25 September 2019

‘My Name Is Why’ – perfect birthday gift



ለምን ሲሳይ እና ዘፍጥረት 
I am not that good at choosing a birthday gift or gift of any type. This is partly because I hate shopping and the stress associated with it. My son’s 15th is something to celebrate and once again some work to look for a perfect gift to the big boy.

As my son turns 15, I thought I should look for a surprise gift so fitting that he remembers it for a while. I didn’t know how, but I had to. Once again, I had to resort to online shopping. Hence after some deep thinking and consultations, I thought I should book some exciting show as a gift and see his reaction. I looked for events we can both go to and enjoy whilst it is something that could inspire him. As soon as I knew Lemn Sissay would have an event in London, I thought that would be a great opportunity. Yes, I was right. It really paid off.

ለምን ሲሳይ
August 31st at Rich Mix in London was astonishingly beautiful. It was a day of poetry, moving stories by the one and only one Lemn, great azmari bet music by Zewditu and contemporary music by DJ Sami, hosted by Selam Amare and co. Above all my son had the opportunity to get his signed copy of Lemn Sissay’s newly published memoir ‘My Name Is Why’.  Both my son and I have had chance to read this heart wrenching and astonishingly breathtaking book and chance to reflect on life and the misery and blessings associated with it as we live our daily lives. Happy that I decided to go for it. ‘My Name is Why’ is indeed a perfect birthday gift.

If you’re thinking of a small, but memorable gift, go for this great book. Happy reading!


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