'Speak Life' is a short film which encourages viewers to hold steadfast to what is important and be spiritually in tune with one's self. Director Jerry Henry and Damian Marley opted to shoot the short film in Ethiopia during Marley's 'Stony Hill' tour. This is important to note as this is the first film in my series that is not filmed in Jamaica. Ethiopia is seen as as the motherland and the Biblical 'promised land' to Rastafari especially after being granted land by Emperor Haile Selassie in the 1960s.
Despite the short film not having Jamaica as its location, viewers may still develop a biographical relationship to the Ethiopian visuals as it provides a sense of familiarity and community. Rasta and more spiritual viewers will definitely feel a spiritual relationship due to their beliefs.
The short film showcases ordinary citizens going about there daily lives while Jr. Gong walks through the Ethiopian streets. He also meets with natives in a village in what seems to be a Buna Ceremony (coffee ceremony). Coffee is an important cultural aspect of Ethiopia for many centuries. For Marley to be a guest to a Buna ceremony symbolizes the warm hospitality the Ethiopians have bestowed on him, thus showing him he is welcomed and respected. The short film's showcasing of these events and the citizen's day-to-day lives can cast a narrative relationship as we get a peak into individual's life stories.
This location change decision coupled with the song's lyrics are key for listeners & viewers. Marley urges us to live in a way that is upful and brings satisfaction to one's soul, both mentally and spiritually. “Speak life, Live a humble and meek life / Ordinary day of the week life / Try to search and seek life / Way up keep your head up and stay up / Even when you sore and pain love / Never giving up till its game up / Keep your aim up,” Gong sings.
Watch 'Speak Life' - Damian Marley here: http://www.mochilla.com/news-archive/2019/8/1/damian-jr-gong-marley-speak-life
Sources Cited:
Deutsche Welle (www.dw.com. 2019. “Why Ethiopia’s Rastafari Community Keeps Dwindling | DW | 09.09.2019.” DW.COM. 2019. https://www.dw.com/en/why-ethiopias-rastafari-community-keeps-dwindling/a-50339635.
Tyson, Joey. 2020. “The Coffee Ritual: Ethiopia’s Jebena Buna Ceremony.” Culture Trip. The Culture Trip. February 24, 2020. https://theculturetrip.com/africa/ethiopia/articles/the-coffee-ritual-ethiopias-jebena-buna-ceremony/.
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