I have gained a great deal of knowledge regarding identity, bias, stereotypes, and my background, and how that affects my perceptions of others throughout this course. A big takeaway for me is that it is easy to make assumptions about people when we haven’t deeply heard what they’ve lived through. Prior to completing this course I knew what stereotypes and discrimination were, however, I did not realize how easy it was to fall into the trap of stereotyping and making discriminatory judgments, or how much these attitudes have an impact on everyday interactions.

The video I was impressed by was The Danger of a Single Story by Chimamanda Adichie. I learnt from this video that it can be quite risky to have one opinion on a whole population. Adichie gives examples of how stereotypes become more entrenched the more we are told the same story about a given culture or group. The thing I was fascinated with was that these stories weren’t necessarily untrue, but they were not whole stories. This was a real eye opener for me because when you think you know about a particular culture, you may have a limited amount of information. For instance, negative events that happen in certain countries receive a lot of attention in the media, and as a result, these countries are associated with only poverty, violence and conflict. But so much of peoples’ lives and identity is not considered. The video made me wonder about some of my own opinions regarding the differences between cultures, whether they are based in personal knowledge or simply what I’ve heard from others. I learned to be open-minded; that is, to seek to understand and not just take the first tale.

The other video that impacted me was Don’t Ask Where I’m From, Ask Where I’m a Local by Taiye Selasi. This video goes against the notion that nationality is sufficient for a person’s identity. Selasi notes that it is not just our passport or birth country that forms our identity, but our experiences, relationships and places that we feel connected to. This gave me insight into the way that we often reduce a person to one nationality or one culture. Values, experience, and point of view can be very different among two people who are the same nationality. I began to reflect on my own identity and what it meant to be Egyptian – and I’m not everything that is Egypt. Other experiences, relationships and beliefs also shape my identity. The importance of understanding a person beyond their national boundary and knowing them as a person was learnt from this video.

I believe these two videos relate due to the fact that both songs question the classification of individuals. Adichie is concerned with the stereotypes which arise with limited stories, and Selasi is concerned with the fact that identity can’t be confined to one label. They both imparted a lesson in learning to know people, in developing a curiosity and questioning our assumptions. Something I am still wondering is how we are able to break the cycle of thinking we have already been in for years that is biased. I hope to meet people from other backgrounds and get first-hand experience with their experiences instead of what I may see online, or have heard about from stereotypes.

This course has made me more aware of my own biases, and how my background affects my perspective on the world. I think I’m a little bit open-minded, I’m willing to listen to other people’s opinions, but I think I make some assumptions without knowing it. My values and views have been formed in Egypt, which means that most people with different cultures might perceive the same situations differently.

I have one question, can I still be open-minded if someone strongly disagrees with my beliefs? I hope during Soliya, to challenge myself to listen to other views and to think about how I know why I believe some things. I want to be more knowledgeable about myself and accepting of the differences of culture.

I have acquired an understanding of the importance of having empathy, patience and respect for people from other cultures when interacting with them. People have different experiences which shape their opinions, and this is important if you want to communicate with them.

I think one way to be a good global citizen is to respect others, care about things outside my community. But I’m still puzzled on how to approach when views are so different. I hope to learn how to communicate and build up my confidence in discussing sensitive topics, as well as expressing my opinions in a respectful manner, through the Soliya programme.

If Palestine or the Middle East wars came up in Soliya, i think it could get emotional as they might have different opinions. All this is near and dear to my heart, and I would want to share my perspective and make people understand about the history of these conflicts and the plight of those who are suffering from them.

What I would like to see is everyone speaking with respect to each other, and ensuring that there is a level of discussion that does not involve pushing and shoving, but rather understanding. I would want to speak out my opinions in an unmistakable manner, even if others have an opinion that is different than mine. It would be helpful for me to have a facilitator to keep me in a respectful place and to have credible historical sources accessible to discuss these sensitive issues.

TED. (2009, October 7). Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The danger of a single story | TED [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ihs241zeg&vl=en Selasi, T. (2015, October 20). Don’t ask where I’m from, ask where I’m a local | Taiye Selasi [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYCKzpXEW6E