By Karen Price, Western Mail
AS a boy, Yosef Haimanot escaped the troubles in his Ethiopian homeland by walking for three days through desert to reach the coastal state of Djibouti.
Now, more than 20 years later, he is returning to Ethiopia with two artists, and they will all retrace his steps to freedom.
Haimanot, who is now a film-maker based in Wales, will make his second documentary on his early life, called The Impossible Journey.
And the artists – Matt Clark and Melanie Hobday – will produce work based on their experiences in Ethiopia.
The project is funded by the Arts Council of Wales, and the results will be displayed as part of an exhibition that will open at Butetown History and Arts Centre in Cardiff later this year before going on tour.
It will be the second time in two years that Haimanot, 33, has returned to his homeland since fleeing the war-torn and famine-stricken country, when he left his parents, sister and two brothers behind.
When he first returned in 2005, he discovered that his father and sister had passed away.
“It was very emotional to see my mother and one of my brothers again,” he said. “They were devastated when I left as a boy but they were happy when I went to England, as they knew I would be safe.”
Haimanot arrived in England at the age of 13. He was only 10 when he left his family behind to move to another part of Ethiopia, and a year or so later he endured the arduous walk with other children to Djibouti.
They later stowed away on a ship to England, which docked at Newcastle.
When he first arrived in the UK, Haimanot spent time in a children’s home and then in foster care before getting his own flat at the age of 16.
Although he didn’t speak any English when he arrived, within a few years he was fluent and found that he had lost his own language, which meant he found it difficult communicating by letter with his family back home.
Haimanot studied performing arts before moving to Wales in 2000 to study at the International Film School of Wales in Newport.
He now lives in Cardiff and says he loves his life in Wales.
“Everyone is friendly and helpful, and I’m now doing what I want to do.”
But his memories of his early days in Ethiopia never leave him.
“It was extremely dangerous living there as a child,” he said. “There was a civil war going on and I witnessed at first hand the 1984 famine.”
Despite the traumas he suffered, he is looking forward to returning and seeing his family once more.
And together with Clark and Hobday he will retrace the journey he took as a small boy before finally arriving in the UK.
The artists will learn about the culture, history and lifestyle, as well as the education system, of the countries Haimanot travelled through and relate their new understanding to Welsh culture, lifestyles and history by producing artwork.
All the while, Haimanot will capture their experiences on film for a 75-minute documentary.
Clark studied fine art in Cardiff and produces artwork and videos that take a second look at some of the facts, customs and objects that we often take for granted.
He is now looking forward to travelling to Ethiopia next week for the month-long trip.
“I’ve never experienced a country like Ethiopia before – I think it will be hard,” he said.
“I think it will help me understand what it must have been like for Yosef arriving in England as a young boy.
“He ended up in an area where the majority of people were white and he did not understand the language or the culture. It will be a similar experience for me when I get to Ethiopia.”
Hobday, a Cardiff-based textile artist, added, “I love travel and different cultures, and Yosef’s story just intrigues me. I hope the trip broadens my creative outlook and gives me an insight into this fascinating culture.”