By Silma Suba
Not every speaker can captivate an audience of college students on a Tuesday night, but acclaimed author Dinaw Mengetsu managed to do just that. Fifteen minutes into the event, he had the audience comfortable, inquisitive and hanging on to his every word.
Mengestu visited EC on Sept. 2 and discussed his latest book, “All our Names,” which deals with the ideas of identity, love, friendship, disillusionment and sacrifice.
The event was held at Georgetown School of Foreign Service in Qatar (GSFS-Q) and was attended by around 165 people from all over Doha. Mengestu spoke about his writing career, life as an immigrant and the privilege of education.
“You should be grateful for the education here because it’s a privilege to not come to school with the risk of being shot at or being killed,” said Mengestu. “The only risks you’re taking are the intellectual ones, like asking questions in a class, and that seems so minor a risk compared to the ones out there.”
The author’s visit is a part of the freshman reading program called, “Life of the Mind,” a program that was initiated on Georgetown’s main campus in Washington D.C. in 1995. In 2010, the Doha campus launched a similar program.
Each year during the spring semester, the university chooses one book to be given to the new incoming freshman class. The attending students are asked to read the book over the summer and then split into groups with facilitators once they arrive at university, where they discuss the book and ask questions. Later on, they get to meet the author and further continue the discussion.
“The idea behind the program is to encourage students to read a book that they wouldn’t have chosen to read on their own,” said Donna Hanson, the Associate Director of the Library at GSFS-Q.
“It’s a bonding moment for the freshman class. They get to read a book and discuss it together. They get to ask questions directly to the author, which is an opportunity you don’t always get,” Hanson said.
Mengestu, an Ethiopian-American novelist, has written and published three novels. His most famous novel, “Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears” debuted in 2007. It follows the story of an immigrant who escapes to America during the Ethiopian revolution. The issues of immigrant life, identity crisis, love, race and friendship are recurrent themes in his books.
Mengestu said his new book, “All our Names” is told from the perspectives of aspiring students whose dreams are thwarted by politics. Instead of picking up books, they pick up guns. Instead of becoming students, they become revolutionists.
“I met some young revolutionists and I asked them if this is what they really wanted to do. They said yes they were meant to be revolutionists; this is their life. But, later, they slowly opened up and admitted that in the end they all just wanted to be students.”
“I love how descriptive his writing is. As an aspiring writer myself, I’m constantly looking for advice and guidance, so it was great hearing him talk about his writing experience,” said Israa Al Kamali, a sophomore at GSFS-Q.
“Writing is initially a selfish experience because you’re writing for yourself. You’re writing because you want to tell your story. You want to quench your desire to write,” said Mengestu in a one-on-one interview. “I’m currently working on a new novel, but I’m not going to disclose anything for now.”
