Three Poet-Writers of the Ethiopian Global Diaspora—Lemn, Heran, and Kassaye

Posted on May 14, 2024 by

There has recently been a convergence of words and wonders, of poets and power.

Our Lions Roaring Far from Home: An Anthology by Ethiopian Adoptees co-editor Kassaye Berhanu-MacDonald has an essay in the newly published book The Global Ethiopian Diaspora. Kassaye, raised in Canada, also has an essay in Lions Roaring.

Heran Tadesse, another Lions Roaring writer, is also a poet. Heran was raised in The Netherlands, and returned from that diasporic life decades ago to Ethiopia, where she is teaching yoga and raising a family.

Recently, Heran attended events at the British Council in Addis with the luminary writer-poet-playwright Lemn Sissay, OBE, another adoptee in the Ethiopian global diaspora, raised in England, who frequently returns to Ethiopia.

Lemn Sissay and Heran Tadesse, Addis Ababa,
May 2024.

Lemn did not write in Lions Roaring. He did write a lovely comment about it: “This book is all about connection, connection to story, connections to homes, to the many homes that one person can have, and connection between writers. Bravo for getting this book together and for getting these authors together. It’s important testimony.”

How compelling that these three have “converged” in Lions Roaring as well as in the diaspora.

Here is an excerpt from Lions Roaring by Kassaye. Her essay is titled “Hunger.”

“…For me, finding my family is more about my right to truth than about fulfilling my desire to be biologically connected to someone. I’m well aware that blood relations don’t guarantee harmonious, trusting, safe, or loving relationships. However, I believe we all have an inalienable right to know who we came from, whether or not we decide to pursue a relationship…I am part of a lost generation returning to Ethiopia with only bits of information about our families. Our Ethiopian parents, on the other hand, do not have the resources or information to track down or locate their lost children in the diaspora.”

Here is an excerpt from Lions Roaring by Heran. Her essay is titled “The Search for Home Within.”

“Layers of conditioning still to unravel have taught me to love my hair naturally, my dark chocolate skin, and embrace my past unconditionally. As Meshell Ndegeocello so aptly wrote, ‘My beauty cannot be measured by the standards of a colonized mind.’

…Living in Ethiopia and re-learning the language and culture were the next steps toward making me feel that I belong. Being in Ethiopia gives me the biggest challenge and the biggest gain. Neo-colonialism is also prevalent in Ethiopia, but the history, tradition, culture, spirituality, and pride are deeply rooted in the society, and heal me on a daily basis…”

Lemn Sissay haș written many books and poems on an astonishing range of subjects. In his powerful, poignant memoir, “My Name is Why,” he wrote

“Look what was sown by the stars/ At night across the fields /

I am not defined by scars / But by the incredible ability to heal.”

“I am not defined by darkness/ Confided the night.

Each dawn I am reminded/ I am defined by light.”

Cover art of Lions Roaring;
Original art by Nahosenay Negussie

The Global Ethiopian Diaspora: Important New Research, Including an Adoptee Voice

Posted on May 13, 2024 by

Congratulations to the editors of and contributors to the valuable new book, “The Global Ethiopian Diaspora: Migrations, Connections, and Belongings.”

I am especially proud to share that Kassaye Berhanu-MacDonald, an Ethiopian-Canadian adoptee, has an essay included in the book. Too often, adoptees’ voices are not part of diasporic research and literature. Kassaye is also a co-editor of “Lions Roaring Far From Home: An Anthology by Ethiopian Adoptees.”

Gratitude to the wonderful Hewan Girma, Ph.D., and the other co-editors of The Global Ethiopian Diaspora, Shimelis B. Gulema, Ph.D., and Mulugeta Dinbabo, Ph.D.

Remembering Hana Williams, 13 Years After Her Death

Posted on May 12, 2024 by

Hana Williams died outside her adoptive family home May 12, 2011, from malnutrition and hypothermia. So many people keep her in their hearts, and always will.

This year the anniversary of her death falls with a special poignancy on Mother’s Day in the U.S.

In 2013, Hana’a adoptive mother was sentenced to 37 years in prison for manslaughter; Hana’s adoptive father was sentenced to 28 years.

A photo of Ethiopian adoptee Hanna Williams at the orphanage. Hanna is wearing a blue and white striped shirt and has a slight, shy smile. — Hana in Ethiopia, prior to adoption. May she Rest in Peace.

I often think of Hana. I am the adoptive parent of Ethiopian twin daughters, each of whom is now a mother herself. Hana’s brief time in the United States was full of sadness, horror, and cruelty. There was no oversight of her adoptive parents, who essentially isolated themselves and their 7 biological children here in Washington state, along with another Ethiopian adoptee (Immanuel, who is still alive). All of the children suffered, whether at the hands of their parents or as a result of the trauma they all went through. I hope they have found peace and solace in the world.

I often think of what we in the adoption community have learned as a result of Hana’s death. I don’t have any quick or comforting answer.

Today, I hold Hana in my heart. As a mother and a grandmother, I think of Hana’s Ethiopian mother as well, on this Mother’ Day, and on the anniversary of Hana’s death at 13 years old.

Ethiopian Adoptee/World Renowned Chef Marcus Samuelsson Opens New Restaurant in Addis Ababa

Posted on January 8, 2024 by

Marcus Samuelsson, adopted from Ethiopia, raised in Sweden, has opened yet another restaurant: Marcus Addis, located on the 47th floor of the tallest building in east Africa.

His other restaurants are in the U.S., Canada, the Bahamas, Sweden, and Norway. And now, Ethiopia.

Congratulations, Chef Samuelsson! The restaurant business is an unbelievably competitive one, and you have clearly risen to the top.

Marcus Addis, promoted as “Marcus’s first restaurant in Africa,” had its grand opening less than a month ago. The menu reflects “a fusion of Marcus’ world renowned international cuisine with an unforgettable Ethiopian twist.” There’s a Mercato Bread Basket, Fish and Teff, Addis York (fried chicken, doro wat, cured egg, stuffed injera), Mac and Cheese (with injera-cheddar crumble), Berbere Fries, and many other options.

This is an exciting, if complicated, new venture. Ethiopia continues to struggle with war, poverty, and famine; Tigray is especially riddled with all of that, and the rest of the country is certainly affected as well. The U.S. State Department warns about civil unrest, violence, armed conflict, and crime.

Ethiopia is also a beautiful, historic country with farmers, scholars, artists, business people, builders, entrepreneurs, manufacturers, and tourism experts. Ethiopia’s top exports are gold and coffee. It has so much potential, and is burdened by its erratic weather, bureaucracy, politics, inflation, and ethnic/tribal conflicts. Tuberculosis—a preventable and curable disease—kills 19,000 people every year in Ethiopia.

Marcus Addis will not solve those problems, of course. That said, according to this Semafor article, few investors have been interested in opening restaurants in Ethiopia recently, so Samuelsson’s new place may bring renewed economic investment. Samuelsson says, “I am proud of my Ethiopian roots..I want my new restaurant in Addis Ababa to be a vehicle for job creation, capacity building, a training hub that works for — not against — traditional local Ethiopian restaurants.”

Further, according to Semafor, “Marcus Addis will be used as a ‘vehicle to teach’ and improve local hospitality standards, Ethiopia’s National Bank Governor Mamo Mihertu told Semafor Africa. He said he hopes it will ‘secure world class training and create employment opportunities here at home and abroad while complementing the local hospitality sector.’ “

I hope so too.

An upscale restaurant in a fancy Addis skyscraper will no doubt create some raised eyebrows, political concerns, and negative remarks. Ethiopia has many real and heartbreaking challenges, and a new restaurant is not a solution in itself.

I’d like to think, though, that Samuelsson’s persona, accomplishments, and confidence about opening a new restaurant in Ethiopia will perhaps create some hope for Ethiopia’s future. Marcus Samuelsson was born In Ethiopia, one of 9 children, in 1971. Due to his mother’s death and the turmoil of the civil war at that time, he and an older sister were adopted to Sweden when Marcus was about three years old. His Swedish grandmother influenced his decision to go into cooking and culinary arts.

Like many Ethiopians in the diaspora, Samuelsson is among the adoptees traveling to and investing in the homeland. How his adoptee status will impact his work there, if at all, remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, here’s hoping for peace and healing in Ethiopia, for stability, clean water, and health care for everyone, and for literacy, economic equity, and safety. Ethiopian food is delicious: may this synthesis with Swedish cuisine be successful.

And if anyone can help us get “Lions Roaring Far From Home: An Anthology by Ethiopian Adoptees” to Marcus Samuelsson, please let me know. Five of his compatriots (Swedish Ethiopian adoptees) wrote essays in our book. We will happily send him a copy!

Important New Academic Research About Ethiopian Adoptees

Posted on November 15, 2023 by

Hewan Girma, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the African American and African Disaporic Studies Department at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. She is also a brilliant, thoughtful, kind person, whom I have had the pleasure of knowing for several years.

I am delighted to share two recent articles by Dr. Girma.

One is Respecting Names: Ethiopian transnational adoptee name changes, retention, and reclamation.

From the Abstract: “…this paper examines how the personal names of transnational adoptees can be used to displace from and alternatively reconnect with home cultures. More specifically, transnational adoptees discuss the loss, retention, and reclamation of original ethnic names through the lens of ethno-racial respect and culture keeping. Moreover, studying Ethiopian adoptees, who typically differ from their adoptive parents in ethnicity, birth nationality and/or racialized identity, will elucidate how an immigrant background and a Black racial identity plays a factor in adoptee naming experiences.”

There are so many intersections here for Ethiopian adoptees, and names play so many roles. This is an important article for Ethiopian adoptees, adoptive parents, researchers, other adoptee communities, the Ethiopian community, and more.

An Ethiopian little girl in a white dress walks along a road near green trees.

The other article is Outsiders within: examining Ethiopian adoptee experiences through a diasporic lens. Dr. Girma co-authored this article with Alpha Abebe, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Communication Studies & Media Arts, McMaster University.

From the Abstract: “Based on 20 in-depth interviews with adult Ethiopian adoptees residing in the US, this paper discusses the points of dis/connection between Ethiopian adoptees and the larger Ethiopian diaspora. We focus on how Ethiopian adoptees navigate their inclusion/exclusion as peripheral actors across social groups, as well as the active work they engage in to negotiate their diasporic identities, belongings and personal politic.”

You may recognize the allusion in the article’s title to Outsiders Within: Writing on Transracial Adoption, the seminal, valuable book edited by Jane Jeong Trenka, Julia Chinyere Oparah, and Sun Yung Shin. The book is discussed in the article, as is Marcus Samuelsson, the global history of Ethiopian adoptions, and the lived experiences of adoptees.

One phrase from the article was particularly powerful to me, that the narratives of the adoptees reflect “a journey of sensemaking.”

For information on how to obtain a PDF of the articles, please leave a comment here or email me, Maureen@LightOfDayStories.com.

Thank you, Drs. Girma and Abebe, for this significant and much-needed research.

Some Words from our Ethiopian Poets, on National Poetry Day

Posted on October 5, 2023 by

Lions Roaring Far From Home Anthology

Today is National Poetry Day in the UK. While poetry can (and should) be celebrated all year round, we thought today might be a good day to celebrate our “Lions Roaring” poets.

Here are some excerpts.

Andi Tarikua Cass from the US wrote about being a “Warrior of the Lion:”

“i come from a place of fighters, warriors, brave people who never backed down from what they believed in…”

Hana from Canada wrote a “Brave Family Song:”

“We have one family that is in Ethiopia, Ethiopia.

And one family that is in Canada, Canada.

I love this FAMILY so much.”

Helen Rose Samuel from the US shared a poem she had written in memory of her beloved brother Fisseha: “The Art of Goodbye.”

“Who taught you, of knots and ties, to sever?

Who taught you the art of goodbye?

Who failed to teach you the art of goodbye?

Perhaps, then, your goodbye wouldn’t have been forever.”

Australian Tamieka Small‘s poem is “Waiting For When the Sky Won’t Fall:”

“You don’t know what it’s like

To look at the people who love you,

Expecting to see a reflection.

But you see nothing at all,

a blank canvas, a ghost, a wall.”

Heran Tadesse, raised in the Netherlands and now repatriated to Ethiopia, wrote about “Home:”

“Home is where my soul finds healing

And my being becomes whole

Living my dream

And witnessing the unseen

Dance through life

Synchronise to rhythm

Seek and find

Home within.”

Deep gratitude to each of these poets for sharing themselves in the powerful words of their poems.

The cover of the book "Lions Roaring" is a painting of an Ethiopian woman with one hand on her hip and the other on the back of a roaring lion.

“Lions Roaring Far From Home” Update

Posted on July 10, 2023 by

While our primary goal with our groundbreaking book “Lions Roaring Far From Home: An Anthology By Ethiopian Adoptees” is to get the book to as many Ethiopian adoptees as possible, we are also reaching out to the larger Ethiopian and Ethiopian diasporic community.

Frew Tibebu, who arrived in the US from Ethiopia as a refugee from the Derg via Djibouti in 1980, is now a successful realtor and social entrepreneur in California. Here’s what Frew had to say about our book:

“As someone who was a frequent attendee of Ethiopian Adoption Camp at Scotts Valley. California, in the mid 2000’s, I thought I knew enough about Ethiopian adoptive families and Ethiopian adoptees.

After reading Lions Roaring Far From Home, I realized how little I knew about the diverse experiences of the Ethiopian adoptees.

I consider this anthology by Ethiopian adoptees to be an enlightening, ambitious undertaking, a missing voice to the Ethiopian transnational adoption and to the Ethiopian diaspora experience in general.”

Thank you, Frew, for your kind words, for your leadership as president of the Ethiopian Diaspora Stories Project, and for your decades of work helping Ethiopian children via Ethiopia Reads.

In addition to getting the book to Ethiopian adoptees and the greater Ethiopian community, we also want to get Lions Roaring to other adoptees. Our writers were raised in six different countries: Ethiopian adoption is global. There are some unique differences for Ethiopian adoptees, and some overlap with the experiences of other adopted people.

Book cover with painting of Ethiopian woman standing proudly next to a roaring lion — Cover art by Nahosenay Negussie

We also want adoptive parents to read the book. For those folks who live in isolation from Ethiopian adoptees, the book is an opportunity to hear from 32 Ethiopian adoptee writers, with a variety of perspectives.

We have heard about adoptive parents reading the essays along with their children, then talking about them together. There are some great conversation-starters in the book.

We love to see the book being read by folks with no connection to Ethiopia or adoption: everyone can learn a lot from the amazing writers, who range in age from young children to adults in their 50’s and older.

In less than two weeks, we will be presenting at two Ethiopian heritage camps, one in Oregon and one in the Washington, DC, area. We are working on additional outreach in a variety of places and groups. Thank you for purchasing and reading the book, and for sharing info about the book.

Ethiopian Adoptee-Writer-Entrepreneur: “Lions Roaring Far From Home”

Posted on June 12, 2023 by

“…Reading these stories has helped me feel less alone and more connected to a community of people who share similar experiences…” ~Kiya Herron-Sabi Goura

“Lions Roaring Far from Home,” the first ever anthology of essays and poems by Ethiopian adoptees, has been available on Amazon since last December. It has received great reviews from amazing people such as Lemn Sissay OBE, Hewan Girma Ph.D., Yadesa Bojia, Nicole Chung, and Shannon Gibney.

Per the back cover:

Equally important are the reactions and reviews of the writers themselves as they have read the whole book. We recently heard from Kiya Herron-Sabi Goura; she is Kiya Herron in the book.

It’s comforting to know that there are others out there who understand what it’s like to be adopted and the unique challenges that come with it. Reading these stories has helped me feel less alone and more connected to a community of people who share similar experiences. I appreciate the honesty and vulnerability of the writers and the effort put into creating this book. It’s an important contribution to the adoption conversation and I hope it reaches many others who can benefit from it. Thank you again for giving adoptees a platform to share their stories and be heard.

That is an absolutely beautiful comment, Kiya—thank you so much.

We also want to note that Kiya has started a business: Gelane Hair Oil, specializing in Ethiopian hair oil and butter. You can learn more about it on Etsy, and also on Facebook. We love the fact that Kiya is an entrepreneur, and that she is connecting with the beauty of Ethiopian culture.

We are, of course, proud of all our writers, and there is a special joy in sharing their accomplishments outside of our book.

Ethiopian Adoptees in Addis Gather to Discuss “Lions Roaring Far From Home”

Posted on May 15, 2023 by

There is a remarkable community of international Ethiopian adoptees who have returned to Ethiopia. Some have married and are raising children there. Some have set up businesses. Some are living with or near their original Ethiopian family. They were raised the Netherlands, France, Germany, the United States, and elsewhere. Many adoptees visit, and that is important. These folks, though, have returned to their homeland and immersed themselves in Ethiopia.

Recently, a group of adoptees gathered in Addis to talk about “Lions Roaring Far from Home: An Anthology by Ethiopian Adoptees.” One of the writers, Heran Tadesse (who is also a poet, a yoga teacher, a forestry expert, and more), brought the group together at an organic juice and grocery cafe, Abeesinia Herbal, run by Ermias, a French adoptee.

All the photos and captions here are courtesy of Heran. Thank you.

At the gathering, the conversation was around “Lions Roaring,” as well as about each adoptee’s individual stories: how they grew up, where they lived, why they returned to Ethiopia.

One American adoptee, Mike Davis, was adopted at 8 years old by a U.S. Army officer. He grew up with his dad on American Army bases, ran several small businesses, and has a wife, children, and grandchildren in the US. Because of a shameful US immigration policy that deports adoptees who are unable to prove citizenship, Mike was deported to Ethiopia in 2005. He is now 60 years old, and hopes to return to his family in the United States. Mike is one of our writers in “Lions Roaring.” We are grateful to the Ethiopian adoptee community in Addis that has supported him, giving him respect and companionship, and we are working on ways to bring him back to the US.

We also love the fact he is wearing his “Lions Roaring” tee shirt, along with holding the book. That Ethiopian coffee cup is also beautiful.

“Lions Roaring Far From Home” includes essays and poems by adoptees raised in six countries (the US, Canada, France, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Australia), and ranging in age from 8 years old to over 50. They also have a range of perspectives on adoption. The writers and the co-editors have been working to promote the book, and especially to get it in the hands of Ethiopian adoptees. If you are an adoptee who cannot order the book from Amazon where you live, or if the cost is prohibitive for you, please email us at lionsroaringfarfromhome@gmail.com, and we will find a way to get the book to you. We invite everyone to follow us on our Facebook page and on the Lions Roaring website.

Thank you to Heran, Mike, and all the adoptees who took the time to talk about our book and to share their stories. Amaseganello.

“Lions Roaring” Anthology at Conference of Black German Research and History Association

Posted on February 22, 2023 by

Kassaye Berhanu-MacDonald and I will be speaking tomorrow about “Lions Roaring Far From Home: An Anthology By Ethiopian Adoptees,” at the free online conference of the Black German Research and History Association (BGHRA). Kassaye and I are two of three co-editors of “Lions Roaring;” Aselefech Evans is also an editor.

The “Lions Roaring” panel will take place at 4:45pm est tomorrow Thursday February 23. Please register here to get the Zoom link for the free online conference.

The themes of the BGHRA conference is “Art as Resistance,” and I encourage you to attend as many workshops and keynotes as you can. Kassaye and I are thrilled to have been asked to talk about the book, its origins, its intent, and its powerful stories.

Several of our writers, all Ethiopian adoptees, are also Europeans, raised and/or living in Sweden, France, and the Netherlands. There are, of course, many Ethiopian adoptees in Germany, Norway, Italy, Spain, the UK, and elsewhere in Europe.

Our writers also were raised and/or now live in the US, Australia, Canada, and Ethiopia.

We appreciate BGHRA inviting us to talk about the book, about the lived experiences of Ethiopian adoptees raised around the globe, and about how the anthology itself is an act of resistance.

And we look forward to a lively conversation tomorrow. Join us!

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