Piecing Together The Fragments: Documenting Forced Migration and Intergenerational Dialogue

When confronted with forced migration, a generational divide emerges—while those who fled seek to start anew, their children grapple with the silences left behind, longing to preserve these histories to better understand their families, identities, and inherited legacies. One such history is that of the Ethiopian Red Terror (1976–1978) a period of violent political repression which led to the deaths of thousands and forced many to flee, dispersing Ethiopian and Eritrean communities worldwide. This paper details the process of Through My Eyes , an interdisciplinary arts project that documents emigration stories as a result of the Red Terror. Using storytelling, photography, family archives, and trauma-informed approaches, Through my Eyes demonstrates the creative ways in which community archives can manifest and thrive.