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In Fall 2023, the HI SERIES: Glocal Connections Across Iowa program series explored how global identities, issues, and cultures intersect with local life in Iowa. From grassroots health solutions in Nigeria to reflections on dictatorship in Syria, the series highlighted global experiences shared by individuals living, studying, and working in Iowa. The programs emphasized storytelling, lived experience, and inclusive dialogue.
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Ukraine, From My Perspective
August 24, 2023
Oaknoll
Speaking from personal experience, Oksana shared reflections on life in Ukraine before and during the war, the challenges of navigating education and identity as a Ukrainian student in the U.S., and hopes for her country’s future.
Speaker:
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Oksana Hirchak – Undergraduate at University of Iowa, originally from Ukraine.
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Jamaica: Holdin’ a Vibe in a Textured Landscape
October 4, 2023
Iowa City Public Library
Through readings and discussion, Yashika explored the cultural, geographic, and political “textures” of Jamaica—and how art emerges in conversation with them. She shared personal reflections and poetry rooted in place and diaspora.
Speaker:
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Yashika Graham – Jamaican poet and IWP Fall 2023 resident.
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People’s Science: Public Health in Lagos, Nigeria
October 11, 2023
Iowa City Public Library
Adeyemi examined community-driven responses to public health crises in Nigeria—particularly malaria. He presented grassroots innovations such as homemade mosquito nets and local sanitation efforts as valid, often overlooked forms of “people’s science.”
Speaker:
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Ebenezer Adeyemi – PhD candidate in Anthropology at UI, from Nigeria.
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Surviving a Dictator, A Dictator Surviving
November 8, 2023
Iowa City Public Library
Eyad offered a first-person account of the collapse of Syria’s civil society, the endurance of the Assad regime, and the human consequences that persist even after global attention fades. His reflections included lived experience and data on Syria’s descent.
Speaker:
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Dr. Eyad Said – Syrian-born mathematician, professor, and software engineer now based in Iowa.
Latinos in Iowa: Planting Seeds of Prosperity, Power, and Progress
November 15, 2023
Iowa City Public Library
This conversation spotlighted the growing Latinx presence in the Iowa City area. Speakers shared personal journeys, organizing victories, and the power of cultural visibility and entrepreneurship in building collective voice and opportunity.
Speakers:
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Elizabeth Bernal, Marcela Hurtado, Paola Jaramillo – Local organizers and community leaders.
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