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Oral history interview with Irakoze Diane

 Collection
Identifier: SR12308

Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with Irakoze Diane was conducted by Sankar Raman on December 14, 2018. The interview was recorded for The Immigrant Story, an organization that documents and archives the stories of immigrants and refugees in the United States. Julianna Robidoux was also present.

In this interview, Irakoze Diane discusses her family background in Burundi, and the reasons her parents came to the Democratic Republic of Congo, then the reasons her family fled to Tanzania shortly after her birth. She speaks about her early life in a refugee camp in Kigoma, Tanzania, including living conditions, her education, and daily life. She describes the process of applying for refugee status in the United States. She also talks about the death of her sister in 2010, and how that experience influenced her choice of college major. She discusses traveling to the United States in 2007 and settling in Milwaukie, Oregon. She talks about adjusting to life in the U.S., including learning English and trying to fit in. She speaks about her education in public schools and her involvement in various extracurricular activities. She discusses her decision to attend Portland State University and talks about her college experience. She closes the interview by talking about her family and her plans for the future, and shares advice for other immigrants.

Dates

  • 2018 December 14

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Joint copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society and The Immigrant Story. Use is allowed according to the following statement: In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/

Biographical note

Irakoze Diane was born in Nundu, Democratic Republic of Congo, in 1995. Shortly after her birth, her family fled to a refugee camp in Kigoma, Tanzania. In 2007, her family received refugee status in the United States, and they settled in Milwaukie, Oregon. She studied public health at Portland State University.

Extent

1.1 Gigabytes (1 audio file (WAV, 1 hr., 42 min., 37 sec.))

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Oral history interview with Irakoze Diane conducted by Sankar Raman on December 14, 2018, for The Immigrant Story. She talks about her experiences as a Burundian refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of The Immigrant Story, June 2021 (RL2021-057)

Bibliography

An article about Irakoze Diane, "Be Whoever You Want to Be" by Julianna Robidoux, was based on this interview and published on The Immigrant Story website at https://theimmigrantstory.org/be-whoever-you-want-to-be/.

Creator

Title
Guide to the oal history interview with Irakoze Diane
Status
Completed
Author
Sarah Stroman
Date
2022
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid is written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library Repository

Contact:
1200 SW Park Ave.
Portland OR 97205 United States
5033065204
5033065240