“I think I really liked the fact that our house was always open, and people would literally always be coming in. Like when my uncle would leave, my cousin would come in, and there was a constant inflow and outflow of people. The house always felt very full, very warm, and full of life. Everyone would come to get food, to the point where people would keep taking our tupperware, and not give it back.” #AfricansofWashU #AfricanPride
“My mom is Nigerian, she’s Esan which is a really small area out of Benin State, and she is a princess, so therefore I am also, and we have that heritage of royalty, which had a big influence on me as a child. Growing up, we would all have nicknames, and my mom would call me her pretty princess. Especially growing up in spaces where being black isn’t seen as beautiful, it’s nice to always have that instilled in you that you are no matter what.” #AfricansofWashU #AfricanPride
“I wouldn’t be the same person I am today without all the things that my parents brought back from Egypt, and I was privileged enough to experience throughout my childhood. I’m Muslim, I have the religion, I have all the same values, I speak Arabic, I go back to Egypt often, and though I still feel a little bit like an outsider, it still feels natural, like I’m actually at home, these people know who i am and my culture, what I was raised in, the music, the culture, everything, I feel very much a part of it.
I’m a little bit more like my dad, we have the same sense of humor and taste in music. We listen to a lot of Egyptian songs, like Aranyadeb, and a lot of Mahragan, which is a new style of Egyptian rap coming up in the streets in Egypt. We also both have the same passion for soccer!” #AfricansofWashU #AfricanPride
“I wouldn’t be the same person I am today without all the things that my parents brought back from Egypt, and I was privileged enough to experience throughout my childhood. I’m Muslim, I have the religion, I have all the same values, I speak Arabic, I go back to Egypt often, and though I still feel a little bit like an outsider, it still feels natural, like I’m actually at home, these people know who i am and my culture, what I was raised in, the music, the culture, everything, I feel very much a part of it.
I’m a little bit more like my dad, we have the same sense of humor and taste in music. We listen to a lot of Egyptian songs, like Aranyadeb, and a lot of Mahragan, which is a new style of Egyptian rap coming up in the streets in Egypt. We also both have the same passion for soccer!” #AfricansofWashU #AfricanPride
