04

Aman

This is an essay film on a specific type of musical ornamentation done by Romani musicians. This musical ornamentation can be done both with musical instruments and vocals. Its origin is the Turkish-Persian word ‘aman’ (mane/manele, aman/amanes, manedes, etc.) which can be translated to ‘pity’ or ‘suffering.’

This ornamentation includes the transformation of songs from the national culture in which a specific Romani community resides, as most Romani people are not interested in legally owning land nor subscribing to a nation-state lifestyle. The ‘aman’ ornamentation is also often added to internationally acclaimed songs by performers who often come from disenfranchised communities and sing about solidarity, such as Bob Marley or Michael Jackson. I find that this ornamentation questions dominant ideologies of heritage, belonging, and appropriation through its internal logic and history,

The film has no subtitle or voiceover, making it sonically and visually loaded with symbolism, yet this symbolism is left unanalyzed. This both opens up for conversation, and does not defend a distinct argument. This open-ended format requires the audience to have some previous encounter with this type of music.

Images are stills from the video.