Start with Your Name

Growing up in a very conservative, repressed country and culture, William had difficulty coming to terms with himself and the ways he was different from those around him. Championed by his grandmother, his sensitivity led him to change his name early on in his life and take a new one that felt like a much better fit. Despite rising to fame in the theater and on television, William's growing awareness of his sexuality and the associated shame he felt ultimately led him to make a very difficult decision.

Theme song by Oleksandr Savochka

Additional music by: Anastasia Kir, Sergei Chetvertnykh, Denys Kyshchuk, Zakhar Valaha & Solbox

Youssef has more to tell about his seven-month stay in the Egyptian prison system: what it was like from day-to-day, how the experience changed him and what he learned. In this short bonus episode, Youssef responded to my follow-up questions with a series of voice notes about the terrible treatment he received and his reasons for staying hopeful in the face of very challenging circumstances.

Theme song by Oleksandr Savochka

Additional music by: Ashot Danelyan & Sergei Chetvertnykh

Youssef is in danger and must flee Egypt soon to avoid being detained and imprisoned again. As he journeys further and further from home and from the people he loves, he focuses on resuming and completing his studies and finding a place where he can live in safety.

Theme song by Oleksandr Savochka

Additional music by: Aleksey Chistilin, Sergei Chetvertnykh, Francesco Biondi & Nate Loper

With a flare for acting and the arts, Youssef assumed the role of activist as he entered university in his home city of Faiyum, Egypt. In so doing, he campaigned to keep the university environment safe, even as a new wave of dictatorship gripped the country. He also became a target for the new regime and was detained and imprisoned. Upon his release and after long discussions with friends and family, it became clear he'd have to leave his homeland and become a refugee.

Theme song by Oleksandr Savochka

Additional music by: Sergei Chetvertnykh

Once they reunite in the Netherlands, Yasmin and her family spend nearly a year living in refugee camps before getting refugee status and a new place to live in Amsterdam. Yasmin describes the Netherlands as her second home, but never stopped dreaming about returning to her homeland. That is ... until she made that dream a reality all on her own.

Theme song by Oleksandr Savochka

Additional music by: Ashot Danielyan, Aleksey Chistilin & StudioKolomna

Yasmin's life in Syria is permanently altered when protests and war break out in 2011. It quickly becomes clear that they won't be able to remain in their homeland and will become refugees. Yasmin is twelve years old at the time the war began. She would soon join her family on a journey through the Middle East, trying to find another place they can call home.

Theme song by Oleksandr Savochka

Additional music by: Kostanay & Ashot Danielyan

Mohamed arrives to the Netherlands in hopes of being accepted as a political refugee. He learns that arriving to the Netherlands is only the beginning of this new leg of his journey, as he adapts to life in western Europe, far from family and friends.

Theme song by Oleksandr Savochka

Additional music by: AlexGrohl, Shakib Hasan, Ruud, Maxim Dudchik & Sergei Chetvertnykh 

Forced from his Egyptian homeland as a teenager, Mohamed escapes to Qatar and is reunited with his family. They hope to be able to stay together and wait for democracy to return to Egypt. The moment is short-lived, however, as Mohamed learns he must leave his family again, in search of asylum.

Theme song by Oleksandr Savochka

Additional music by: Sergei Chetvertnykh & Shakib Hasan

Welcome to the Start With Your Name podcast. Each episode of this program will feature an immigrant, refugee and/or asylum-seeker. The conversation will offer guests an opportunity to delve into their past and shed light on the circumstances that led them to seek out a new life in a land far from their own.

Theme song by Oleksandr Savochka