Laotian American Organization And Refugee Nation

Tuesday, January 19, 2010



Refugee Nation is finally coming home (thanks Leslie).

A mother lives in the darkness of a South Los Angeles apartment. An Army General struggles to forget a lost war. A son battles in the streets of urban America. Refugee Nation is about a young generation struggling to understand their history and the silence of an elder generation still healing from the traumas of the U.S. waged Secret War in Laos during the Vietnam War era.

More than just a telling of Laotian American history, the two-person performance eloquently touches upon crucial issues relating to the refugee experience, assimilation, generation gap, and mental health by interweaving drama, film, music, and audience interaction. The result is a product that not only brings to light the hidden stories of Laotian Americans around the U.S., but one that is able to unite people from all types of backgrounds, ethnicities, and histories by relaying the ideas of change, loss, struggle, healing, and the unrelenting strength of the human spirit.

As we welcome a new decade, the Refugee Nation continues to grow. With the certainty of new refugee arrivals coming from the Middle East, what can we learn from the wounds of a war 30 years ago that are still yet to be healed?

The event is free and open to the public. The show will run for 60 minutes and will be followed by a 30-minute Question and Answer session with the artists.

Official Facebook Event Page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=265547966604

Parking information: Ackerman Grand Ballroom is conveniently located next to UCLA Parking Lots 9 and 6. All day parking permits may be purchased at the parking kiosk on Westwood Blvd. & Strathmore for $10. Pay by space parking is also available in Lot 6 at the same daily rate.

For more information, please contact Leslie Chanthaphasouk at laoatucla@gmail.com or 714-383-4543.

The following event was made possible through the following campus partners: Campus Programs Committee, USA/BOD Programming Fund, UCLA Asian American Studies Center, UCLA Center for Southeast Asian Studies, and Critical Asian Pacific Islander Students for Action (CAPSA).