Sambusa

Sambusa (1995)

Lead Artists: Nick Szuberla in collaboration with the Kassa Family in Toledo, Ohio.
Additional documentation: YouTube version of the full film, 19 hours of archival footage. 

I invited two sisters, Meheret and Robin Kassa, who had immigrated from Ethiopia to the industrial midwest city of Toledo, Ohio, to chronicle their family's life. They agreed to take on this task using a Hi8 Sony video camera. Their footage captured various aspects of their daily life, such as cooking, school activities, and insightful interviews with their parents.

To enable them to enhance their skills and storytelling abilities, I provided guidance on operating the camera, particularly using the playback function, which fostered a self-learning feedback loop. The camera remained in their possession for over four months, during which they alternated between actively using it and sometimes leaving it aside.

Throughout the project, I communicated with the sisters through phone calls, offering prompts and brainstorming sessions to help them explore new ideas for their next recordings.

This initiative served as an early youth media project, empowering people to tell their own stories in their unique and authentic way. It was a compelling exercise in self-expression, allowing Meheret and Robin to showcase their experiences and perspectives as they adapted to their new life in Toledo, Ohio.