Abdi Roble and Doug Rutledge, photographer and writer respectively of “The Somali Diaspora: A Journey Away,” will present a lecture on “The Trials of Somali Muslim Refugees in Africa and America” at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, March 30, in Denison University’s Burton Morgan Lecture Hall (150 Ridge Road). Their presentation is sponsored by the Goodspeed Lecture Fund, the Black Studies Program, and the Departments of Sociology/Anthropology, Studio Art and Religion. The event is free and open to the public.

“The Somali Diaspora: A Journey Away” is a collection of photographs from the Somali Project published in 2008 and exhibited at the Columbus Museum of Art. The Somali Project aims to document through photography and writing the ongoing Somali Diaspora. It’s hoped that such unprecedented documentation of migration in process will not only record this historic moment in a people’s history, but will also help lead to justice by promoting understanding.

Roble was an international Somali soccer star before immigrating to the U.S. in 1989. He soon developed a passion for photography, and after several exhibitions he determined to use his talent for the service of his people. In 2003 he began the Somali Documentary Project, which has since toured the Midwest. Roble’s won the Individual Artist Award from both the Greater Columbus Arts Council and the Ohio Arts Council and the Arts Freedom Award for his lectures and educational presentations from the South Side Settlement House in 2006.

Rutledge earned his doctorate from the University of Chicago and taught at the college level for 20 years before leaving academia to pursue social justice issues full time. His play “Run, Run from the Setting of the Sun” was performed in Columbus and New York, and he’s published numerous poems and essays as well as the book “Ceremony and Text in the Renaissance.”

Calendar Listing:

CALENDAR LISTING: Denison University, Granville — Abdi Roble and Doug Rutledge will present a lecture with photography on “The Trials of Somali Muslim Refugees in Africa and America” at 4:30 p.m. on Mon., March 30, in Denison University’s Burton Morgan Lecture Hall (150 Ridge Road). Their presentation is free and open to the public. For information, contact 740-587-6572.

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

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