Phone: 1.800.775.1797

The novel ፍቅር እስከ መቃብር (Fikir Iske-Mekabir), published in 1968 by Haddis Alemayehu, is a very well-known classic Ethiopian novel.  The novel became popular in Ethiopia during the 1970/80s when it was narrated over the radio.  The novel became so popular that young and old stopped what they were doing to listen.  Recently, the world famous Ethiopian musician Teddy Afro released a music video based on this novel titled “Mar Eske Tuaf”, which made it even more popular and introduced the novel to this generation. This classical Ethiopian literature comes with rich cultural significance for Ethiopians, and it is greatly cherished by many. Sisay Ayenew, understanding the significance of this piece of writing, took it upon himself to translate it into English with the title Love Unto Crypt. Sisay will discuss his background as a writer, his inspirations, his thoughts on the significance of the original novel, and as well as his translation of the novel.

SISAY AYENEW was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and finished high school at Shemelis Habte Secondary School. He has always loved to read and write ever since he was a young child. Sisay immigrated to the United States in 1995. Sisay has been married to his wife Tihitina for 16 years and has two children, Mayaye (9) and Theodros (6).  Sisay started working on the translation of Fikir Iske-Mekabir (Love Unto Crypt) after finishing high school, while he was still in Ethiopia. Sisay finished the translation in the United States, and got the book published in 2005. He has also finished working on another book, which will be published soon.

Tiberah Berhanu’s first children’s book weaves diversity against the backdrop of a child’s imagination. She unapologetically titled her book My Uncle is an Alien.  Children will listen to a reading of My Uncle is an Alien and interact with the author. She will share her experiences in the form of storytelling and will explore the importance of showing up as your true self and preserving your culture. In addition, children will be able to participate in a session on writing their own ending to the story for a chance to be included on the Author’s website, pending parent’s permission.

 Recognizing that the world benefits from our unique perspectives, parents will hear first-hand from someone who came to the United States at an early age and why it is important to support children in pursuing their passion. While growing up in Jersey City, NJ, Tiberah was very concerned about “fitting in” with the kids at school.  So much so that she would protest so as not to wear an Habesha kemis (Ethiopian dress) to church because she worried that if one of her friends saw her wearing the traditional outfit on the way to church, they would make fun of her.  Sadly, Tiberah barely paid any attention during Amharic lessons in church and was often kicked out for being disruptive.  At the center of Tiberah’s denial of her culture was a lack of not knowing where she came from. So, in 2009, after being away for 20 years, Tiberah returned to Ethiopia.  During the trip, she was able to release a lot of emotions that were bottled up.  At the end, Tiberah realized the depth of her culture and the beauty in “showing up as who you truly are”. 

TIBERAH BERHANU was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and immigrated to the United States when she was six years old. As a newcomer, it was not easy to adapt. Learning a new culture, language, and way of life had its ups and downs. After learning how to read in English, Tiberah fell in love with books, words, and the ability to express oneself. This translated into storytelling, which is one of Tiberah’s passions. In high school Tiberah’s poem, “Time Will Transcend”, won publication during a nationwide contest. During college, she co-created a community website, www.TsehaiNY.com, and interviewed notable figures, such as the late Dr. Catherine Hamlin. Most recently, she self-published her first children’s book, My Uncle is an Alien.  In 2009, Tiberah was part of the Heritage and Culture Camp’s panel on Growing-up-in-America, that was the same year she returned to Ethiopia after being away for 20 years. Tiberah received her Bachelor’s in Communications/Broadcast and her Master’s in Health Services Administration/Public Administration. She currently works for Comcast as a Director of Employee Communications.  Tiberah lives in West Orange, NJ, with her husband, Daniel Tsega, and two sons – Biruk Azeze (age 9) and Yonas Azeze (age 4).  To learn more about Tiberah, visit her website at www.tiberahberhanu.com and signed copies will be available for purchase. 

Our Camp has a special focus on language, as we strongly believe language is key in connecting our kids to their heritage and culture. As such, we continue to offer language classes.  This year we have language sessions with a bit of a twist – Sing It In አማርኛ!

DEREJE DESTA is International Broadcaster (Multimedia) at Voice Of America (VOA), Washington DC. He was the founder and Publisher of Zethiopia, a Washington, D.C. based, bilingual (Amharic and English) newspaper where he served as Editor-at-Large for the online publication. He is a veteran journalist who has served as a television and radio host, producer, and editor for more than 26 years in the U.S. and Ethiopia. He reported and contributed to NPR’s “Latitude” show and won an award for international affairs reporting from New America Media and the American University.  Dereje was a Business Development Manager; Africa and the Middle East, for AudioNow. Dereje graduated from Addis Ababa University, in 1991, with a bachelor’s degree in Ethiopian Languages and Literature. In addition, he is Amharic language consultant and offers translation services.  For the last fourteen years, Dereje has also been Amharic language instructor and Ethiopian culture and etiquette teacher for Heritage & Culture Camp.

As part of her graduate studies, Feven Girmay had the opportunity to conduct a series of interviews of inspiring individuals from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Join us for a presentation and discussion based on Feven’s findings from these interviews, as the individuals discussed their cultural experiences of growing up in a multicultural household.  They shared their perspectives on multiculturalism as an idea and as a lived experience, addressed how their backgrounds impacted their life experiences, as well as their college/university life and their ideas on multicultural education. They shared experiences of what it is like to be “caught” between two different worlds, answering questions such as: What are the challenges of living in different ethnic and cultural backgrounds when growing up in a multicultural household? How did they navigate between the two worlds? How did they cope with the reality of being Caught Between Two Worlds? Puzzled and confused? Being caught between two worlds can be a blessing, but a curse if we let it. But how do we sort that out? Join us to find out and discuss more. 

FEVEN GIRMAY was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and lived in Asmara, Eritrea for a few years before coming to the US at the age of 14.  She recently made the transition to the DC area, but she is a Midwesterner at heart calling the state of Illinois home.  Feven is a higher education professional with interests in student services, student success, and international students.  Currently she works as a Program Manager at Robert H. Smith School of Business at The University of Maryland, College Park

Doctor Tom (as he is called by locals) will share about his role in the establishment of a new hospital in rural Ethiopia and how the idea of this project started. He will also talk about the health care system in Ethiopia with a unique focus on maternal health and why it is imperative to support positive maternal health outcomes. Furthermore, he will tell stories about what daily life as a foreigner is like in a small community, including perspective on customs, culture, and cuisine. 

 Doctor Tom will also address the kids separately sharing about his work, why he chose to move to Ethiopia, and what his daily life looks like as a doctor in a small town. He will share stories about his local skateboarding club, and what daily life looks like in Ethiopia, including local customs, culture, and cuisine.

THOMAS GRYCZKA is a German medical Doctor who moved to Butajira, Ethiopia in March 2021. After learning about a hospital project in rural Ethiopia, he decided to leave his 9-5 job in internal medicine and life in Cologne, Germany to dedicate himself to a higher purpose. Upon arriving in Ethiopia, Doctor Tom spent the first few months learning about the local health care system, visiting different hospitals and health clinics, and learning basic Amharic. Through his experience on the ground, he soon learned the importance of maternal health and the ways it impacts day to day life in local communities. He applied these learnings to the hospital project in Butajira and set the focus of the new clinic on Gynecology and Obstetrics. Furthermore, he was moved to pursue his doctoral thesis on Maternal Health in Ethiopia and continues to incorporate his medical knowledge in the governmental hospital.  In Doctor Tom’s free time, you can find him in Butajira playing guitar, skateboarding with the local youth, or hiking in the mountains.