Choose Nearest City

  • Calgary
  • Ottawa
  • Edmonton
  • Regina
  • Halifax
  • Saskatoon
  • Hamilton
  • Toronto GTA
  • Kingston
  • Vancouver
  • Kitchener
  • Waterloo
  • London
  • Windsor
  • Montreal
  • Winnipeg
  • Outside of Canada

Choose your city (or nearest city)

  • Calgary
  • Montreal
  • Edmonton
  • Ottawa
  • Regina
  • Saskatoon
  • Halifax
  • Toronto GTA
  • Hamilton
  • Vancouver
  • Kingston
  • Waterloo
  • Kitchener
  • Windsor
  • London
  • Winnipeg
  • Outside of Canada
  • Events
  • Directory
  • AdvertiseAdvertise
  • PatronsPatrons

Enter your login credentials

Forgot username?

Forgot password?

Remember Me
Register
Facebook Login Google Login
loading
Please wait, logging in...

Register Details

Have an account? Login

Forgot Username

[Form forgot_username not found!]

Forgot Password

[Form forgot_password not found!]

How would you like to proceed?

LOG IN / SIGN UP allows you to:
  • Have a record of all events you've been to.
  • Request cancellation if you cannot make it to an event.
  • Post an event of your own.
  • Add your business/organization listing to the online directory.
  • Add an opportunity (job, volunteer, petition, survey, etc.).

Please login to continue

LOG IN / SIGN UP allows you to:
  • Have a record of all events you've been to.
  • Request cancellation if you cannot make it to an event.
  • Post an event of your own.
  • Add your business/organization listing to the online directory.
  • Add an opportunity (job, volunteer, petition, survey, etc.).
Muslim Link is Ottawa Muslims' Online Community Newspaper. The site includes an up-to-date Events Listing and Business and Community Directory for Ottawa Muslims.
x

We have detected that you are using an ad blocker. Muslim Link relies on revenue from these advertisements so please consider disabling the ad blocker for this domain.

  • Home
  • Events
    • Ottawa
    • Montreal
    • Toronto GTA
    • Edmonton
    • Calgary
    • Vancouver
    • London
    • Windsor
    • Hamilton
    • Halifax
    • Winnipeg
    • Kingston
    • Kitchener/Waterloo
    • Regina/Saskatoon
    • Event Table
  • Directory
    • Ottawa
    • Montreal
    • Toronto GTA
    • Edmonton
    • Calgary
    • Vancouver
    • London
    • Windsor
    • Hamilton
    • Halifax
    • Winnipeg
    • Kingston
    • Kitchener/Waterloo
    • Regina/Saskatoon
  • News
  • Stories
  • Islamic Finance
  • Classifieds
    • Opportunities
      • Volunteer Opportunities
      • Job Opportunities
      • Crowdfunding
      • Bazaar Vendors Wanted
      • Call for Donations
      • ​​Scholarships / Bursaries
      • ​​Petitions
      • Nominations
      • ​​Call for Participants
      • ​​Call for Submissions
      • Call for Abstracts
      • Grants
      • ​​Surveys
      • ​​Invitation to Dialogue
      • Sponsorships
      • Contests
    • Locations
      • Jumaa Locations
      • Full-Time Islamic Schools
      • Part-Time Islamic Schools
      • Hifz Programs
      • Iftar Locations
      • Taraweeh Prayers
      • I'tikaf Locations
      • Eid Prayers
      • Eid Festival Locations
      • Camps Locations
    • Rentals
      • Add Rental
    • Find a Place
    • Find a Tenant
  • Opportunities
  • Locations
  • Rentals
  • Home
  • News
  • Djamila Ibrahim Explores the Struggles of Canadians from the Horn of Africa at Upcoming Ottawa Writers Festival Event
Djamila Ibrahim Explores the Struggles of Canadians from the Horn of Africa at Upcoming Ottawa Writers Festival Event Djamila Ibrahim Explores the Struggles of Canadians from the Horn of Africa at Upcoming Ottawa Writers Festival Event
13
Nov
2018

Djamila Ibrahim Explores the Struggles of Canadians from the Horn of Africa at Upcoming Ottawa Writers Festival Event

Written by  Staff Writer
Published in News
  • Add to Facebook
  • Like this? Tweet it to your followers!

Djamila Ibrahim will be discussing her debut collection of short stories, "Things Are Good Now", in conversation with CBC Ottawa's Adrian Harewood on Thursday, November 15th. Purchase tickets online here.

The event is organized by the Ottawa International Writers Festival in partnership with the Canadian Council of Muslim Women as part of their Books and Biryani series, a biryani dinner is included in the ticket price.

Djamila Ibrahim was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and moved to Canada in 1990. Her stories have been shortlisted for the University of Toronto’s Penguin Random House Canada Student Award for Fiction and Briarpatch Magazine’s creative writing contest. She was formerly a senior advisor for Citizenship and Immigration Canada. She lives in Toronto.

x

We have detected that you are using an ad blocker. Muslim Link relies on revenue from these advertisements so please consider disabling the ad blocker for this domain.

Djamila has family on both sides of the Eritrean and Ethiopian border. From them, she says, “I have inherited the sense of life’s precariousness.”

Djamila states about her writing “I wanted to tell stories that were not told in Canadian literature. I was inspired by Black female writers.”

The Globe and Mail review points out: “Things Are Good Now makes clear that asylum isn’t the same as resolution. As Canada expects only increased numbers of asylum seekers in 2018, this is essential fiction for right now."

Her short stories explore the struggles of Ethiopian, Eritrean, and Somali refugees and their children to find home and belonging as they cope with the trauma of their past and the uncertainty of their present.

In an interview with 49th Shelf, Djamila explains, "The insularity of Canadian life is a big shock to most newcomers but I think more so for those who, like Benny, Alem’s brother in the title story, and Adam in “Little Copper Bullets,” strive to put their traumatic history behind them and start anew. Their efforts to fit in the wider Canadian society are sometimes met with misinformation, rejection, and racism. Others like Alem, Benny’s sister, are stuck in their past and oftentimes can’t tolerate others’ attempts to move on. With time, tension and conflict between lovers, friends, and family members grow while the scars of war or other trauma stay suppressed. This usually leads to isolation and mental health issues.

As a writer, it’s my job to inhabit a character’s world, and to try to walk in their shoes. To get a good grasp of the issues I was tackling in these stories, I read a lot: nonfiction books, academic journals, news articles, interview pieces and blog entries. I watched documentaries. I also reached out to people in the Ethiopian and Eritrean communities for their input. As difficult and heartbreaking as some of these stories of loss are, it’s important to note that behind the pain and despair, there is always hope, however dim, and a will to survive and prevail. Family, community and faith often play a crucial role in providing a space for healing. And people can be victims in one scenario, and an oppressor in another, a hero to some and a villain to others. These complications bring depth and nuance to the stories, and make the difficult passages easier to write."

x

We have detected that you are using an ad blocker. Muslim Link relies on revenue from these advertisements so please consider disabling the ad blocker for this domain.

The following are examples of some of the stories found in Djamila's short story collection, "Things Are Good Now":

In the title story, siblings return to Ethiopia after a decade living in Toronto. “Things are good now,” Ethiopians tell them – 17 years of brutalities under the Derg regime finally ended. But their voices are wary.

In the story “Not a Small Thing,” intellectual activist Selam chooses to don the hijab and is then assaulted because of it. Her best friend, who had tried to talk her out of wearing it, must process a complex array of emotions.

The story “You Made Me Do This,” is about the mother of a teenage boy mourns the murder of her son in Ottawa. She also has to come to terms with the fact that her own actions and false sense of security in Canada might have led to her son’s death.

The story “Spilled Water” is about a young Ethiopian girl who is adopted into a white Canadian family and has a hard time relating to her new family, who knows nothing of the trauma she has gone through.

x

We have detected that you are using an ad blocker. Muslim Link relies on revenue from these advertisements so please consider disabling the ad blocker for this domain.

The story "Little Copper Bullets” follows the intense Aisha, a former Eritrean soldier who for years led troops on the battlefield, an AK-47 slung over her shoulder. After the war, demobilized and seeing new jobs go to the men, she moves to Canada but can only find work cleaning public toilets and doing hospital laundry. To complicate matters, her boyfriend, Adam, is from Ethiopia, Eritrea’s longtime enemy.

The story "Heading Somewhere" follows Sara and Omar, leave their country and each other in search for a better life abroad. Omar marries his way to Canada and Sara finds domestic work in the Middle East. The choices they make through the years and the secrets they accumulate threaten their relationship. But when Sara finds herself caught in the Syrian war, her first thoughts are about Omar. Omar sets out to do whatever it takes to find her. It’s the love story of a man and a woman thrust into the tides of global migration but also of the people they meet along the way.

Follow Djamila on Twitter here

Visit Djamila's Website here

x

We have detected that you are using an ad blocker. Muslim Link relies on revenue from these advertisements so please consider disabling the ad blocker for this domain.

Read 7557 times Last modified on Tue, 13 Nov 2018 16:52
Rate this item
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
(0 votes)
Tagged under
  • Ethiopian Canadian
  • Habesha Canadian
  • Muslim Writers
  • Muslim Women
  • Ottawa International Writers Festival
  • Ottawa
  • Canadian Council of Muslim Women

Staff Writer

Latest from Staff Writer

  • Faith Leaders Come Together for Interfaith Food Drive for the Ottawa Food Bank this Mother's Day Weekend Faith Leaders Come Together for Interfaith Food Drive for the Ottawa Food Bank this Mother's Day Weekend
  • Toronto Area Imams Play Soccer to Fundraise for Sports for Youth with Disabilities Toronto Area Imams Play Soccer to Fundraise for Sports for Youth with Disabilities
  • Food Banks Canada and Halal Monitoring Authority Partner to Bring Halal Food to Those In Need Food Banks Canada and Halal Monitoring Authority Partner to Bring Halal Food to Those In Need

Related items

  • Muslim Women Receive Canada’s Most Powerful Women Top 100 Award Muslim Women Receive Canada’s Most Powerful Women Top 100 Award
  • What would narratives look like for Muslims, if they were designed and developed by Muslims? What would narratives look like for Muslims, if they were designed and developed by Muslims?
  • 2022 Richmond Hill Women of Inspiration and Leadership Award Winner: Fatima Sumar-Molu 2022 Richmond Hill Women of Inspiration and Leadership Award Winner: Fatima Sumar-Molu
back to top
x

We have detected that you are using an ad blocker. Muslim Link relies on revenue from these advertisements so please consider disabling the ad blocker for this domain.

x

We have detected that you are using an ad blocker. Muslim Link relies on revenue from these advertisements so please consider disabling the ad blocker for this domain.

x

We have detected that you are using an ad blocker. Muslim Link relies on revenue from these advertisements so please consider disabling the ad blocker for this domain.

x

We have detected that you are using an ad blocker. Muslim Link relies on revenue from these advertisements so please consider disabling the ad blocker for this domain.

x

We have detected that you are using an ad blocker. Muslim Link relies on revenue from these advertisements so please consider disabling the ad blocker for this domain.

Ottawa Events
View More Events
Online Event
Being ME Canada Girl Talk Monthly Session Mind over Matter
Sun, Jan 29, 2023 01:00pm EST/EDT
Educational
Canadians United Against Hate Interfaith Candlelight Vigil To Mark the Anniversary of the Quebec City Mosque Shooting
Sun, Jan 29, 2023 06:00pm EST/EDT
Vigils
Online Event
Canadian Council of Muslim Women CCMW Virtual Vigil Commemorating the Quebec City Mosque Attack
Sun, Jan 29, 2023 07:00pm EST/EDT
Educational
Assunnah Muslim Association (AMA) Classical Arabic Program Courses Start Jan 30
Mon, Jan 30, 2023 all day
Courses
Al-Furqan Annual Quran Competition 2023 Registration Deadline January 31
Tue, Jan 31, 2023 all day
Educational

Featured Articles

  • Al Rashid Mosque Opens its Doors Again to Shelter Edmonton’s Vulnerable Citizens This Winter Al Rashid Mosque Opens its Doors Again to Shelter Edmonton’s Vulnerable Citizens This Winter
  • Prime Minister announces appointment of Canada’s first Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia Prime Minister announces appointment of Canada’s first Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia
  • Bell Let’s Talk kicks off a new year of action for mental health on January 25 Bell Let’s Talk kicks off a new year of action for mental health on January 25

Twitter Posts

Apply for an Internship to Help Create The Hijabi Ballers Digital Community Platform nDeadline Jan. 31 #torontou2026 https://t.co/SGrhNbD9FD...
21 hours ago
Al Rashid Mosque Opens its Doors Again to Shelter Edmontonu2019s Vulnerable Citizens This Winteru2026 https://t.co/BOyVy3Ij40...
1 day ago
Riverdale Immigrant Women's Centre Launches #Islamophobia Support Linenhttps://t.co/8ElzpBmWGE https://t.co/otHxLaOOuA...
3 days ago
Muslim Link

About us

  • About Muslim Link
    Our Team
    About Eye Media
    Contact Us
    Diversity & Inclusion Policy
  • Events & Directory Disclaimer
  • Project: A Muslim History of Ottawa

How To

  • Claim a directory listing
    Create a directory listing
    Post an event
    Sell Tickets
    Report a mistake

Event Listings

  •  - Ottawa
  •  - Toronto GTA
  •  - Montreal
  •  - Edmonton
  •  - Calgary
  •  - Vancouver
  •  - London
  •  - Windsor
  •  - Hamilton
  •  - Kitchener/Waterloo
  •  - Halifax
  •  - Winnipeg
  •  - Kingston
  •  - Regina/Saskatoon

Business & Community Directory

  •  - Ottawa
  •  - Toronto GTA
  •  - Montreal
  •  - Edmonton
  •  - Calgary
  •  - Vancouver
  •  - London
  •  - Windsor
  •  - Hamilton
  •  - Kitchener/Waterloo
  •  - Halifax
  •  - Winnipeg
  •  - Kingston
  •  - Regina/Saskatoon

Advertisers

  • Advertise Online
  • Become a Patron
  • Sponsorships
  • Join Snapshot e-Newsletter
  • Snapshot Publishing Dates

ML Team

  • Writers Workshops
  • Content Policy
  • Staff Payment System
  • Join the team

Social Media

Follow us on our pages!

Facebook Twitter Youtube LinkedIn Pinterest

Copyright © 2023 Muslim Link. All Rights Reserved. All articles, photos, graphics and images on this site remain the copyright of Muslim Link, unless otherwise noted, and should not be copied without prior permission. Designed by Eye Media Solutions
Top
Copyright © Muslim Link. All articles, photos, graphics and images on this site remain the copyright of Muslim Link, unless otherwise noted, and should not be copied without prior permission. 2023 All rights reserved. Custom Design by Youjoomla.com