By Annie Rose Hanson,
Annie Rose Hanson – Bio
Having received a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts from the Corcoran College of Art and Design in 2013, Hanson turned her attention to the world around her. She is a Global Citizen who believes in the power of Gastrodiplomacy to bridge cultural gaps. She most recently spent 4 months in Casablanca to learn how to make Moroccan pastries in the hopes of pursuing her own business venture, and came away with new cultural experiences and lifelong friends.
Annie Hanson is currently a graduate student of the MAIS Social Entrepreneurship program at George Mason University. She also interns at “Women’s E-Learning for Leadership,” an organization which has the vision to empower educated women around the world to become leaders within their communities via E-Learning.
Capstone Project
Language is an enormous part of any culture and I am both intrigued and concerned at the current status of the Tamazight language. The majority of my friends who speak this language have expressed their frustrations with the lack of resources currently available, and struggle with the uncertainty of whether their children will be able to communicate with members of their family. Friends are the family that you make and I don’t want this beautiful language to die with them.
My past experiences in North Africa, specifically Morocco, have made me curious to learn more about the Amazigh Communities residing in the US. Being immersed in the culture for an extended period of time has inspired me to, not only share this beautiful culture with people within my community, but to collaborate with various Amazigh organizations to promote and preserve the Amazigh culture, benefit the local Amazigh communities, and create a cross-cultural dialog.
Project Goal
The ultimate goal of this will be to create an accessible documentary/video series that will show members of the Amazigh community (who reside in the United States and Canada) that there is an interest in this language, there are resources available, and that there are change makers within the Amazigh communities who are fueling the progression of Tamazight in North America.
The most ideal outcome would be to encourage and inspire people within the Amazigh communities to become agents of change and contribute to the passing of this valuable linguistic knowledge to the next generation.
