BOON+IMBABA

Dina M. Asfaha

Experience Eritrean culture and join me in drinking boon (coffee) and eating imbaba (popcorn) while hearing stories about Eritrean life during the revolution

This installation is a part of Inside Voices: An Oral History Exhibition, showcasing multimedia projects and stories recorded by the 2016 cohort of Columbia University’s Oral History MA program. This event will take place at The Social Hall at Union Theological Seminary on April 27, 2017, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Visitors will have the opportunity to experience a cultural practice that is part of everyday Eritrean life: boon (coffee beans) is roasted from scratch and imbaba (popcorn) is popped and passed around. The chance to sit together and enjoy an afternoon sip and snack encourages storytelling, jokes, and life lessons. During this boon session, visitors can sit, drink boon samples/eat popcorn, and read my short stories about Eritrean life during the revolution.

Dina M. Asfaha moved from San Jose, CA to New York City five years ago and earned a degree in Africana Studies at Barnard College of Columbia University. Realizing her passion for studying Eritrean culture and revolutionary history as an undergraduate student, Dina entered Columbia’s OHMA program, eager for a chance to bridge the creative with the academic as an oral historian. She is excited to continue her academic journey this fall in an anthropology doctoral program at the University of Pennsylvania.