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Audience members listen Tuesday night at the library.
When the Somalian people want to express deep emotion, they turn to poetry.
In fact, poetry is so deeply woven into Somalian life that it is used to comment on everything from romance to politics, a specialist on Somalian culture said.
'It seems as if there is a subject worth discussing in Somalia, it should be put into a poem,' said John W. Johnson, an associate professor of folklore at Indiana University. 'If Americans were Somalis, the president's press secretary would be a poet.' Johnson was one of several experts on Somalian life featured in the video 'Your Guide to Somali Culture,' which was shown Tuesday evening at Dodge City Public Library. The video was paired with a documentary on the culture in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.
The videos were the centerpiece of a presentation hosted by the Cultural Awareness Committee, a group of citizens dedicated to addressing cultural issues in Dodge City.
Mohamed Abdurahman, a regional refugee coordinator for the state of Kansas, told the audience that Dodge City's beefpacking plants are attracting more Somalians in search of jobs. He said that about 150 Somalis currently call Dodge City home, but it's difficult to be more precise because they are extremely mobile.
'They could be this month working in Dodge City, Kansas, and the next month in Greeley, Colorado, and the next month in Illinois,' he said.
Abdurahman said there are very few Somali children in Dodge City because their parents don't like moving them from town to town.
He said as far as he knows, Dodge City has only two people who hail from Myanmar, but the number of people from that country is growing.
'Unlike the Somalis, wherever they go, they take their families,' he said.
Abdurahman added that approximately 180 people from Myanmar are currently living in Garden City.
Both videos Tuesday gave viewers an overview of the Somalian and Myanmar cultures, their customs and politics. The Somalian video took a factual approach to the subject, while the Myanmar documentary mixed a recitation of key facts about the country with the narrator's commentary on social and cultural issues. The narrator, who was not identified during the film, said that Myanmar officials must overcome their distrust of foreigners and embrace modern industries, such as tourism, if they wish to create a more productive society.
'My sincere hope is that the ancient charm and desire seen in this boy's face will find a place in 21st-century globalization,' she said over footage of a Myanmar boy.
Reach Eric Swanson at (620) 408 9917 or e-mail him at eric.swanson@dodgeglobe.com.
Audience members listen Tuesday night at the library.
When the Somalian people want to express deep emotion, they turn to poetry.
In fact, poetry is so deeply woven into Somalian life that it is used to comment on everything from romance to politics, a specialist on Somalian culture said.
'It seems as if there is a subject worth discussing in Somalia, it should be put into a poem,' said John W. Johnson, an associate professor of folklore at Indiana University. 'If Americans were Somalis, the president's press secretary would be a poet.' Johnson was one of several experts on Somalian life featured in the video 'Your Guide to Somali Culture,' which was shown Tuesday evening at Dodge City Public Library. The video was paired with a documentary on the culture in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.
The videos were the centerpiece of a presentation hosted by the Cultural Awareness Committee, a group of citizens dedicated to addressing cultural issues in Dodge City.
Mohamed Abdurahman, a regional refugee coordinator for the state of Kansas, told the audience that Dodge City's beefpacking plants are attracting more Somalians in search of jobs. He said that about 150 Somalis currently call Dodge City home, but it's difficult to be more precise because they are extremely mobile.
'They could be this month working in Dodge City, Kansas, and the next month in Greeley, Colorado, and the next month in Illinois,' he said.
Abdurahman said there are very few Somali children in Dodge City because their parents don't like moving them from town to town.
He said as far as he knows, Dodge City has only two people who hail from Myanmar, but the number of people from that country is growing.
'Unlike the Somalis, wherever they go, they take their families,' he said.
Abdurahman added that approximately 180 people from Myanmar are currently living in Garden City.
Both videos Tuesday gave viewers an overview of the Somalian and Myanmar cultures, their customs and politics. The Somalian video took a factual approach to the subject, while the Myanmar documentary mixed a recitation of key facts about the country with the narrator's commentary on social and cultural issues. The narrator, who was not identified during the film, said that Myanmar officials must overcome their distrust of foreigners and embrace modern industries, such as tourism, if they wish to create a more productive society.
'My sincere hope is that the ancient charm and desire seen in this boy's face will find a place in 21st-century globalization,' she said over footage of a Myanmar boy.
Reach Eric Swanson at (620) 408 9917 or e-mail him at eric.swanson@dodgeglobe.com.
