Blog Posts

210 Jumana Alhanfy

7/21/2019

Jumana and her family came to Maine in January of 2017. Since that time she worked while she took adult education classes and also completed an Associate's Degree. She has begun doing research at University of New England where she will matriculate this fall. Jumana recommends this path to others getting started in Maine because she felt she got excellent support at Southern Maine Community College and is now off to pursue her dream of being a dentist.

Jumana has enjoyed an easy transition to the US thanks to her excellent English skills, supportive family, joy of learning and many welcoming Mainers along the way.

Music: The song that reminds Jumana of her early days in Maine: Ed Sheeran "Shape of You."

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209 Layla Kargar

7/14/2019

Layla and her family came to Portland, ME as refugees in 1989. Her family was originally from Herat, Afghanistan.
Layla is a business woman who owns and runs a payment company called Portland Payments which sells the credit card equipment to merchants. She speaks about how to be savvy as a cosumer.
In spring of 2018 she and her editorial team launched the inaugural issue of the magazine called Incomer. Incomer is a quarterly print and digital magazine that strives to shine a light on the good works of local immigrants.

Additionally, Layla is presently running for Portland City Council from the third district.

Music: "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield.

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208 Maurice Habimfura

6/16/2019

Maurice and his wife came to Portland, ME from Rwanda in 2014.
He is a dancer, choreographer, drummer and master of Rwandan dance. Maurice started to dance in 1995 and in 2006 he joined a group of dance at University called the Indangamuco Cultural Ballet. Once here in Maine they joined Ikirenga cy'Intore and perform traditional Rwandan dances called Imihamirizo around the state and beyond. For links to upcoming shows click here for June and August 2 and Aug 24.
Maurice is all about conserving his traditional cultural heritage. Additionally, he is a CNA, nursing student at UNE, father of two young children, and brand new US citizen.
Music: "Ikiribazayire" performed by Uwizihiwe Charles

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207 Ken Niyonkuru

6/2/2019

Ken came to Portland from Burundi in late December 2016 as a sophomore in high school. He learned English very quickly and took rigorous courses at Deering High School where he distinguished himself academically.
With the help of his school's program called Make It Happen! Ken was able to find his way through the maze of college applications and will attend Connecticut College in the fall.
Beyond his school work, his job as a cashier at a local grocery store, and volunteering at the homeless shelter, Ken also was accepted into the selective year-long program at The Telling Room. The Young Writers and Leaders Program fosters written and spoken expression. Through this experience Ken learned to speak publicly, share his creative works openly and he became published, all before graduating from high school.

Music: Canco Hamisi sings "Ewe Burundi"

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206 Christielle Mutoniwase

5/26/2019

Ikirenga cy'Intore is a local Portland dancing and drumming group performing the traditional dances of Rwanda. The choreography depicts scenes of hunting, fishing and other activities while wearing traditional costumes and moving to the rhythms being created on handmade drums. Christielle Mutoniwase started the group in 2015 to perform at cultural events and weddings in the area. There are now ten members who invite others to sample the ancient dances at many different venues.
You can see them perform in Maine or by viewing their facebook page or their website.

Music: "Ganyobwe" by King James

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205 Papy Bongibo

5/5/2019

Papy Bongibo came to Maine in 2010 and is now the President of the Congolese Community of Maine. The Congolese population in the state numbers about 2,000 strong. The organization works to solve common barriers many immigrants experience: housing, education, workforce and childcare. Presently, CoCoMaine is conducting a survey about the child care needs throughout the community so that they can develop an affordable and accessible parenting cooperative. You can learn more about their organizing efforts on their facebook page: cocomaine.
Papy is not only the leader of CoCoMaine but he is also the founder of New England African Arts, Entertainment and Community Association which brings big name artists overseas to create a vibrant arts community to Maine venues.

Music: Fally Ipupa sings "Maria PM"

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204 African Dundada

4/21/2019

African Dundada performs all over the Portland area. His mission is to communicate with as many people as possible, thus he creates music in a wide variety of styles. In this interview he demonstrates some freestyle rapping and showcases a more reggae style song he just wrote, at the end of the show.
"Sounds of the City" is a platform he is invested in which helps others to showcase their talents. More than most, African Dundada has an eye on what is best for the community and looks to make that happen.
To hear more about African Dundada's background you can listen to his first interview (click here NMS 152).

Music: African Dundada sings "We All The Same."

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203 Zoe Salhoul

4/7/2019

Zoe and her husband Walid brought their young family to Maine in 1997 both with degrees in Information Technology. To hear the 2017 interview about her life in Lebanon click here. Seeing the need in the immigrant community Zoe formed New England Arab American Organization in 2014. NEAAO's mission is to ease the integration of Arab immigrants into American society and bridge the gap between cultures. NEAAO offers new and established arrivals, older and younger women of different educational and socio-economic levels access to information, support, education, workforce developement and connections in their new realities in Maine.
Beyond the 60-70 hours a week Zoe invests in this community organization she also serves on a board to prevent sexual assault and hosts a monthly radio program at WMPG called Tarabz.

Music: Enrico Machias sings "J'ai quitte mon pays."

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202 Stela Markova-Kanin

3/24/2019

Stela comes from the rose oil region of Strelcha, Bulgaria. She attended high school in Plovdiv, a city she highly recommends visiting.
It has the distinction of being the European Capital of Culture for 2019.
Only having been in Maine since May 2017, Stela has already found her way to meaningful work as an accounting assistant, is taking courses for an accounting certification, tutors students at USM, and helps the workforce development endeavors at SMCC.

FMI: Global Connections video interview with Julia Trujillo Luengo and Stela Markova-Kanin.

Music: Stefka Sabotinova sings "Prituri se Planinata"

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201 Mariella Uwimana

3/10/2019

Mariella grew up in Butare, Rwanda as the youngest of 9 children in a loving and supportive family. 25 years ago her world turned upside down because of the genocide. She speaks here about how she coped with her losses as a young woman. Mariella has lived, worked, and studied in Rwanda, Uganda, Belgium, Denmark, and England prior to arriving in Maine last August 2018. She is uniquely qualified to be an advisor to those undergoing transformations, having re-invented her life multiple times. Currently, Mariella is the Program Coordinator of Immigrant Business Hub program at the Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center. They offer new entrepreneurs access to support through mentorship, networking, advice, and finding capital.
She is also a new member of the Greater Portland Health board of directors and the mother of three sons.

Music: Aline Gahongayire sings "Ndanyuzwe" (I am grateful).

nms_201_mariella_uwimana_rwanda_march_10_2019.mp3
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Forward>>

210 Jumana Alhanfy

209 Layla Kargar

208 Maurice Habimfura

207 Ken Niyonkuru

206 Christielle Mutoniwase

205 Papy Bongibo

204 African Dundada

203 Zoe Salhoul

202 Stela Markova-Kanin

201 Mariella Uwimana

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