Barton Family Foundation helps groundbreaking bilingual memoir reach the world

Yirga Gelaw Woldeyes is scheduled to appear at national and international writers festivals this year thanks to a new travel fellowship supported by the Barton Family Foundation.

CEO of Fremantle Press Alex Allan said the fellowship would give festival organisers the freedom to take risks on unknown debut Western Australian authors. She said, ‘Our festivals are doing a lot with a little, so travel support can be very impactful.’

Corinne Barton said, ‘We want to see more authors like Yirga – hopeful, engaging writers who invite us all to challenge ourselves to think anew – getting in front of audiences across the country and taking their place alongside established “names”.’

Winner of the 2024 Hungerford Award, Trials of Hope (የተስፋ ፈተና) is a groundbreaking bilingual memoir that challenges how we think about belonging and language.

Yirga says his book may be different from the usual Australian story, but this difference is what makes it an important Australian story. He adds, ‘Some may think that what makes the book exceptional is the inclusion of Amharic, a foreign language. But Amharic is not an exception. English too is a foreign language to this land. The book disrupts the attitude that considers Amharic as foreign but English as native. It also reminds us that in this country, not all languages are equal citizens. If there is a European way of becoming an Australian, shouldn’t there be an Ethiopian way of becoming an Australian too?’

Stay tuned to find out where you can engage with Yirga at a festival near you.

The Barton Family Foundation is an active member of Western Australia’s community, helping arts organisations such as the Perth Symphony Orchestra and supporting the Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation. They are also a founding partner of the Books for Little Bookaburras program, which inspires a love of reading and provides 4,500 WA children a mini-library to call their own.