Denan is within the current borders of Ethiopia, in the southeast of the country, close to Somalia.  I spent a few days there working on a project, documenting the cooking practices of some households in the town.  The welcoming we received at each house we visited was warm, sometimes including an offering of food in a village where little existed. 

I’ll never forget that Ogaden moon shining high over Denan during those nights, and I still hold on to the hope that the future of the Ogaden will be brighter than it is today.

To read more about life in the Ogaden, click here:  http://vagoscribe.com/tag/ogaden/

i need some desert in my cheekbones

some searing hot light that pierces me

some gritty dirt and stone under my feet

i need some hard edges that cut the sky

some lines that break the landscape

some bleakness that shouts out to me

“you don’t belong here so come on in

and walk around and make yourself

at home, intrepid stranger of recent times”

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