New Mainers Speak

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  New Mainers Speak 03/30/2014

  Kate Manahan

  Host Kate Manahan interviews Mohamed Mohamed, a USM senior double major in International Studies and Political Science. He was born in Somalia, and his family moved to Maine when he was a young child, becoming citizens when he was 10 years old. He discusses his hope that Mainers will understand the hardships and resiliency of immigrants; his admiration for his own parents, who left Somalia at the age of 20 with three young children; the day his family became US citizens. He also talks about being inspired by the song “Wavin’ Flag” by K’naan, which Mohamed chose to start the radio program.

  Mohamed’s family first moved to Portland, then to Biddeford. He describes his experience growing up in largely white Biddeford; how he was often seen as African-American rather than Somali; how he has had to serve as an “ambassador” for Somalia since childhood; combating negative generalizations about Somalia in American popular culture; and recent positive developments in Somalia, and his hopes for Somali unity. He also discusses his academic focuses at USM, and faculty members who have encouraged and inspired him, as well as his goals for after college.

  They also discuss Mohamed’s internship with the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP), including the services offered; number of people served; funding sources; impact on Maine’s immigrant community; and ILAP’s annual fundraiser at USM’s Abromson Center. Mohamed mentions the impact of immigrants on USM and Maine more broadly, as well as a summer experience at the UN in Geneva, where he learned about human rights work and spent time with African diplomats.

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  New Mainers Speak 04/06/2014

  Kate Manahan

  Host Kate Manahan interviews Victoria Chicon, who was born in Catacaos, Peru, and grew up in Lima, before immigrating to Maine in 1998. She is the host of the WMPG show Cruz del Sur, and creator of the community TV program Nosotros: We the People. They discuss what Peru was like in her childhood; her parents' relationship and family life, including her father’s immigration from Canton, China, and the corner store they ran together; and Peruvian history.

  Victoria moved to Maine in 1998 to care for her grandchildren. Her two sons moved to the US because their father was in Miami; one of them married a woman from Maine and they moved here when they had children. Her sons are a computer engineer and a photographer; her daughter is a lawyer in Peru. Victoria was a filmmaker and editor in Peru, and has made films with her sons.

  Victoria discusses moving to Maine and her goal of finding her own life, work, and community here. She used free papers at the supermarket to find her church and the community TV station; she took English classes at Portland Adult Education, as well as receiving a B.A. from the University of Southern Maine in 2010; she also discusses the vibrancy of Maine’s Latin community.

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  New Mainers Speak 03/02/2014

  Kate Manahan

  Host Kate Manahan interviews Elise, an asylee who came to Portland in August 2012 with her three children from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), to join her husband, who had moved here earlier. Elise describes the culture, politics, natural resources, educational system and geography of the DRC and Kinshasa; she also discusses corruption, instability, and the impacts of colonialism on the country. She received a degree in Business Management from Protestant University of Congo.

  When she arrived in Maine, her children were 8, 3, and 2; her eldest child began attending Portland Public Schools. Elise had studied English in school, but wanted to improve her speaking ability, so she took classes at Portland Adult Education. She also sometimes speaks French with her neighbors. Manahan asks her to speak some Lingala (11:11-11:52).

  They discuss the differences between Maine weather and the weather in the DRC; Elise’s extended family in Kinshasa; her husband’s transition from working as an infectious disease specialist in the DRC to studying ultrasonography in Maine; her advice for other New Mainers, particularly mothers of young children; her career goals of further improving her English and getting a Masters degree; and the New Mainers Resource Center, which helps immigrants with college degrees find work commensurate with their skill levels.

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  New Mainers Speak 03/09/2014

  Kate Manahan

  Kate Manahan interviews Ina Demers, who immigrated to Maine from Semarang, Middle Java, Indonesia. They discuss Indonesia’s geography, culture, languages, and Dutch and Japanese colonial history. They also touch on Ina’s experience growing up, attending high school and a teacher’s institute, and her experience as an Indonesian of Chinese descent post-independence from Japan. Ina gives a brief summary of the September Movement of 1965, in which General Suharto led a failed US-backed coup against Indonesian President Sukarno, who was friendly with the Chinese government. Following the coup, fears of communism led to discrimination and violence against Indonesians of Chinese descent.

  Ina came to the US in 1974, seeking gender equality and the freedom to speak her mind. She moved to Bath, ME, with her first husband; she describes her first memories of Maine, and her relationship with her mother-in-law, an English immigrant. She received her Bachelors, Masters, and teaching certification from the University of Southern Maine, and now works as an elementary-level educational technician in the Portland Public Schools teaching English Language Learners. Many of her students are immigrants and refugees, and Ina describes conversations with her students about the term “refugee,” and reads two poems from Refugee: the Ugliest Word by Aftaba Mezetovic.

  Ina offers community-building recommendations for New Mainers, including multicultural groups for both children and parents at the Center for Grieving Children, and the Portland Public Schools’ Rock Around the World fundraiser.

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  New Mainers Speak 03/16/2014

  Kate Manahan

  Kate Manahan interviews Patrick Kambu, who grew up in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC); he moved to Maine after completing a Masters degree in International Law in Warsaw, Poland. Patrick describes his childhood, friends, extended family, and education in DRC; his father was a teacher and his mother was a nurse in Kinshasa. At the time of the interview, he was completing a second Masters in Leadership at Southern New Hampshire University.

  At age 19, he received a scholarship to study in Poland. He discusses how he wanted to become a good leader from the time he was a child, what qualities a good leader possesses, and how he hopes to use his International Law degree to promote equality and advocate for social justice. He did an intensive leadership training with ICL in Portland.

  Patrick is the president of the Congolese Community of Maine (CCM), whose mission is to facilitate integration of Congolese people in Maine, as well as promoting Congolese culture and unity, and encouraging entrepreneurship. He describes the recent CCM International Women’s Day fundraiser, which included speakers, a concert, African food, and an African fashion show. He also discusses his experiences upon his arrival in Maine, including his WMPG show; his connections with friends from different African communities; a racist incident where he was attacked by skinheads in Portland; the differences between Maine and Congolese cultures; and his wife and children.

  Manahan closes the show by promoting the Rock Around the World fundraiser for Multilingual Summer Programs, as well as a USM lecture on the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

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  New Mainers Speak 03/23/2014

  Kate Manahan

  Host Kate Manahan interviews Mia Ntahobari, who moved to Maine from Burundi as an asylum seeker in August 2010. Mia discusses the languages spoken in Burundi, as well as her childhood growing up in the city of Bujumbura, her first memories of Maine, and differences between the cultures of Maine and Burundi. She chose to come to the US due to political and ethnic conflicts and lack of safety in Burundi. She gives some background about Burundi’s culture, government, and geography.

  Mia also describes her education and career in Burundi. She studied social and clinical psychology, and became the equivalent of a social worker. She worked in nonprofits and with the Burundi Red Cross, helping vulnerable people; she also worked as a private consultant providing counseling and support for rape victims. In Maine, she took a CNA course and also received a Community Health Outreach Worker certification; in the latter role, she serves as a culture broker between Portland’s immigrant community and healthcare providers, including advocating, translating, and assisting with Affordable Care Act enrollment. Mia says that her goal is to transfer her Burundian coursework here and get her US social work certification.

  Mia was the first of her family to leave Burundi; her husband followed her, and their four children (they have since had a fifth child) joined them once they had settled in Maine. Mia discusses loneliness and homesickness as an asylum seeker in a new country, and how giving her time and skills to her new community helped. They also discuss parenting in Burundi versus parenting in Maine, Mia’s hopes for her children as they grow up in America, and organizations and individuals who have helped her in Maine.

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  New Mainers Speak 03/29/2014

  Kate Manahan

  Special WMPG Women’s History Month day of programming. Host Kate Manahan sits down with the officers of the University of Southern Maine Muslim Students Association: Hawo Mohamed, Hani Ali, Salma Hassan, Hawa Shur. All four were born shortly before or after their families moved to Portland from Somalia or Afghanistan, and all were educated in the Portland Public Schools.

  They discuss the differences between the terms “girl” and “woman,” including discussions they had about the topic with their mothers and grandmothers; comparisons of their experiences growing up in Portland and their relatives growing up in Somalia or Afghanistan; their experiences as women of color in Portland; cultural differences between the US and Somalia/Afghanistan; and discussions they’ve had on the topic in their USM classes.

  They also discuss the 2014 USM budget cuts and their impact on women at USM, including the impacts of faculty layoffs on representation for women and women of color; cutting programs; ideas for student input; and students’ demonstrations in response to the cuts.

  Song plays from 22:14-24:54.

  The group then discusses their experiences of being Muslim at USM, and the impact of the Muslim Students’ Association, including the Eid reception for the end of Ramadan; their experiences reviving the group; bake sales and other fundraisers; making themselves available for conversations and questions about Islam with the wider USM community; and USM’s Muslim student population.

  Finally, they discuss the impact of Islam on their lives. Topics covered include Islam as a way of life; Islam as a bridge their American and Somali/Afghan identities; ritual of praying five times a day (including as a USM student); similarities between prayer and yoga/meditation; US misconceptions about Islam; Muslims from around the world. They agree that the most important thing listeners should know about Islam is that Muslim women are not oppressed, and that Islam encourages women’s rights and equality. They also discuss their mosques in Portland, and the culture surrounding mosque attendance, including different classes, resources, and events available through their mosques.

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  New Mainers Speak 04/13/2014

  Kate Manahan

  Host Kate Manahan interviews Abdi Yousaf, a senior at Deering High School in Portland. Abdi was born in Dubai after his parents left Somalia; the family then moved to Pakistan, then to Maine when Abdi was 4. At the time of this interview, Abdi’s father, a businessman and taxi driver had retired and moved back to Somalia the previous year; Abdi’s mother, a housekeeper and babysitter, stayed in Maine with Abdi and some of his siblings. They discuss the values his parents have imparted to him and his relationships with his siblings. He and his brothers would often translate from English to Somali for their parents in school and with service people; his mother reciprocates by helping him speak Somali with his relatives.

  They also discuss education: Abdi’s family values education highly, and have encouraged him to work hard and get good grades in school. He describes his experience at Deering High; his favorite subjects; learning in general; being black and Muslim in the Portland Public Schools; the growing diversity in the Portland Public School system.

  In the summer of 2013, Abdi took his first trip to Somalia with his family, where they visited relatives in Mogadishu. He discusses culture shock; his increased understanding of his parents’ values and point of view; Somalia’s recent population growth; similarities and differences between himself and his Somali cousins; the beach; and signs of the civil war in Mogadishu.

  Abdi’s plans after graduating high school include going to college and pharmacy school to become a pharmacist. He hopes to help his mother retire and follow in his father’s footsteps.

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  New Mainers Speak 04/20/2014

  Kate Manahan

  Host Kate Manahan interviews Reza Jalali, Coordinator of Multicultural Student Affairs at the University of Southern Maine, as well as a teacher, writer, Muslim scholar, and community organizer. He is originally from Iran, and at the time of this interview had lived in Maine for over 20 years. They discuss his childhood in 1960s-era Iran, including the access he had to American movies and TV; his experience growing up in an ethnic minority Kurdish family; his involvement in anti-government politics; his college education in India; and the 1979 Revolution, which prevented him from returning to Iran. Reza also describes his memories of arriving in Maine for the first time; his impressions of the state then and now; and how he came to choose Maine as his destination within the US.

  When Reza arrived, he had two degrees from well-regarded, English-language universities in India, but he wasn’t able to find a job; he was told that his transcripts weren’t recognized by American universities and that he would have to start over. He discusses how this continues to be an issue for immigrants and refugees who come to the US with advanced degrees. He went on to receive a graduate degree in creative writing in the US.

  They discuss two of Reza’s books: Homesick Mosque, a book of short stories, and Moon Watchers, a children’s book about Ramadan. Reza then reads a selection from Homesick Mosque, from a story about a Pakistani couple in New England after September 11 from 14:30-22:26. Reza then talks about anti-immigrant sentiment in the US, and the nation’s immigrant past and present; he also talks about his favorite writers, including Rumi, Salman Rushdie, and Jhumpa Lahiri.

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  New Mainers Speak 04/27/2014

  Kate Manahan

  Host Kate Manahan interviews German Veliz, who was born in Cuba, then moved to Miami in 1994, and moved to Portland six years prior to the interview. They discuss his experience learning English in Maine at Portland Adult Education after speaking Spanish in Miami; his choice to move to Maine, which he describes as feeling like “real America”; missing his family, who remain in Cuba. They also talk about his education in Cuba; the impact of communism on the country; his career in Cuba as an electrician and welder; and the diversity, multiculturalism, and culture of welcome and hospitality that is present in Cuba.

  Since his arrival in Maine, he has worked at Barber Foods, as a dishwasher, and in sanitation. They discuss the difficulties many immigrants have in transferring skills and certifications from their country of origin, and organizations in Portland that can provide assistance. German advises new Mainers to go to school as a good way to understand American culture, and to build community; he also talks about his commitment to building a multicultural, unified community in Maine.

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  New Mainers Speak 05/04/2014

  Kate Manahan

  Kate Manahan interviews Annella Linton, who grew up in Portrush, Northern Ireland, and lived in Belfast and London before moving to Portland a year and a half prior to the interview. Annella trained as a DJ at WMPG, and has hosted shows there. They discuss her childhood growing up in Northern Ireland during the conflict between Protestants and Catholics during the Troubles; Northern Irish identity; American support for the IRA. She grew up with two brothers and two sisters; her mother’s family is Protestant and ran the tourist area at the Giant’s Causeway, and her father is Quaker, and grew up in a Quaker community. She describes seeing armed soldiers near her grandmother’s house as a child; having many Catholic friends despite being raised Protestant; and her experience having an anti-Catholic group break into her apartment after they realized she was spending time with a Catholic friend. She wanted to leave Northern Ireland after realizing she was gay at age 14. She knew she wanted to come to the US after spending a summer working at Camp America in Illinois.

  They discuss her work covering the American sales region for her company, Primal Pictures; how she went about getting a visa through her workplace; and how it felt to go through immigration upon entering the US. They compare and contrast the American healthcare system with the UK’s National Health Service.

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  New Mainers Speak 05/11/2014

  Kate Manahan

  Host Kate Manahan interviews John Abore, who was born in what is now South Sudan, and who has lived in Portland since 2004. They discuss South Sudan; its history with colonialism; its independence from Sudan in 2011; the religious and cultural differences between the Muslim north and the Christian south; as well as his own childhood and education there. He is a member of the Acholi minority group. His family left South Sudan when he was a child because of the war there; he was raised in a Ugandan refugee camp and finished high school there before moving to the United States with his relatives.

  He finished his bachelor’s degree in the US, and at the time of this interview was studying for a Masters in Public Health, with hopes of continuing on in a Public Health PhD program, and returning to South Sudan to help build better public health infrastructure. He describes a trip he took to Juba, South Sudan, and what the hospitals look like there.

  He also discusses his work as a translator and cultural broker for Portland’s Acholi community through the Multilingual & Multicultural Center in the Portland Public Schools. He helps the families to navigate the American school system.

  Note of clarification: John intended to say Sudan was run by Egyptian Administration under British rule, not Ethiopian rule.