“I can’t be cer­tain what will happen with this dig­ni­ty in you when you decide to come, too.” In his auto-ethno­graph­ic film EMAILS TO MY LITTLE SISTER, the Ethiopi­an direc­tor Solomon A. Meko­nen reflects on his expe­ri­ence of “becom­ing black” in Berlin. Con­cerned about his sister’s wish to fur­ther her edu­ca­tion in Ger­many, he describes the shift in the way he is seen through the white gaze.
The film com­bines his the­o­ret­i­cal approach with images of his sister’s life in Ethiopia. From a per­son­al as well as aca­d­e­m­ic point of view, the film­mak­er inves­ti­gates the effects colo­nial­ism has on their lives in both countries.