The Popup: The Documenter
from The Poetry Podcast with A Hosted by Amber Michele
Ebrima Abraham Sissay, is a documenter and writer of real things. He grew up on the smallest island in West Africa called, Gambia, which stretches about 450 km along the Gambia River and is surrounded by Senegal, except for a 60-km Atlantic oceanfront. As a child, he grew up smelling the ocean and tinkering with technology like building radios. “I have always been praised for being a good kid; I played soccer, spray-painted, drew calligraphy, and even played the drums. I did a lot of activities that people found cool, which means a lot of other kids hung around me. However, I hung out with kids who didn’t have a voice because of my stutter,” said Sissay. About six years ago, after Sissay moved to America, he started going to therapy. Through therapy he learned that his stutter was manifested from a series of traumatic experiences he faced as a child. He was encouraged to start writing about his progression in therapy which is how he discovered his skill and love for documenting life. Currently, Sissay is the Founder and CEO of The Freedom Project which is a modern-day multicultural social enterprise focused on mental health education & equity. In other words, this organization is a media company that tackles social issues through legislation, politics, and film. Their latest project is a film called, I Have A Boyfriend, that is based on a real story that happened in Westport KC, MO.
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