This Being Human

Ali Hassan is a stand-up comic, actor, and host of both 'Canada Reads' and the CBC Radio show 'Laugh Out Loud.' He talks about Canadian fame, being forced by his children to face difficult questions about his identity, and why he came to think of himself as a "cultural Muslim."

His upcoming memoir is called 'Is There Bacon In Heaven?'

If you enjoyed this episode and want to learn more, go to agakhanmuseum.org/thisbeinghuman

Additional resources:

Visit Ali’s website:
https://standupali.com/

Listen to Laugh Out Loud:

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/laughoutloud

More on Is There Bacon In Heaven?:
https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Is-There-Bacon-in-Heaven/Ali-Hassan/9781982149178

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Under the name Aerosol Arabic, Mohammed Ali became a pioneer in blending street art with Arabic script and imagery. He has made murals, installations, and theatrical productions around the world, from his native Birmingham, UK, to the US, Australia, and even the Vatican. He talks about developing his style and why he believes graffiti is both an ancient art and an innate part of humanity.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to learn more, go to agakhanmuseum.org/thisbeinghuman

Additional resources:

Watch Mohammed’s TEDxTalk at The Vatican:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhZlZizd2HA

Learn more about his project Waswasa, which you can visit in Birmingham, UK from August 25th to September 3rd:
https://www.birminghamhippodrome.com/calendar/waswasa-whispers-in-prayer-2/

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With her band Alsarah and the Nubatones, Alsarah brings a modern sensibility to the music she grew up with in Sudan.

She talks to host Abdul-Rehman Malik about developing her unique sound, the music she carried with her when she left home, and how the public library played a crucial role in her artistic awakening.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to learn more, go to agakhanmuseum.org/thisbeinghuman

Additional resources:

Watch Alsarah and the Nubatones perform at NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daXGLo4aeFQ

Find more of Alsarah’s music and videos here:
https://lnk.bio/alsarah?fbclid=IwAR0wOUkkT2Bb4rFe44nmoFLAAE5yqf7Pb36-JuKE4Ckgcbw0QL3FaX43nT4

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Elamin Abdelmahmoud's new book "Son of Elsewhere" is about struggling to find a place between two worlds: his birthplace of Sudan and his home in Canada. He talks to host Abdul-Rehman Malik about what it was like to show up in an Ontario town as an African pre-teen who spoke no English; how WWE wrestling gave him an entry point to Canadian society; and why he wants his daughter to grow up feeling the burden of being from "elsewhere."

Elamin Abdelmahmoud is a culture writer for BuzzFeed News and hosts the CBC podcast Pop Chat.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to learn more, go to agakhanmuseum.org/thisbeinghuman

Additional resources:

More info on Son Of Elsewhere:
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/611405/son-of-elsewhere-by-elamin-abdelmahmoud/9780771002229

Read Elamin’s essay “A father's letter to an infant daughter: 'I wanted my last name to be a burden'”:

https://www.macleans.ca/opinion/a-fathers-letter-to-an-infant-daughter-i-wanted-my-last-name-to-be-a-burden/

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Gulshan Khan talks about her path from advocacy to becoming an acclaimed photojournalist. She also discusses her ongoing project documenting Muslim culture in South Africa, and how apartheid, which ended in her childhood, continues to affect her country.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to learn more, go to agakhanmuseum.org/thisbeinghuman

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

The Things We Carry With Us, Gulshan’s series on Islam in South Africa:

www.gulshankhan.com/the-things-we-carry-with-us

Time’s 100 best photos of 2018, including one by Gulshan:

time.com/2018-photos/

Gulshan’s Instagram:

www.instagram.com/gulshanii/?hl=en

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Mark Gonzales is chair of the Department of the Future, a future design firm, but much of his work involves looking to the past. He believes the key to a better society is not just about the latest technology, but also about things like ancestral wisdom and sharing meals.
 
Mark talks about what he calls "empathy technology," how he overcame trauma in his own life, and why he remains hopeful about the future, despite some of the challenges society is currently facing.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to learn more, go to agakhanmuseum.org/thisbeinghuman

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: 

Website for the Department of the Future:

https://www.deptofthefuture.com/

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Faria Róisín spent 18 years working on her debut novel, Like a Bird, since dreaming about it as a child. She talks to Abdul-Rehman Malik about art, migration, the "new Muslim Renaissance" and how writing helped her deal with childhood trauma.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to learn more, go to agakhanmuseum.org/thisbeinghuman

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Yasir Khan has covered wars, revolutions, and has chased camels through the Australian Outback. As a journalist and documentary filmmaker, he has worked for outlets including CBC, CNN, Al Jazeera and Euronews, and is currently editor-in-chief of Thomson Reuters Foundation. He talks about lessons from his career, including how he avoided becoming the "Muslim correspondent," and how empathy may have literally saved his life.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to learn more, go to agakhanmuseum.org/thisbeinghuman

Further resources:

Watch Yasir Khan’s documentary “Camels in the Outback”:

https://www.aljazeera.com/program/al-jazeera-world/2014/12/26/camels-in-the-outback

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Aïda Muluneh's photographs are almost like paintings, featuring women in majestic outfits and facepaint, set against vivid, stylized backdrops. She talks about developing her artistic voice, the role of spirituality in her work, her series on Islam in Ethiopia, and what she thinks Westerners get wrong about African art.

Aïda Muluneh is the founder of the Addis Foto Fest in Ethiopia and the company Desta for Africa Creative Consulting.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to learn more, go to agakhanmuseum.org/thisbeinghuman

Additional resources:

See Aïda’s work on her website: aidamuluneh.com

Aïda’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aidamuluneh/

Addis Foto Fest: http://addisfotofest.com/

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Farah Alibay often sounds more like a philosopher than an engineer. She works at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where she helps operate the Perseverance Rover, which searches for evidence of ancient life on Mars. She talks about how her job has changed her views of Earth, her rise through a male-dominated field, and why she thinks the prospect of extraterrestrial life raises major questions around how we understand humanity.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to learn more, go to agakhanmuseum.org/thisbeinghuman

This Being Human is generously supported by The Aga Khan Museum. If you would like to support the Museum, please visit https://agakhanmuseum.org

Additional resources:

Follow Farah on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FarahAlibay

Follow the Perseverance Rover on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NASAPersevere/

Read more about the Perseverance Rover: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/

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