Sunday, Mar 14
Somali Diaspora reading and signing, Oct. 21–22
The cover of The Somali Diaspora by Abdi Roble and Doug Rutledge.
On Oct. 21 and 22, photographer Abdi Roble and writer Doug Rutledge will present and sign copies of their book, The Somali Diaspora – a Journey Away. The book, which includes 131 black-and-white photos by Roble, tells the stories of Somali immigrants in America, from Somali and refugee camps in Kenya to their immigration to the United States and a look ahead at the future.
Since 2003, Roble and Rutledge have been documenting the lives of Somali immigrants in the United States and in refugee camps in Kenya in the wake of the 1991 civil war in Somalia.
The book follows the family of Abdisalem, his wife Ijabo, and their three daughters as they move from the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya to Anaheim, Calif. and then Portland, Maine.
The book also portrays life in two of the largest Somali communities in the United States: Minneapolis and Columbus, Ohio.
Abdi Roble is a freelance photographer and the founder of the Somali Documentary Project, where you can see some of his photos. He immigrated to the United States from Somalia in 1989. His exhibitions include “Leica Portrait of Cuba” (2003), “The Somali Diaspora” (2005), “Against Forgetting: Beyond Genocide and Civil War” (2006), and “Stories of the Somali Diaspora” at the Columbus Museum of Art (2007). He lives in Columbus, Ohio.
Doug Rutledge is a poet, playwright, and independent scholar of the English language and literature. He regularly contributes to Hiiraan Online, Somali Link, and The African Voice—Ireland and is the writer for the Somali Documentary Project. He lives in Columbus, Ohio.
The Somali Diaspora is available for sale through the University of Minnesota Press, which published the book.
Details on the two events:
Tuesday, October 21
5-7:00 pm
Elmer L. Andersen Library, Atrium
University of Minnesota – Minneapolis Campus
222 21st Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55455
612-625-4800
This event is free to the public.
Sponsored by: Immigration History Research Center and The Institute for Advanced Study
Wednesday, October 22
4:00 pm
Presentation: “Somali Refugees in Europe”
University of Minnesota-Minneapolis Campus
Institute for Advanced Study
Room 125, Nolte Center for Continuing Education
This event is free to the public.
last revised: October 21, 2008