A Boy Named Bekele
A Boy Named Bekele
By Lars Liebst Pedersen
An adoptive family disrupted. An Ethiopian birth mother victimized by circumstances. A mysterious mask interweaving the present and the past, Denmark and Ethiopia, reality and mythology.
A Boy named Bekele is the story about an adopted boy, Oskar, and his attempt to embrace his Danish/ Ethiopian identity and his African roots. Oskar’s world crumbles when his adoptive mother becomes critically ill during the birth of an unexpected – and in Oskar’s view unwanted – biological daughter. At the same time, revelations about his adoption and the hidden truth about a beautiful Ethiopian mask begin to surface.
Left to himself and his thoughts, the mask becomes an obsession for Oskar as he enters a world of Ethiopian mystique and magic. He suddenly finds himself on a perilous journey filled with harsh trials and sinister conspiracies – all in a desperate search for answers: Who are his Ethiopian family? Who is he himself, this Ethiopian boy who once had the name Bekele?
In another time and place, tumultuous and tragic events lead up to the point where a mother faces the most impossible of all choices.
A Boy named Bekele is an intimate drama of self-discovery as well as an adventurous thrill ride. It delves into international adoption and poses the question: What defines a family – genes, law or emotions?
This project was supported by the Danish Arts Council.