Arts Paper | Arts Council of Greater New Haven (2)

Olichka sings. Photos Kapp Singer. Sporting a long yellow dress, Olichka brought a microphone to her lips and began singing “Ukrayina – tse ty” (“Ukraine is you”), an upbeat pop anthem by Ukrainian artist Tina Karol. In the audience, dozens of hands started clapping alone. Then, one by one, members got to their feet. In the blink of an eye, a full-on dance party had broken out. “I know you don’t understand Ukrainian, but just feel it,” Olichka told the audience. On Saturday, a group of roughly 50 people gathered at United Church on the Green to celebrate World Refugee Day, coming together a week after several similar celebrations on the Green. Residents of the city old and new—from Syria to Sudan and Ukraine to Kenya—came together to share music, food, crafts, and stories. The event was co-sponsored by Havenly, New International Hope, Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (IRIS), Refugee Congress, and Elena’s Light. The United Nations’ official World Refugee Day was on June 20—due to scheduling conflicts, Saturday’s event was held a week later. 25 years ago, Olichka—whose off-stage name is Olga Borsh—moved from Odesa, Ukraine to Connecticut. She currently lives in Marlborough and works as a financial advisor. When Russia attacked Ukraine in February, 2022, initiating the ongoing war, she decided to start performing Ukrainian songs around the state to raise money for medical supplies in her home country. “It is my duty to use the talent that God gave me to help my people,” she told the audience in between songs. But beyond spreading her own heritage, Olichka asked the others in the room to spread theirs. “People love to hear your culture,” she said. Kallou Gindeel, a Sudanese immigrant, took the stage to speak about the civil war and famine in his home country and share a dance to a Nubian song. As he moved to the swirling sounds of the oud and tip-tapping of the tabla, the audience got right back on its feet to join him. Once again, the room burst into movement. Next, Brian Jarawa Gray got the audience bobbing their heads with his djembe drum performance. “This is a rhythm from the heart,” he said. Brian Jerawa Gray. Gray, who is from New Haven, said that he wanted to play the djembe to honor his ancestors’ West African heritage—but he also wanted to show the cultural reach of the instrument. He said that on his travels to Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Brazil, he heard all sorts of different djembe rhythms and techniques. “I left to check on something, and when I came back a lot of the room was up and dancing,” said Rebekah Sookdeo, PR coordinator at Elena’s Light and the emcee of the event. “That was not on the program,” she said. “It was full-on, intense-energy dancing.” A spontaneous dance party. As audience members settled back into their seats, Mohamd Shoaid offered a serene and mournful counterpart to the joyous dances. Shoaid sung a poem in Dari, the most widely spoken language in Afghanistan, wishing for war to end. He closed his eyes as he sang. His clear voice echoed, bringing a reflective quiet over the room. Nour al Zouabi, a medical researcher and recent graduate of the University of Connecticut who fled Syria due to the civil war in 2012, also asked the audience to embrace a sense of optimism. “Despite the darkness, I’m still hopeful,” she said. “I believe in our solidarity.” Nour al Zouabi. On Saturday, participants got a glimpse of that solidarity as they danced and ate together. “When I see people here, I get more hope,” said Fereshteh Ganjavi, the founder of Elena’s Light. The organization serves refugee women and children through advocacy and direct services. They provide English as a second language (ESL) tutoring, health literacy classes, and ‘know your rights’ workshops. The organization started in 2018, serving three women. Today, it serves over 100. “Depression is hard, being alone is hard, not having hope is hard for refugees and immigrants,” said Ganjavi, who came to Connecticut in 2011 from Herat, Afghanistan. “Cultural events like this make them alive again and tell them ‘you can build your community again.”