Eva Cleven
(The Netherlands, 1968) is a presenter, radio producer and podacast host. She grew up dancing and singing, mastered double pirouettes at the dance academy and studied musicology at the University of Amsterdam. Since 2015 she works for FunX, and has reported from Dutch music festivals. She created the podcast Moved by Sound with influencers from the music world and presented a youth program on Dutch broadcaster NPO3. She also took part in the reality-TV programs Expeditie Robinson (in 2019) and Race Across the World (which she won with Hugo Kennis in 2023).
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Everything You Never Asked About Adoption
In Everything you never asked about Adoption, journalist Sharid Alles spoke with writer Ennatu Domingo about her book Burnt Eucalyptus Wood, her quest for answers to her questions about identity, and her connection with her birthplace, Ethiopia.
"Where do you come from? Who are your real parents? Would you like to meet them?" These questions are put to adoptees repeatedly, often excessively, yet seldom touch upon the questions the adoptees themselves ponder.
In this program, Sharid Alles, and Ennatu Domingo, who share a history of adoption, delved into a discussion about the truly relevant topics. What does it mean to construct one's sense of self when the past is unknown? How does growing up in an adoptive family influence the way someone perceives and shapes their own identity? What challenges can adoptees face when trying to understand their cultural and personal identity?
Ennatu Domingo debuted in 2022 with her biographical story Burnt Eucalyptus Wood: On Origins, Language and Identity. At age 7 she came to Barcelona as an adoptee but never forgot her early years in Ethiopia. Her book is full of loving memories yet also shows the socio-economic realities. She impressively depicts the search for connection that many adopted and migrant children know so well.
Sharid Alles is a radio producer, writer, presenter and podcaster. For a dozen years she has worked as a presenter, radio DJ, producer, editor, editor-in-chief, program head and station manager for various Dutch radio channels. She has also recently published two children's books.