Anne Hoiberg's latest book, Tears of War—Stories of Refugee Women, packs an education and a call to action. To further that call, she has teamed with a local theatre group to bring the message to others at the same time as another worldwide effort to promote understanding of refugee and asylee issues will take place in San Diego.
From November 3rd through the 5th, Little Amal, an 11-foot giant puppet, visits San Diego to showcase her role as a refugee successfully surviving the harrowing journey from war to peace. Vantage Theatre serves as a local partner of Little Amal’s visit. The refugee puppet was created by the British production companies, The Walk Productions and Good Chance, in collaboration with the South African Handspring Puppet Company.
To honor Little Amal, Vantage Theatre's Executive Director Dori Salois and Anne Hoiberg are presenting a unique performance highlighting the stories of six refugee and asylum-seeking women from Anne’s book, Tears of War—Stories of Refugee Women. The women will present their stories of fleeing their war-impacted country, surviving the horrific journey to refuge, adjusting to a refugee camp or a neighboring country, and resettling in San Diego.
Please join Vantage Theatre’s presentation on Saturday, November 4th, at 3 p.m., at the La Jolla Library, 7555 Draper Avenue, La Jolla. To reserve a seat, please get in touch with vantagetheatre@gmail.com or 858-461-8552. A suggested donation of $20 can be processed at http://vantagetheatre.com/wordpress/donate or with cash at the door. Proceeds will be contributed to Casa Cornelia Law Center (a pro bono law firm for asylum-seeking migrants) and to the six refugee women. After the program and during the reception. Anne will sign her book, Tears of War ($20.).
Anne Hoiberg received a grant from California Humanities to create a play, documentary films, and the book, Tears of War—Stories of Refugee Women, which Montezuma Publishing published in December 2022. Tears of War highlights the strength, courage, and resilience of thirty-seven refugee and asylee women originally from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. These refugee or asylum-seeking women from fifteen different countries responded to Anne's interview questions about the terrifying journey from war to resettlement in San Diego. The book also includes a brief history of the country from which they fled. The histories of the fifteen countries provide a backdrop for the emotional stories of these women and the impact of colonialism and civil war on their lives.
The powerful stories include many successes of refugee and asylee women overcoming the challenges and establishing new lives and careers, many devoted to assisting others. Some stories do not yet have similar happy endings. All are stories of determination and will to survive and thrive.
