“My name is Nora Fakim. I was born/raised in #London. My mum is #Moroccan & my dad
“My name is Nora Fakim. I was born/raised in #London. My mum is #Moroccan & my dad is #Mauritian, of #Indian descent. Ive heard "Where are you from?” my whole life, not only in the UK but also in Morocco & Mauritius. Often people just can’t place me. They can’t figure out if Im African, Arab, British, wonder if Im Asian & why I speak fluent French. My name doesnt help. As a reporter, I’ve been speaking to lots of people of #mixedheritage whove been trying to figure out how they straddle their different cultures & fit into a particular community. Many of them say that one of the most frustrating things is defining their ethnic group. When it comes to filling out official forms, there isnt a box that represents their identity. On the census, I tick “mixed other”, which I don’t think sums me up. Take a look at the box I’ve created to celebrate where I come from: The dodo I’m pictured with is too big, it is a symbol of Mauritius & became extinct in the 17th Century. Mauritius is a #multicultural society with a deep history & mixed cultures. The seashell was my dads. The pink Indian shawl represents the Indian influence in Mauritius & my roots. The #handofhope Fatima was given to me by my Moroccan cousin. Its for protection from the evil eye. The key ring has my name in Arabic. My mum taught me #MoroccanArabic when I was young. It was a way for her to complain about my dad to me since he couldn’t understand it! The book is by Yasmina Khadra. When I was younger, I enjoyed learning about the French influence in N. Africa & understanding why my mum spoke better French than Arabic. But it disturbed me that many N. Africans, who spoke better French than their own Arabic language, were in some way losing their identity. The Berber necklace represents the indigenous Moroccans & shows how diverse Morocco is. The CD is filled with French hip-hop music. I grew up speaking French as well as English. Now for my British side. I used to play tennis so I included my tennis ball & the English teabags I use everyday. The Marantz audio recorder represents my passion for journalism & recording different stories from people I meet on a regular basis” via @bbc https://www.instagram.com/p/CTnEq98lB-U/?utm_medium=tumblr -- source link
#london#moroccan#mauritian#indian#mixedheritage#multicultural#handofhope#moroccanarabic