An astonishing lecture-performance by novelist Gabriella Ghermandi took place yesterday at Northwestern University. She caught the attention of a wide audience, mostly made up of students and teachers interested in the theme of immigration and cultural exchange. She combined her free speech about her family, childhood and the history of Ethiopia with the reading of some extracts of her novel “Queen of Flovers and Pearls”. She also showed her abilities as a performer by singing some traditional songs of her country and gave a visual representation of her being Italian and Ethiopian at the same time by changing her clothes on the scene. This moving performance ended up with Gabriella sharing bread with the audience, just as is supposed to be done with friends in the Ethiopian tradition.
