hanna leka

Ok, so sharing this on my main page so that it’ll be easier to share :) Thank you thank you to those that have been showing such enthusiasm about this and to those of you that have been sharing! It means so much 🫶🏾

“Eid always seemed to me as a time of prayer and socializing, but in Ethiopia it seemed like there was more. After the prayer was done there was music and beating of drums, and people singing as if it was a party.” @haniimages visits her home country of Ethiopia to capture its vibrant and colourful Eid Al-Adha celebrations for a photo essay that centers cultural pride.

Last week on Tuesday, I was able to facilitate a panel discussion on the topic of discovering our family histories through the oral stories of our parents and elders in our life. The discussion was focused on the Ethiopian/Eritrean diaspora in the U.S. and how the younger generation is yearning to bridge the gap between us and our ancestral lands via our parents’ stories. The project that I have been working on since last summer titled: The Hope of New Flowers, was all about the discovery of my father’s story and using his story as a vessel to explain the larger community of his generation that lived through the Derg regime and later re-built a life on new soil. Over the past few months my panelists have spoken to their parents’ about their stories and have reflected on how those lived experiences shaped them as well as the diaspora as a whole in the U.S. Their insights on intergenerational stories were brilliant to say the least. We were reminded that our parents’ stories are our stories too, and that we carry a great deal of resilience, pride and responsibility towards the next generation because of it. Thank you to @mulushewabar for being an incredible space and collaborator for this gathering, and for serving some of the best Ethiopian food in the DMV. It was a night where everyone was welcome to witness and be curious, both Habesha and non-Habesha. For some it was their first time eating Ethiopian food :) Thank you to my lovely panelists who I am lucky to call friends of mine. Thank youuuuu to everyone that came out and showed support and had questions. It is such a fulfilling feeling to hear that some have walked away from the evening feeling inspired to learn more about their family histories and even create art in honor of it! Thank you to my father who traveled from Ethiopia to be here and to show how cool of a person he is in real life! There’s truly nothing more tender than receiving the authentic support of a father in the midst of pursuing a passion 🙂 Very grateful to God for what the evening birthed and resolved as well. The evening was also recorded through zoom available to see on my website 🤸🏾‍♀️

It has been a week since the reception for The Hope of New Flowers and it’s been a blessing to take it all in even after the big night… This project was birthed from years of fascination of my father’s story, and with a bit of push and guidance, led me to create a visual story that represents that fascination. I have been, and continue, to admire generations that leave everything they know to start over and rebuild on new soil. Thank you so much to everyone that was able to make it this night and to everyone that has shown their support from afar. To my mentors, friends, family that have traveled distances to make it, you make my life beautiful! It has actually meant the world…the love was immense!! What a treasure it was to be amongst admirers and descendants of the Habesha community in the United States, and to contribute to the storytelling that has been weaved into the fabric of who we are as a people. Thank you to my classmates and the bonds we’ve formed by going through the trenches and to Susan for spearheading this whole program with fire and freedom, and to the Corcoran for the generous space you give your art students to say what they want to say. There are so many more things I could say about how I felt about that night and the project as a whole…BUT I do plan on saying a lot more during the panel discussion on May 5th in Downtown SilverSpring. The panel discussion will be coinciding with this project where we will be discussing the experiences of discovering our parents’ stories and how it has built the Habesha diaspora in the U.S. I would encourage ALL to come and be witness to this heartfelt moment. My father also be there to answer questions as well :) The Hope of New Flowers is still up at the Corcoran gallery, and will be up til May 15. The work is also now available to look at on my website as well as a trailer that gives a sneak peak into the film that I have made and will screen on May 5th. Thank you thank you, and hope to see you on May 5th <3

Welcome our final panelist, Milca Mehari! Milca is a DMV native and biopharma professional with Eritrean roots. As a member of the diaspora, she is passionate about fostering intergenerational conversations that help bridge gaps between parents and children. Through this panel, Milca hopes to deepen understanding of her family’s history and experiences—believing that by learning more about those who came before us, we gain a clearer sense of who we are. Come join in on the conversation…see you May 5th :)

Welcome Yonas Rosario to our line of panelists! Yonas Rosario is a Silver Spring–based designer and student of Ethiopian and Eritrean heritage, driven by a passion for cultural identity and economic development. Outside of his work, he enjoys photography and cooking as creative outlets. Yonas joins this panel with a desire to learn more about his father’s personal history while also sharing his own perspective—opening up about what it means to feel a deep sense of responsibility to understand and carry forward your family’s story. Come join in on the conversation…see you May 5th :)

Welcome Saron Berhe to our line of panelists! Saron was born in Asmara, Eritrea and raised in Rochester, New York, bringing with her a rich perspective shaped by migration and memory. She is an immigration attorney dedicated to serving the Habesha community, supporting individuals and families as they navigate complex legal journeys. A lover of travel, food, jazz clubs, vinyl records, and writing, Saron is deeply curious about the stories that shape identity. She joins this panel to better understand the life her family lived before immigrating—the dreams, sacrifices, relationships, and challenges that came before the journey to the U.S. For Saron, this conversation is about uncovering the untold chapters that have always shaped her story from afar. Come join in on the conversation…see you May 5th :)

Hello! I’ll be highlighting our panelists throughout the month before the big event…So grateful to have a lovely line up of members within the habesha diaspora community to talk about their experiences with their parents, and really, our shared history as a community. I’m excited to welcome Naomi Deneke to the line up! Naomi is a Houston-raised and Maryland based engineer with Ethiopian roots who finds joy in reading, writing poetry, cooking, and exploring new restaurants. She joins this panel with a deeply personal purpose: to better understand her mother’s story and, in turn, her own identity. Through open and intentional conversation, Naomi hopes to ask the questions she’s long carried and embark on a shared journey of discovery—one that brings her closer to both her mom and herself. Come join in on the conversation…see you May 5th :)

Hello again!!…as an extension of my multimedia project The Hope of New Flowers I’ll be hosting and moderating a panel event centered around the Ethiopian diaspora in the United States and discussing the stories that lie between us and generations before us. The unraveling of stories within past generations doesn’t only bring intergenerational understanding, but also greater understanding of ourselves. We will have Naomi, Saron, Yoni and Milca sharing their experiences as they have been excavating their parents’ stories for the past few months, as well as a screening of my short film for the project, unveiling my personal exploration of my own father’s story. Finally, we’ll have a Q&A session expanding the dialogue towards the audience as well. Everyone is welcome to join! This event is also made possible by the generosity of Mulushewa. If you’re able, we encourage you to support them by purchasing something from their menu and showing love to a local Habesha business.❤️💛💚 And please please RSVP through the link in the bio! Come join us for a night of fruitful conversation and an intimate space to reconnect with our roots…

Hellooo! It’s been a year and some change since I’ve completely immersed myself into the world of photojournalism and I barely told anyone that I’d be moving to D.C. to get my masters for it. I’m so grateful that the journey has birthed a capstone project that comes from a personal place…and a place perhaps many of my habesha brothers and sisters can hopefully resonate with as well. I’m so proud to be introducing my largest body of work since I picked up a camera at age 16 (whew) titled, The Hope of New Flowers… In this multimedia project I explore the life of my father, Tesfaye Leka, beginning as a shepherd in rural Ethiopia to later rebuilding a new life in the United States. During the 1970s Derg regime, my father participated in Ethiopia’s civil war as a guerrilla medic, fled to become a refugee in Sudan, and eventually became a physician in California. Through film and photography, I’ve been able to document contemporary moments that echo my father’s memories and revisits significant locations of his life in Ethiopia. Included are my father’s family and friends that carry their own stories as Ethiopian immigrants to the U.S., and as participants in his life. Through the unraveling of the intimate story of my father’s journey of upheaval and hope, I’ve been able to find the stories of many Ethiopians who are rebuilding the legacy and identity of Ethiopia and the Ethiopian diaspora. If you just so happen to be in D.C. on the 23rd of April, I gladly invite you to come to the reception of George Washington University’s ‘NEXT Extravaganza’ where my work for this project will be up for display and fully open to the public. There will also be the work of my class and other art students that are completing their tenure at the Columbian School of Arts and Sciences. The work will also be open to the public to view from April 16 - May 14 The big night is on April 23rd is 6-9 pm…see you there 🙂

Last week’s Eid-al-Fitr at the Turkish Diyanet Center for @washingtonpost

From last week’s story with the @washingtonpost “…shopkeepers at the mall where customers from across the region come to buy clothing, teas, housewares and cosmetics said they have noticed sales are slower amid concerns about inflation in the United States, the war in Iran, instability in other countries and fears of the Trump administration’s ramped-up immigration enforcement effort. Some customers simply have less to spend because they have been laid off or had cutback to their ours are their jobs, the shopkeepers say…” This was a full circle moment for me…The Somali Fashion Center was a class assignment during my first year as a grad student. I kept coming back to the fashion center because I knew it was more than just a place where people bought and sold goods, but it has been home for so many that felt home was once elsewhere. Many of the shop-owners are from East Africa–predominantly Somalian, Kenyan, Ethiopian and Eritrean. They’ve been able to establish roots in the United States and rebuild…their establishments have become both commerce and community. link in bio for more Thank you @hedgpethd & @kaitlyndolanphoto