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| Spotlight on the Somali Community Festival
In November 2006, the Somali Women's Project held its first public event, the Somali Community Festival, at the Panache Banquet Hall in Springfield, MA. The event was a wonderful success, with a delicious array of home-cooked Somali foods, hand-made crafts sold by women and children participating in the project, and live music and dancing by the Vermont-based Somali Bantu Band and Somali Women's Project performers!
The Somali Women's Project is an arts-based economic development initiative that values culture and performance as assets, and reflects New WORLD Theater's commitment to supporting artists and communities of color in our region.
Visit our website for more information and updates on the project, including participating artists, organizational partners, funders, and how to get involved! |
Photo by Mary Averill |
Contact Irene Shaikly
413-545-9591 or soullafusion@yahoo.com
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VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!!!
FOR THE SOMALI WOMEN'S PROJECT
The Somali Women's Project: Over the past five years, more than 100 Somali refugee families have been resettled in the city of Springfield and the surrounding areas. Median household income in Springfield is barely half the state average, and unemployment is 25% higher than the rest of Western Massachusetts. Women are particularly limited in mobility, educational access and professional choices.
Through a community-based arts process, The Somali Women's Project creates new approaches to self-directed economic development. The Somali women meet weekly for English-language training, craftwork exchange among the women and local artisans, career-development workshops, and community-based performance workshops. Performanceworkshops are led by three professional artists of color: playwright/ performance artist Robbie McCauley, dancer/choreographer Wanjiru Kamuyu , and artist/musician Terry Jenoure.
Photo by Mary Averill |
This multi-year, collective process rooted in storytelling, oral history, visual and craft-based arts, song and movement will lead to the creation of a collaborative, multidisciplinary theater production presented by New WORLD Theater. Performances will be exciting cultural, aesthetic, educational and promotional events, raising awareness in the region and providing publicity and direct-sales opportunities for women's micro-businesses. Award-winning filmmaker Julie Akeret will chronicle the project activities and create a new documentary on the Somali refugee story.
Supported in part by the John & Abigail Adams Arts Program of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and the Women's Fund of Western Massachusetts, The Somali Women's Project is a collaboration among several local partner organizations: New WORLD Theater , the Fund for Women Artists , the International Language Institute , the Center for Popular Economics , the Massachusetts Career Development Institute . Weekly meetings are hosted by Springfield's Community Music School .
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