“BE A MOUNTAIN OR LEAN ON ONE.”
- Somali Proverb
UPCOMING EVENTS
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April 2025
TQP 2025 FELLOWSHIPS
Upcoming announcement about The Qalanjo Project’s 2025 fellowship opportunities. Stay tuned!
PAST EVENTS
Saturday, January 11, 2025
2 PM - 4:30 PM, Cedar Riverside Opportunity Center
TQP OPEN HOUSE
The Qalanjo Project hosted a wonderful Open House for community as an opportunity to learn about our new programming, hear about upcoming fellowships, and discover the amazing events we’re planning. We were able to connect community, celebrate our growth, and invite folks to envision a vibrant future for Somali arts and culture in Minnesota.
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Wednesday, January 29, 2025
6:30 PM - 9 PM, Open Book
STORIES IN FOCUS: ART, IDENTITY, AND MEMORY WITH SALAD HILOWLE
TQP hosted acclaimed Somali-Swedish artist Salad Hilowle for an immersive, hands-on workshop delving into identity, memory, and visibility through creative expression. This amazing workshop invited participants to explore their own narratives, engage in thought-provoking discussions, and transform personal and communal stories into impactful art. Drawing inspiration from Hilowle's work, we provided tools and techniques to express heritage and culture through various artistic mediums. Thank you to our wonderful workshop participants!
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Sunday, February 2, 2025
10:30 AM - 2:30 PM, The Cedar Cultural Center
ECHOES FROM THE HORN: SOMALI LIVES IN CINEMA
We were joined by community in the heart of the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood for this special Somali diaspora program showcasing a powerful collection of films that explore themes of home, grief, and belonging, capturing the resilience and creativity of the Somali diaspora. From tales of migration and memory to narratives of hope, heritage, and the search for self, these films wove together intimate portraits of Somali lives across generations and geographies. Through the lens of talented filmmakers, community was able to witness stories that reflect the beauty of cultural connection, the weight of displacement, the horrors of environmental degradation, and the enduring spirit of a people rooted in history yet constantly in motion.
The following Q&A with our incredible visiting filmmakers was special and meaningful. Thank you to all who came.
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Thursday, February 6, 2025
5 PM - 8 PM, UMN Elmer L. Andersen Library, Room 120
CINEMA OF MEMORY: A CONVERSATION WITH ABDULCADIR AHMED SAID
The Qalanjo Project, in collaboration with the Institute for Global Studies at the University of Minnesota, was honored to host a conversation with Abdulcadir Ahmed Said, a pioneering and influential Somali filmmaker known for his profound exploration of African narratives.
Known for his visionary storytelling and dedication to preserving Somali narratives through cinema, Abdulcadir Ahmed Said will share his journey as a filmmaker, the incredible power of African storytelling, and the role of cinema in shaping cultural memory.
This was a wonderful evening and unique opportunity to engage with one of Somalia’s most influential filmmakers and explore the intersections of identity, migration, and artistic expression across space and time. This was an important dialogue on the intersections of African cinema, memory, and identity in a global context at a time when these stories are needed. The video recording of the talk will be shared soon.
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Saturday, February 8 - Sunday, February 9, 2025
10 AM - 5 PM, Mixed Blood Theatre
BETWEEN TRADITION & STAGE: EXPLORING SOMALI THEATER
We were so fortunate to host a two-day immersive workshop exploring the art of storytelling on stage. Led by visiting artist, Warda Mohamed, together we will explore the power of Somali stories through narrative construction and performance techniques rooted in tradition.
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