Ethiopian legend says that khat, an inspirational leaf, was discovered by Sufi Imams in search of eternity. Inspired by this legend, Jessica Beshir’s “Faya Dayi” is a spiritual journey into the highlands of the city of Harar, a place immersed in the rituals surrounding this plant. , the most profitable currency crop in Ethiopia today. Through the khat trading prism, the film weaves a veil of intimate stories of people trapped between government repression, khat-inspired reverie, and deceptive voyages across the Red Sea, and offers a window into to the dreams of young people who want to live better elsewhere.
For centuries in Ethiopia, Sufi Harar Muslims have been chewing the khat leaf for reasons of religious contemplation. Over the last three decades, khat consumption has broken out of Sufi circles and entered the mainstream to become a daily practice among people of all ages, faiths and races,