The New School Graduate Program in International Affairs

Dear Friends and Students,

Project Africa would like to invite you to our movie screening of Va, Vis & Deviens (Live & Become) followed by a Q&A session guided by expert Beejhy Barhany. Beejhy Barhany was born in the Tigray region of Ethiopia.  At the age of 4, she left Ethiopia for a journey to fulfill aliyah (immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel), which proved to be life changing and enlightening, together with her family. Ms. Barhany is the founder and director of the Beta Israel of North America Cultural Foundation Inc. (BINA), a 501c3 non-profit, an organization devoted to preserving the history and culture of the Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jews). 

When:  Friday, 9 April 2010 (save the date)

From:   5:00-8:00 P.M. 

Where: The New School University

           66 West 12 Street

           Room 407

This is the opportunity for you to kick back and relax by watching an amazing Cesar (French Oscar) winning film for free and have it put into perspective by an expert. The film description is below and the movie is in Amharic, Hebrew, and French subtitled in English.

Film Description

“Va, Vis & Deviens” is the winner for best screenplay at the Cesar, the French Oscars, winner of the Berlin International Film Festival, and winner at the Vancouver International Film Festival. 1984, hundreds of thousands of Africans from twenty-six countries hit by famine amass in refugee camps in Sudan. Israel and the United States undertake a huge rescue operation (Operation Moses) to transport thousands of Ethiopian Jews (Falashas) to Israel.

A mother of Christian faith makes her nine-year-old son pretend he’s Jewish so as to save him from famine and death.

The child arrives in the Holy Land. Declared an orphan, he’s adopted by a French Sephardic family who live in Tel Aviv. He grows up fearing that his double lie and secret will be revealed: neither Jewish, nor orphan, he’s simply black.

He discovers love, Western culture, and Jewish faith along with racism and war in the Occupied Territories. He becomes Jewish, Israeli, French and Tunisian – a true Tower of Babel.

But he never forgets his real mother, who remained behind in a camp and who he secretly and stubbornly dreams of finding again one day.

Refreshments and food will be offered so please bring friends and join us for this special event!