As the title implies, the main protagonist is Haneta who is in charge of one of the mass organizations during the struggle years. Zewdi is also the second main protagonist for her role as antagonistic persona in this puzzling drama. The play includes other minor actors, but whose influences in complicating the narrative performance may not be felt to some degree.
The scene is Haneta's mass organization which is purely furnished along with a burning kerosene light on either side of a shapeless table. For this, most of this partial musical drama takes place during the gloomy night symbolizing the dark hours of Eritrean struggle along with the kerosene light representing the joyous day break of Eritrea's independence. The writer by employing his sharp artistic eyes dramatizes the scene in which the nature such as day and night including non-human animals such as dogs and donkeys take part in disturbing mood.
The story begins with the arrival of Zewdi, and her only son at Haneta's office in an effort to join her husband who is believed to be somewhere in war zone of Sahel. However, Zewdi who is not aware the EPLF culture governing the behavior of the combatants (tegadelti) falls in love with him.
For this, she changes her mind in joining the field using his office as go-between. Zewdi by nature is an independent young lady who is being forced by her step-mother to marry a man who is closely related to her. Like a revengeful Hamlet, she craves to join the front in an attempt to displease her dominant step-mother who is almost her equals by age. However, as the play implies, this love affair has not to do with the persona, but with the character of Haneta as a committed combatant of the people. Anyway, unintened amour between the twos is being interpreted wrongly by his close associates, and the the mass at large as the following ballad denotes:-
Woe the combatant in the mountain of Sahel
How someone your darling steals.
Here, the complication of this fast- moving drama begins. It shows the struggle between passion and commitment to ones country at war. Haneta manifests such unreconciled dilemma by way of his restless mood, and continuous smoking culminating in the Zewdi's final decision to join the front. However, Haneta still feels guilty of no fault of his own as described by his open letter sent to Zewdi. Those accusers who read his message accompanied by the final termination of his life remain suffered with unconrtolable remorse. At last, his full name: "SHfto Haneta" which means the fate of a lion amid the bitter struggle for liberation of the country concludes the main theme of the story.
The writer's usage of love affair in narrating his complicated drama is remarkable indeed. However, it could have been more vivid to the general readers should the writer use a plain language. Owed to his artistic eyes, the author also employs a descriptive events and moods that a lay person cannot visualize in his naked eye. Also, the final phase of the drama seems to be inconclusive for ending his life simply for feeling guilty. He could have defended himself by clarifying his human predicament. However, a drama is a drama, and cannot be interpreted in terms of the real world. For this, the final resolution of this historical episode still leaves in suspense not only to listening audience but to the general readers as well.
The book can be ordered by writing to Auget book stores in Asmara.
