Stories from the margins
On my mind
I went to an amazing event yesterday in D.C. organized by Artopia, a new group of creatives and art lovers of the African diaspora based in Washington, D.C. I came across the event somehow on Instagram and knew it was exactly the space I wanted to be in. Artopia holds quarterly mixers and last night’s theme was on storytellers.
There were five featured storytellers who introduced us to their work, had a dialogue with each other and answered audience questions. It was incredibly inspiring to be in a room where stories of the African diaspora are being transformed and documented through narrative film, photography, fiction, comedy and documentary. The storytellers were all open about the challenges of navigating identities in their work, the power of collaboration, and how family and culture influence their ideas. I also appreciated that they were not all about dwelling in the sadness of being an outsider but actually recognizing that yes, we live on the margins, so now what are we going to do about it?
I wanted to share the names and work of the impressive featured performers who all deserve your attention as they build their careers.
Chuckwunonso Angel Dureke // Founder, President & CEO of Dureke Productions, LLC., a multimedia production house & creative agency. Her film, Plantains and Proverbs, is about four millennial African descent first-generation friends struggling to adult in Washington DC while still trying to follow the guidance of their African immigrant parents. Watch it on Amazon Prime Video.
Yodith Dammlash // Photographer and archivist. You can check out her beautiful photo exhibition,“Home: Where I Seek, I Find Myself,” made of old family photos in Ethiopia.
Saaret Yoseph // Writer, documentarian and multimedia storyteller. She wrote a weekly column, “Chronicles of a Diaspora Kid,” while living in Addis and produced a documentary, Redline DC, about illegal art and public space.
Koye Oyedeji // A British Nigerian writer now living in the U.S. You can find his stories in VQR, the Believer, Wasafiri Magazine, BRAND and the Washington City Paper Fiction Issue. Koye read us an excerpt of this story, Postscript from The Black Atlantic.
Heldana Afework // Writer, comedian and aspiring filmmaker. She is writing and developing a pilot episode of her comedy show about an Ethiopian-American family. If you want to audition, check out the casting call.
What I’m noting
Kamala Harris and the fallibility of identity politics // Another one bites the dust in the race to the White House. So what happened? “In a post-Obama era, she also appeared as a close facsimile of many of the characteristics that made Michelle Obama so adored not just by Black women but women in general (she even earned Hillary Clinton’s support). And throughout the ensuing 11 months, one word anchored her campaign, officially called Kamala Harris for the People: identity. But, ultimately, banking on identity wasn’t enough.”
Queen & Slim Bursts With Style, But It Can’t Live on Beauty Alone // I haven’t seen this movie yet, but the trailer and photography had me initially excited. After reading several mixed reviews of Queen & Slim, I’m bumping it down on my list. Curious to hear if any of you have seen it and felt differently!
Emotional Baggage // Inside the messy and toxic work culture at luggage brand, Away. “Employees were asked to work exceedingly long hours and limit their paid time off. Their projects were brutally criticized by executives on public Slack channels. They were reprimanded for not answering messages immediately — even late at night and on weekends.”
Tinder Lets Known Sex Offenders Use the App. It’s Not the Only One. // ProPublica, Columbia Journalism Investigations, and BuzzFeed dig into the dating apps that do not screen for sex offenders, which puts all users at risk.
The house liquor of the Muslim world // Did that headline make you blink twice? Same. While alcohol is technically forbidden for Muslims, certain drinks like Johnnie Walker Black became popular to secretly acquire and enjoy in places like Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
Do you grieve on Twitter and Instagram? // Fred Luskin, director of the Stanford Forgiveness Project, believes you should grieve with a selective group of people you trust rather than tell everyone online. He also recommends a nine-step path to reach forgiveness.
Best charities to donate to // This past Tuesday was #GivingTuesday, a day created to encourage people to donate to nonprofits after the long holiday weekend of shopping. Your inbox was likely flooded with donor asks from these organizations or your friends’ personal fundraisers. How did you decide what to donate to? Here’s some advice if you want to ensure your money goes to worthy causes that are actually putting your contributions to good use. For more on navigating the tricky ethics of effective altruism, subscribe to the Future Perfect newsletter.
The 10 Best Nonfiction Books of 2019 // If you’re looking for books to add to your reading list, check these out.
Since December is here, I’d love to get your highlights of 2019 for Noted by You! All you have to do is answer these four questions:
What was the best thing you ate this year?
What was the best thing you watched this year?
What was the best thing you read this year?
What was the biggest life lesson you learned this year?
I’ll share a round up (anonymously if you prefer) over the next few weeks.
That’s it for me. Hope you all have a great weekend!
— Nesima