Narrator: Darara Gubo

Date: 07/24/19

Location: Atlanta, GA

Content Warning: Violence

Summary: Darara Gubo details her experience moving to the U.S. to teach at St. Thomas University in Miami, where she faced culture shock in what she believed to be a spiritual “desert.” Drawing from her background both in often-violent Ethiopia and working with the Persecuted Church organization in the U.S., Darara speaks of how her Christianity drives her to pursue a life of public service.

Topics: Faith, Family, Childhood, Community, War, Violence, Serendipity, Gratitude, Cultural Adjustment, Christianity, Religion, Persecution, Success/Failure, Employment, Identity, Motivation, Bureaucracy, Race

Outline

Section 1: 0:00-12:23

• Violence - Transition in Ethiopia often occurs through traumatic violence, causing her to reexamine her life goals.

• Serendipity - Is rejected by all but St. Thomas University following her undergraduate education and is able to relocate to the United States.

• Cultural Adjustment - Shocked by American culture in Miami, from drugs and alcohol to dress

Section 2: 12:23-26:22

• Faith - Finds the material conditions to be a spiritual “desert” and begins speaking to God in her own way.

• Community - Begins speaking to others about faith and joins the church community at St. Thomas University.

• War, Family, Persecution - Father was a convert from Islam who became a preacher and was persecuted upon his return to Ethiopia.

• Employment, Persecution, Identity - Begins working with the Persecuted Church and traveled to a variety of areas where religious minorities were persecuted.

• Bureaucracy - Discovers through work with Persecuted Church that American officials are relatively accessible. Meets Mike Pompeo and discusses her work with him.

Section 3: 26:22-39:55

• Employment - Moves to begin radio evangelism

• Race - Darara finds her friends admirable for making a difference in the communities they advocate for by actually moving there, allowing her to see Christianity as a practical and justice-focused tool to resolve community issues and help society.

• Motivation - Darara draws strength from her belief that God “runs the world” and can allow her to achieve anything. Further elaborates that she now feels that to do “more” and to have the “yes let’s do it” attitude is the only acceptable path.

Section 4: 39:55-45:45

• Identity - Darara considers preaching part of her duty regardless of her occupation.

• Cultural Adjustment -Darara finds American Christianity awkward to work with due to the prevalence of Christianity on television instead of adherence to the Bible.

Section 5: 45:45-53:04

• Identity - Recently became a United States citizen and seeks to be a politician.

• Motivation - Feels that God is calling her to be a member of the City Council and to work with her community.

• Bureaucracy - Believes that there is a disconnect between the people and their government and that third party organizations should be built for redirection of requests.

• Cultural Adjustment - Sees the American Dream as the ability for people to access basic needs and exploitation of those living in poverty as “American greed”.

Section 6: 53:04-1:04:45

• Family - Not everyone in Durara’s family converted with her father and has many Muslims in her family. Reconciles religious differences by seeing them as humans as opposed to members of any religious faith.

• Bureaucracy - Sees the work of the Founding Fathers as contingent on the separation of church and state, citing Saudi Arabia as an example of the opposite. Believes religion should never be used to force a populace to do something.