Yossi Vassa Comedy Show

Comedy and tragedy
Israeli one-man show endearing
By: Gisel Saillant, Collegian staff
Posted: 2/8/08

Carrying a blue suitcase in his hand, Yossi Vassa walked on stage Wednesday night at the University of Massachusetts Student Union Ball Room and unpacked his journey from Ethiopia to Israel in his one-man show, "It's Better in Amharic." With humor and realism, Vassa retells his experiences of growing up in essentially two cultures are linked with his Judaic faith.

In the show, Vassa retraces his childhood, his journey to Israel, and his pride for both cultures as a Jewish Ethiopian.

"A 3-year-old kid who doesn't work [in Ethiopia] is unemployed," Vassa said, as he explained the responsibilities he had as a child in the village of Uzava in the northern part of Ethiopia. "We have two weeks of childhood. When I was seven, I was already a shepherd."

Vassa explained how, in Ethiopia, the elders in the village receive respect from everyone. Every year counts, according to Vassa. If a 5-year-old child eating a banana bumps into an 8-year-old child, he automatically has to share it with the older child. "Your father [is] master; your grandmother [is] god," Vassa said is the inherent respect your family must receive.

With the help of background music and sound effects, Vassa smoothly transitioned from his childhood into his journey to Israel - a decision made on his grandmother's wish to reach Jerusalem,

This migration occurred in the 1980s which involved walking 400-miles to Sudan, where they would be airlifted to Israel. This operation was called "Homeward Bound" and resulted in the transport of 150,000 Ethiopians to Israel.

"[It took] three months to walk to Sudan. There was not much to eat, and during the day we hid from robbers," he said,of his family's solo nighttime migration to Sudan.

They were then forced to spend nine months in a transit camp before being rescued by the Israelis. "The city inside the desert [was] one big grave yard," Vassa said. His grandmother and younger siblings died.

They reached Israel and made the city of Netanya their home.

"When I first went to Israel I saw so many white people it freaked me out," Vassa said.

Upon arriving in Israel he received a Hebrew name, Yossi Vassa.

Not all of the show focused on eastern culture. Vassa admited that there are some advantages of living in a western country.

"A man can make money by looking good, strange ways people work extroverted. I'm getting paid to talk," he said.

He just arrived in the United States last week for this American tour, which started in San Diego. Vassa has performed this act in Israel many times, with a few performances in English.

When asked about his impression of the UMass campus, Vassa said, "The weather, the people made me feel very comfortable."

"Amharic" was co-sponsored by the Student Alliance for Israel (SAFI) and the Black Student Union.

"[We] brought this performance to show the campus that Israel is not the country you see on the news," said Matt Hoffman, president of the SAFI. "Instead, Israel is a vibrant and tolerant country that is home to Jews from all over the world as well as home to many Muslims and Christians.

Vassa is planning another show called "Andarge" which translates to "one of a kind." This act will consist of several actors and be performed soon on Broadway.

"I'm so happy and excited," Vassa said. "No Israeli performance has had a chance to come to Broadway."