Roots Renewed is a new podcast, hosted by Tami Garcia, that talks about reconnecting to heritage, especially for folks who are part of a diaspora or have otherwise lost their connection to their original culture, language, roots.
Tami’s latest guest was Aselefech Evans, MSW, LSWAIC; co-editor of Lions Roaring Far From Home; international, transracial adoptee; and part of the Ethiopian diaspora. Adopted at six years old along with her twin sister, she was raised in Prince George’s County, Maryland, and now lives in Seattle.
In this episode of Roots Renewed, Aselefech talks with Tami about losing her Ethiopian culture as a result of being adopted, and how she has reclaimed that culture, along with her Oromo heritage. She’s dealt with an eating disorder, raised a daughter who’s now in college, and reconnected with her Ethiopian family in Ethiopia and in the U.S. She discusses the challenges of reunion, and how different cultures intersect, not always easily, especially without a common language. She mentions the joys of Ethiopian food, and ways to reconnect with one’s original culture even when it seems daunting to do so.
And she talks about the groundbreaking book Lions Roaring Far From Home: An Anthology by Ethiopian Adoptees. Lemn Sissay (OBE, British-Ethiopian adoptee, award-winning poet and playwright) and Nicole Chung (editor, author, U.S.-born Korean adoptee, award-winning memoirist) are among those who praised the book.
All revenue from the sales of Lions Roaring goes to Ethiopian adoptees, for travel back to Ethiopia, or for school costs, or for rent, or for many other reasons.
It’s a great interview, well worth watching.
Full disclosure: Aselefech is my daughter, as well as my co-editor, along with Kassaye Berhanu- MacDonald, of Lions Roaring. Aselefech mentions in the podcast that there will soon be a fundraiser to translate the book into Afaan Oromo, Amharic, and Tigrinya, as well as an audio version of the book.
You can watch the podcast on YouTube, and you can listen to it on Spotify and elsewhere. Enjoy.