HumanitiesDC Presents The Cultures Series: Intergenerational Oral Histories of DC’s Ethiopian Community
Date and Time
Feb 23, 2023 6:00 pm
Location
14th & V
2021 14th St NW, Washington, District of Columbia, 20009
Feb 23, 2023 6:00 pm
14th & V
In this inaugural event in HumanitiesDC’s Culture Series, writer, producer and cultural worker Saaret E. Yoseph presents her multi-faceted, intergenerational oral history project JOURNEY(S): Addis to DC. Combining documentary interviews with original poetry, the project takes audience members on a narrative trip between sister cities Washington, DC and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Featuring the voices of long-time and former DC residents, JOURNEY(S) explores identity, migration, memory and the meaning of “home.†Inspired by poet Ntozake Shange’s acclaimed choreopoem for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf, Yoseph sifts through her own cultural biography to curate a short-form docupoem series that follows the stories of six Ethiopian women, who arrived in the District prior to and during the 1980s. Narrators reflect on their impressions and experiences before and after leaving their birthplace for the United States, in the process highlighting the connections between Addis Ababa and the Ethiopian community in the greater Washington, DC area.
As the project director, Yoseph will share select clips, discussing the catalyst and context behind JOURNEY(S) as well as the intersectional themes that emerged throughout the course of her creative inquiry. Joining her for an intergenerational conversation will be project narrators and collaborators. We hope you’ll be able to seize this opportunity to hear their stories and unique contributions to DC history.
