Shivani Joshi sings traditional Ghazals and Qawwalis from South Asia. Photo by Karen Weliky.

‘I Lived to Tell the World’

The Immigrant Story and Oregon State University partner to tell the story of genocide survivors Feb. 1

Whats-Happening by Emma J NelsonPosted on

The indomitable human spirit is no lie. The Immigrant Story is an Oregon-based nonprofit that tells the stories of immigrants and refugees who have come to the United States despite the odds stacked against them. I Lived to Tell the World — by author Elizabeth Mehren and co-published by the Oregon State University Press and The Immigrant Story — tells the stories of 13 individuals who survived atrocity and now live their lives in Oregon. Inspired by the book, OSU’s Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Creative Arts (PRAx) is hosting a multimedia exhibit of the same name. The I Lived to Tell the World exhibit, which opened Jan. 27 and is available through March 1, showcases images by Portland photographer Jim Lommasson of the items refugees took with them when fleeing their home, as well as the drawings, poems and letters they wrote on their journey. The exhibit also features three short documentaries that draw you away from the blunt statistics of genocide and into the individual impact human brutality has on people. On Feb. 1 at PRAx, The Immigrant Story is showcasing I Lived to Tell the World Live, a live storytelling performance. At 6 pm, you can meet author Mehren and purchase a signed copy of I Lived to Tell the World at the pre-show cocktail hour. The performance begins at 7 pm, and four people — Samir Mustafic from Bosnia, Emmanuel Turaturanye from Rwanda, Saron Khut from Cambodia and Rama Youssef from Syria — will tell their personal stories of surviving genocide. “By sharing my story, I hope to put a human face on the realities of war, displacement and survival,” Youssef said in a press release. “These issues are often reduced to statistics, but behind every number is a life, a family, and a unique struggle.” Following their stories, Shivani Joshi will take the stage, presenting traditional ghazals (bittersweet amatory poems with Arabic origins) and qawaalis (devotional music with Sufi Islamic origins) from South Asia. Joshi is joined by Joseph Harchanko on strings and Fiaindratovo Manavihare on percussion.

The multimedia I Lived to Tell the World exhibit is available Jan. 27 through March 1 in the Thomas W. Toomey Lobby at PRAx, 470 Southwest 15th Street, Corvallis. FREE. I Lived to Tell the World Live is 7 pm Saturday, Feb. 1, at PRAx — the pre-show cocktail hour and book signing begins at 6 pm. $5 for students, $20 for general admission.