greed to that list.
I do not want to think this of so many Somali friends who I know to have integrity and honour. Why, good decent Somalis, do you allow others to treat your friends this way?
Bill Brookman
The Bill Brookman Foundation
The press are on it...
Many prominent Somalilanders are outraged by the turn of events. This morning the scandal was on the front page (and all page 2) of the Ogaal newspaper.
The headlines read: The government let down the biggest change that Somaliland had to tell its story.
The headlines read: The government let down the biggest change that Somaliland had to tell its story.
Bill Brookman's reaction
Bill Brookman (who we met in Hargeisa when we first arrived in september) wrote this as a reaction to the demise of our film:
Oh God, oh God. This is terrible. I have similar stories from Haiti and Sierra Leone – all of greed. Greed greed.
I’m sorry to say this when many of my Somali friends may read this. But African folk tales are all of the trickster type: either Brer Rabbit gets away with dishonesty or he doesn’t. West African, Haitian, and it seems (sadly) Somali fundamental morality –as supported by folk-tales – only supports a version of morality based on getting away with it , or not.
Oh God, oh God. This is terrible. I have similar stories from Haiti and Sierra Leone – all of greed. Greed greed.
I’m sorry to say this when many of my Somali friends may read this. But African folk tales are all of the trickster type: either Brer Rabbit gets away with dishonesty or he doesn’t. West African, Haitian, and it seems (sadly) Somali fundamental morality –as supported by folk-tales – only supports a version of morality based on getting away with it , or not.
Still stuck in Hargeisa
Blogger still stuck in the Maan-Soor hotel lobby.... We're not allowed leave the hotel grounds without an armed guard.
Director exit
The Ethiopians (with Matthieu and Reinoud) before they get on the bus that will drive them (in two days) to Addis Ababa.
Abraham getting into the car (driver on the left) that will take him to Jigjigga across the Ethiopian border for the flight that will take him to Addis Ababa.
Cargo exit
Due to the bombs found on freight planes out of Dubai last week, there is now a complete ban on cargo flights out of Jemen, Somalia and Somaliland. Therefore our two tonnes of equipment have to leave the country overland.
The last (?) attempt at extortion: pay me a USD 4000 bribe or I see to it the cargo doesn't leave the country. The fact that we have a letter from the minister permitting us to take the cargo out of the country doesn't deter a real extortionist.
Matthieu, Daan and Reinoud preparing the truck
The only forklift in Hargeisa
The last (?) attempt at extortion: pay me a USD 4000 bribe or I see to it the cargo doesn't leave the country. The fact that we have a letter from the minister permitting us to take the cargo out of the country doesn't deter a real extortionist.
Michiel at 4.30 AM, leaving with the cargo
The truck embarking on its 15 hour journey
vrijdag 5 november 2010
Monkey business
This monkey is reputedly trained to steal stuff from the clients of the Purple Coffee House.
At Sada's place
Guillaume, Michiel,Willem, Kayse, Lula and Roelof were invited to relax at Sada' s place in the city. We could do with some relaxation. We were joined by Sada's nephew Mire.
donderdag 4 november 2010
For the Beauty of Somaliland and its people 2
This man has the keys to the Laas Gaal visitor centre.
Goodbye to the cast
Today we had to face the most difficult part of the decision to stop the film: telling the cast. This is our farewell photo.
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