Archived Shows

176 Burcin Kirik

4/22/2018

Burcin's theme in life is "take a risk" and "rise up." She learned this from her family who opened a restaurant in Istanbul, Turkey when she was a girl. Her father, mother and brother ran the restaurant while she looked after her younger brother, even directly following the earthquake of 1999. They served many wonderful things like the dishes pictured below. These are foods she loves that make her feel proud of her family and connected to her home.
Burcin came to Maine in 2017 with her husband Burhan to study at Southern Maine Community College. She takes education and art classes there while living in Old Orchard Beach. Her artwork is currently hanging at UMVA gallery as part of the Migration Experience show. FMI: Click here.

Music: Athena sings "Everything Is Going To Be Alright" or "Her Sey Guzel Olacak."

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175 Max Saale

4/15/2018

Max grew up in the Southern Highlands region of Mendi, Papua New Guinea and attended high school in the capital city of Port Moresby. He came to the US in 2013 and arrived in Maine in 2015. Max is working toward a degree in Electrical Engineering through full time classes at SMCC. His hope is to take his electrification skills back to share with the people of his hometown.
He gives his recipe for MuMu and speaks warmly of his countrymen. PNG has over 820 indigenous languages and great cultural diversity as well as rich natural resources in numerous ecosystems. Max is careful to speak for himself because it is particularly difficult to speak for all in such a diverse country.

Music: John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" This song was translated to Pigeon and was popular in PNG when Max was a boy. He is reminded of his sister when he hears this song.

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174 Mo Kilani

4/8/2018

Mohamed Kilani was born to Iraqi parents in Amman, Jordan where he lived until his family got resettled in the US. He arrived in Portland, Maine as a nine year old in 2009.
Mo adapted to his new world quickly. He watched Ellen on TV until he mastered the American accent. Everyday he uses his hard-won work ethic to succeed at everything he does. He is profoundly grateful to his family for their shared insight into how to appreciate humanity, work hard and love one another well, regardless of how hard that can be to do at times.
Presently, Mo is a freshman at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine and when he earns his bachelor's degree he plans to stay in Maine to contribute to the community in substantial ways, understanding life from many different perspectives.

Music: "Dust it Off" by the DO

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173 Kifah Abdulla

3/25/2018

Kifah Abdulla, local poet, artist and organizer returns to NMS (NMS141) to promote the upcoming art show called Migration Experience - Reflections of Maine Immigrant Artists which will run from April 2-27 at UMVA Gallery (516 Congress St, Portland). Kifah co-curated the show with John Ripton and Titi De Baccarat. They are excited to offer the public opening on First Friday--April 6th, 2018 from 5-8 PM. The event will include an opportunity to visit with artists from around the globe (China, Gabon, Czech Republic, Iraq, Jordan, Somalia, South Sudan, etc.) as well as hear music and poetry performed live at the opening. Free and open to the public.

Music: Madonna sings Rumi's poem, "Bittersweet."

Additionally, this was a Begathon weekend and if you would be able to contribute to WMPG please click here to keep community radio alive in Maine. Thank you so much for your on-going support of NMS.

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172 Anna Mikuskova

3/18/2018

Anna Mikuskova is from the Czech Republic and came to live in Maine in 2005. She tells about her childhood impressions of communist life and how it impacted her family.
Today Anna is a fine art photographer (www.mikuphoto.com)
and will be showing her silver gelatin landscape prints in two concurrent upcoming shows:
"Reflections on Silver" Paul Caponigro and Anna Mikušková," at the Frank Brockman Gallery, Brunswick, Maine. March 31 - April 21, 2018.
and
"Migration Experience" at UMVA Gallery on Congress St, Portland. April 2-27, with opening on April 6, 2018 between 5-8 PM).

Anna's images below:
Left- "By The River",
Right - "Boothbay Harbor"

Music: "Promeny" by Czech band Cechomor

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171 Brenda Viola

3/11/2018

Brenda was born in South Sudan. As a toddler she, her mother, and sister fled the civil war and spent nine years in Kakuma, a UNHCR refugee camp in Kenya. They were re-settled to the US in 2012 and re-located to Maine in 2013, when she was in seventh grade.
After learning English Brenda had a lot she wanted to say and do. She has sung and advocated and spoken in many different venues since then. Recently, she has been recognized locally as a leader and social organizer. (FMI: See Portland Press Herald article. See Hardy Girls Healthy Women site). Brenda works with Cultivating Community and volunteers in many capacities in the community when she is not wrapping up her high school classes and planning for college in the fall.

Music: "Do Like That" by Korede Bello

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170 Jawad Alfatlawi

3/4/2018

Jawad is a musician from Baghdad, Iraq. He makes and plays the oud. After moving to Maine in Feb 2016, he found his way to Bourgeois Music where he makes guitars. He brings a world of musical experience with him as performer, teacher and music philosopher.
As an undergraduate Jawad studied music at Baghdad University and then earned his masters degree in Music Philosophy.
In the past two years Jawad has performed at more than 25 house parties and has played on a number of stages in the area including USM, MECA, and Mayo Street Arts. His music business is called Golden Eye Oud. (Contact info: GoldenEyeOud@gmail.com). Like a free bird, Jawad wants his improvisational music to represent his freedom, an open mind, and the connection between all people, East and West.

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169 Apollinaire Munyaneza

2/11/2018

Raised in rural Ruhengeri, Rwanda, Apollinaire was a member of a large extended Catholic family. His parents valued hard work, integrity, education, and kindness for all of their children. Likewise, they were respected in the community for the same qualities.
In April of 1994, just before graduation from high school, the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda swept through the country and left Apollinaire alone. He speaks of the kinds of social injustices which set the stage for genocide.
Apollinaire moved forward toward his educational goals and studied Chemistry at the national university. He then got his Ph.D in South Africa and did research and lecturing on Green Chemistry in Botswana before coming to Maine in the summer of 2017.
Apollinaire, his wife and children all live here now and he dreams of returning to his professional career as a chemistry professor.
Music: Cecile Kayirebwa sings "Rwanda"

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168 Monique Butoto

2/4/2018

Monique came to the United States to study and arrived in Maine in 2016. This spring she will be graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering from USM, the only woman in her class.
Growing up in the Great Lakes Region of Africa (DRC, Burundi and Rwanda), Monique always loved writing and yet she also felt the need to be assured that she would be financially independent, something she sees as essential for women's empowerment. She has found a way to pursue both and shares two of her poems on this program: "Asking For A Friend" and "Fifteen."
For more of her poetry and thoughts visit her blog.

Music: Andrea Day sings "Rise Up"

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167 Jimmy Manyuru

1/28/2018

The eldest of eight children, Jimmy and his siblings played soccer down in the valley where they lived in Magadi, Kenya during his childhood. He attended high school in Nairobi, played rugby, and wished to study liberal arts, which led him to the US. In 2003 Jimmy came to attend Middlebury College in Vermont. His academic freedom led him to the field of Education. In 2016 he and his wife (also an educator) moved to Maine to work at Waynflete as the Associate Director of Student Life.
Jimmy Manyuru strives to create a welcoming culture that honors diversity within the school and the greater community. To learn more about the upcoming diversity summit Waynflete is hosting in April click here.

Music: Beres Hammond sings "I Feel Good."