Mixed Blood Presents LUUBAAN STORIES

Mixed Blood Theatre will host Luubaan Stories, A Storytelling Festival on Saturday June 22, 2019. This festival will encapsulate all the stories, experiences and lessons collected by Mixed Blood's Project 154, a program which aims to address barriers to healthcare through the use of theater practices and traditional Somali storytelling. The day will include storytelling workshops, learning centered on community health needs, and will feature Mixed Blood trained storytellers.

Mixed Blood's Project 154 connects community members, health care providers, artists and art to make impactful connections and better understandings of healthcare and its challenges. Since May 2017, Project 154 has used theatre, film and storytelling devices to empower the residents of Cedar Riverside to be advocates for their healthcare. The program seeks to foster a healthy community in the neighborhood where Mixed Blood has been located for 43 years and is invested in building bridges on multiple fronts.

The program's focus works to bridge information gaps between Cedar Riverside residents and providers. Story circles created a dialogue among residents and health care professionals, providing opportunities for conversations where themes of concern in the community emerged like mental health, immunization, chronic disease and more. The story circles led to the creation of video profiles and gave residents and providers a platform to share their experiences. Luubaan Stories will be comprised of storytellers, professional development workshops for both residents and providers, videos, music, face painting, kids activities, and more.

"We hope this will be the first of an annual event that highlights the stories of Cedar Riverside," says Project Coordinator Abdurrahman Mahmud.

The festival's keynote speakers are Zaynab Abdi of Green Card Voices and Osman Ali of the Somali Museum. Zaynab Ali is an accomplished speaker on diversity and inclusion, youth empowerment, immigration, education, and women in sports. Osman Ali, founder of the Somali Museum of Minnesota, is a lifelong student of Somali traditional society. The evening will end with a comedic performance by Mohamoud Wiilwaal, Sahro Dhule and Abdihakin Br.

The event is free and all are welcome. Members of the Cedar Riverside community and healthcare providers are encouraged to attend.

About Mixed Blood Theatre: Using theatre as a tool to illustrate and animate, Mixed Blood models pluralism in pursuit of interconnections, shared humanity, and engaged citizenry. Mixed Blood Theatre is located at 1501 S. 4th Street, Minneapolis, MN, 55454.

Visit https://mixedblood.com/community/project-154/, email keri@mixedblood.com, or call 612-338-6131 for more information.

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