Stories of Health and Community
June 22 2-10pm

Using theatre, film and storytelling devices the day seeks to connect community members, health care providers, and artists to make impactful connections and better understandings of healthcare and its barriers.

Feature Keynote Speakers include Zaynab Abdi of Green Card Voices and Osman Ali of Somali Museum.

The day will include storytelling workshops, learning around community health needs, and will feature trained storytellers.  Additional activities will include music, traditional dance, face painting, kids activities, food and tea!

2pm – Storytelling Training Workshop

2pm – Provider Workshop

Mixed Blood’s Project 154 seeks to empower the residents of Cedar Riverside to be advocates for their health and create a dialogue about community health as a means for overcoming stigmas and obstacles with healthcare.  In this session, Mixed Blood will:

• Discuss healthcare themes that emerged from Cedar Riverside resident story circles over the last year
• Share personal stories from the residents related to these themes
• Facilitate dialogue with providers around their personal experiences working with residents

3pm – Story Stitch with Green Card Voices

Telling Stories. Opening Minds. Becoming Neighbors.  Everyone has a story to share. This program is designed as a way to facilitate the exchange of stories between immigrants and refugees, and their new neighbors.

4pm-  Keynote Zaynab Abdi

5:30- Osman Ali

The Somali Museum of Minnesota is the only museum in North America devoted to preserving Somali traditional art and culture.  The Museum targets Somali-American youth who have grown up without connection to their culture, and non-Somali Minnesotans encountering Somali culture for the first time. The presentation will be about traditional Somali art, the history nomadic culture and the different styles, and the role of traditional arts in the diaspora context.

7pm – Break for meal and prayer

8:30pm – Mixed Blood storyteller performance and comedic performance.

The evening will end with stories told by individuals who Mixed Blood has worked with to train as new storytellers.  They will share their personal stories related to health and community.

The final performance will be a comedic show by Mohamoud Wiilwaal, Sahro Dhule and Abdihakin Br in Somali.

Zaynab Abdi

Zaynab Abdi, currently a student at St. Catherine University, is an inspirational speaker on topics of diversity and inclusion, youth empowerment, immigration, education, and women in sports. Her thoughts on leadership have appeared in leading media outlets such as Eyewitness News, Radio KMOJ, and KFAI. Her personal story was featured in the book “Green Card Youth Voices: Immigration Stories from a Minneapolis High School” published in May, 2016, of which she is a co-author.

One of Zaynab’s many passions in life is to help build more inclusive communities for all.  She is actively working towards this goal by speaking across Minnesota, and the U.S.

Osman Ali

Osman Ali is a lifelong student of Somali traditional society and culture and has been a collector of traditional art for over 20 years. Mr. Ali founded the Somali Museum of Minnesota, and owns most of the artifacts in the Museum’s permanent collection. Born in Somalia and raised in Yemen, Mr. Ali developed a career working for the United Arab Emirates for 20 years in the government as geophysics technician for 8 years as well as spending 12 years as a Senior well technician and sight supervisor in the hydrology department. In Minnesota, Osman Ali is recognized as an entrepreneur and community leader who has built a succession of innovative businesses, including the community’s first Somali food delivery service, first Somali driving school, and the Somali Museum of Minnesota. Awards and recognition include the Lake Street Council’s Community Impact Award, Ka Joog Somali Community Hero Award, Somali Hero Awards Lifetime Achievement Award, and most recently the International Somali Awards’ Innovation Award. Mr. Ali serves on the Board of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Metropolitan Regional Arts Council. He is currently working on two books, a comprehensive guide to Somali traditional artifacts and a children’s picture book that highlights and revives dying Somali vocabulary.

Mohamoud Wiilwaal, Sahro Dhule, and Abdihakin Br

The final performance will be a comedic show by Mohamoud Wiilwaal, Sahro Dhule and Abdihakin Br in Somali.