Don’t ask where I’m from, ask where I’m a local – Taiye Selasi – TED video
Filmed October 2014 at TEDGlobal 2014
When someone asks you where you’re from … do you sometimes not know how to answer?
Writer Taiye Selasi speaks on behalf of “multi-local” people, who feel at home in the town where they grew up, the city they live now and maybe another place or two. “How can I come from a country?” she asks. “How can a human being come from a concept?” [see video link below]
http://www.ted.com/talks/taiye_selasi_don_t_ask_where_i_m_from_ask_where_i_m_a_local? <<<click link above
Taiye Selasi Author
In her writings, Taiye Selasi explores our relationship to our multiple identities. Full bio
Comments
Wonderful read….innovative thinking….😄
TAIYE must be grandaughter/ggrandaughter of the famous leader of utopia or is it Etopia. Loved her insightful perspective of “world without borders” ….more
please
Thanks Cyril GOL
Our experiences define where we’re from. She breaks our experiences down into the three Rs: rituals, relationships, and restrictions.
For we-Guyanese who still have problems with our national identity, she says that national identity is a myth.
Thanks for sharing, Cyril.
For most of us in the diaspora its an eye opener.
For those living in Guyana it takes some effort to understand the message.
Must agree the multi national multi ethnic multi cultural message may not
be so difficult to comprehend. Guyana is all of those.
It’s up to their new kids on the block to promote it.
It will take time for the political classes to adopt.
Que Sera sera
When asked where I am from my answer is always now…..
NABACLAIS
most Guyanese would recognise this as…..
Small village on east coast of DEMERARA river few miles from Georgetown
in the county of DEMERARA in the country of Guyana on the continent of
South America.
The place of my birth as written on my BRITISH EU passport.
Enjoy the expressions on the faces of some immigration officers
as they “read” my passport. Most only look at photograph.
If I wore a hat and sunglasses am sure would be asked to remove it.
Amusing and amazing !😈
Kamtan AKA “alien” or ET
Kamptan, do I detect an extra “a” in the name of that village. I remember Bill Westmaas, always reminding people who spelt his last name ‘Westmass’ that, “There are two “a”s in my ass!”
de Castro: It is Nabaclis – Gaelic for Nabocklish – some Irishman had a hand in dat, I believe.
Ha ha….dem poor irish with the h get blamed for every “sin” on the planet.
Always though it was a Dutch name…..will now have to Google all spellings
to find the fact.
We abused the wesrmass name by separating it…….west masses !chuckle chuckle!