Ep 155 - “I never feel less Arabic or less Black, I am always me.” - Abdurrahman Danquah
Photo: Sharmane Fury and Abdurrahman Danquah on the patio throwing peace signs at Gulf Coast Cosmos.
This week, I am joined by Abdurrahman Danquah aka Abdu, my part-timer at Gulf Coast Cosmos and fellow Mixed cousin. Abdu is of Jamaican and Moroccan heritage. He is a comic and manga nerd, film and photography student, and just a fucking delight!
Check out his photography on instagram @DryHug.
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Transcript from Episode 155:
Sharmane Fury
Hey y'all, welcome to Militantly Mixed the podcast about race and identity from the mixed race perspective. I am your host Sharmane Fury, the busiest mixed race bigender, bisexual, polyamorous, atheists, comic book nerd cat mom, and to time Asian American Podcast Association's Golden Crane award winning podcaster in this podcasting game. This is episode 155. And I don't have a lot to talk about ahead of today's episode, because I really just want to get into it. My guest today is Abdu who is actually someone that I know in meatspace, which doesn't happen very often. And so it was a lot of fun to talk to just someone that I know for the show Abdu is my part-timer at Gulf Coast Cosmos. He is a film student and a photography student. He is a manga nerd. He's of Jamaican and Moroccan ethnicity. And he's just a fucking delight. Like, literally, I have no other way of describing him. Besides being a fucking delight, when I met him a couple months ago, he just came into the shop as a customer, and we chopped it up for like, an hour and a half. And then Byron came in, and he liked him instantly as well. So we ended up interviewing him for a part time position where we hadn't even started to advertise yet. Because we knew we were going to be hiring, hiring a part time or for the holidays. And yeah, we liked him so much, he got the job. So he's been with us for a couple months now. And like I said, he's just a fucking delight. And I think you're going to pick up on that when you hear his episode. So I really want to just get over into that. I do want to warn that it is kind of a heavy edit for me. So there's a few times when it may seem like it jumps pretty quickly in topic. That's because we ended up veering off into shoptalk a few times. And naturally we work together it's going to happen. And and so I cut a lot of that out because it was like having a staff meeting on militantly mixed. So there are a couple places that there are slight jumps in topic, maybe not terribly, but it might be noticeable. The other thing is that I kind of learned something about myself in this conversation that I never realized before. And that is that well, in this case, he is of Jamaican American heritage, like I said, he presents as a black man, most people would assume him to be, quote unquote, just a black man. But you know, he speaks Arabic. He's very much immersed in both of his cultures, in addition to American Miss American culture as well, because he's here, and he was born here. There's a point at which in the episode that he asked his mom about his skin color and why he's not as dark as his father and his mother gives them an explanation. And I didn't pick up on at the time, that he didn't view himself as dark skinned, but that I did view him as dark. Later in the conversation I do I do say something about him being a dark skinned person, which he also kind of missed. We talked about it later on. What I realized is that he doesn't view himself as a dark skinned person, because he views himself in relation to his father skintone. I view him as dark skinned person because I'm viewing him in relation to my father's skin tone. And I realized that my categories of skin tone, start with the basis of my father's I describe it as a medium skin tone. He wasn't like skin, but he's not dark skin. And he's not even necessarily described as brown skin. For me, he's the he's very similar in coloring to Samuel Jackson, who I pretend is my real dad anyway. But I didn't catch this. I didn't know this about myself until listening back in the edit. And I realized I missed how aboute described himself in terms of his skin color, versus how I described him. So I mentioned it to him in a shop earlier today. And he totally missed that I did that too. But it was just one of those things is weird kind of awareness that I ended up developing just in hearing back the episode. So it's really interesting. And I wonder, I wonder what your guys's thoughts are about it, too, because I didn't realize I did it until after I was in bed. So maybe it's nothing but it felt like something when I was in bed. But yeah, I don't really have that much to say much more to add to the intro. Besides, let's just get into it because I like it so much. And I think you'll enjoy a story. But that was just something I noticed about myself that, you know, it's got me thinking a little bit about how I view the skin tone of people and how we're in relation to how they do their own skin tone.You just gotta learn new things all the time.
Before I get into the episode, though, I just do want to remind y'all that Militantly Mixed is a fan sponsored podcast, and it is with your support that we are able to keep the show active, you can support the show by going to patreon.com/militantlymixed, and sponsor as low as $1 a month to as high as anything you wish. And there are different rewards depending on what level you choose. If you choose the $5 a month level, you will gain access to the video versions of the episodes that you're listening to. Right now, in addition to that, I was able to create a cash app after all. So for the folks that don't like PayPal, well, if you do like PayPal, you can go to paypal.me/militantlymixed and drop some coins in a tip jar that way, or you can go to Cash App. And we just have $MilitantlyMixed. If you want to drop some coins in the tip jar that way, I didn't think even make three cash apps because you weren't supposed to like Venmo kicking like closed my accounts because I had multiple accounts for the podcast and for my personal Cash App didn't seem to do that they accepted it. So I have a podcast, Cash App for Militantly Mixed, I have one for bird comics. And then I have a personal cash app as well. So yeah, I learned something new last week as well. Those are the three ways to sponsor the show financially. If you would like to support the show in a non financial way, the way you can do that is by subscribing to the podcast on whatever pod catcher you're listening to, versus just going in and searching for Militantly Mixed every time, the more subscribers we have, the more those podcasters will promote your show internally. So that is a great way to support the show is to just click the subscribe button. You can also rate and review the show which helps also in terms of encouraging the pod catcher to share your show or recommend your show to like podcasts or to people who if they like if they subscribe to another podcast, it's similar, then they'll say if you like this, you may like Militantly Mixed and that is mostly based off a rating and reviewing and subscriptions. That is a free way that you can support the show in a big way. Also sharing an episode with very specific person by saying here's an episode of Militantly Mixed that I think you would like and here's the reason why most people will at least try out an episode if someone says here's why I think you would like this show. Most the time, if you just share a link, a podcast link, people won't listen to it or click on it. But if you specifically say this is a reason why I think you would like this show, they'll probably at least listen to the first part of it. And if they get hooked, they'll stick around. So that is just something that I'm asking for this year in terms of trying to be more intentional about growing the audience. I'm doing the hashtags and the promotions in a lot of different ways. But really word of mouth is the way that the show grows the most. So if there's any way that you can support us by sharing very specific episodes, we're very specific people that will help grow the show.
Outside of that, I want to take a few minutes to big it for something that I want so bad but hasn't happened yet. I recently signed up for pod inbox pod inbox.com/militantly mixed which will allow you to go to the website and record a voicemail for the show. This is something that I can listen to directly or I can add it to the show. And I have always wanted Militantly Mixed to have a call and element. I used to have a paid phone number for the show but that only calls like once every six months. And I used to also tell people just send me a voicemail via email. But that gets tough because the files get too big and people can't really send them to him. So this is a service that you don't have to do anything but go to a website and press record and it'll send the voicemail to me, we have four different categories to choose from one is just general. So if you just have a random message you want to send to military mix. Or let's say there was an episode that really meant something to you, you can say, hey, I really appreciated episode 153. And here's why. Or shout out to the guests that maybe they, their story touched you in some way, shape or form. This way, they get to hear from people how much you enjoyed the episode. But also it just, it's one level of connection between the audience and the show. So I would love it if people started leaving voicemails. The other categories are asked Charmaine, anything. What do you love most about being Mixed and ask for advice, which ask for advice is just a way for you to share something that you might be dealing with within your mixes, and you'd like to know how other people think or feel about it, or what they would do in different scenarios. But mostly, the goal for that is to get more listener interaction with the show and with listeners, as well, so that we can solve some of our issues in community versus being out there and isolation, not feeling like we know anybody else that are dealing with what we're dealing with. I guarantee you, there's someone else on it, that's listening to the show that has a similar experience to you. But the hard way, the hard part about being Mixed in isolation is that you don't know because you can't find them militarily. And it's a way that we can build that community to find people that are similar to us so that we feel a little bit more valid in our identities. And validation within our identities as Mixed people is very common across any kind of mix. And this is one way in which I hope we can reduce that feeling, folks. So please, please, please, please, please. If you're listening to this, and you ever thought there was something you wanted to send into the show, or let me know or you you have an email type but you never sent it or you slid into the DMS or you didn't slide into the DMS wanted to. The new best way of connecting the show is to go to pod inbox.com/militantly Mixed and leave me a voicemail. It will make me I want this omit. I guess without further ado, I ended up going longer than I expected. But without further ado, please join me in welcoming our latest cousin and a fuckin delight.
Abdu jumping in the air with his hand raised on a white background.
And today I am joined by someone that I absolutely adore and is currently employed by Gulf Coast Cosmos comic book Co.
Abdurrahman Danquah
Yeah
Sharmane Fury
Abdu. At the time we hired you. It just kind of came out in the course of our impromptu interview that you were Mixed to. So yeah, you introduce yourself to the audience. And let's get into it.
Abdurrahman Danquah
Alright, so I am a Abdurrahman Danquah actually Abdurrahman Ebit Ozma Danquah's my full name by Abdu, usually, but I'm a comic book manga nerd movie nerd. Photo nerd are they're all that kind of stuff.
Sharmane Fury
Oh, nerds,
Abdurrahman Danquah
they go nerd, you know, and I'm proud of it. No Awards or the fight that yet but I'm going to try and catch up to you.
Sharmane Fury
But you have been featured on something recently. Oh, yeah. I
Abdurrahman Danquah
submitted one of my photos. ID magazine that they post their for their December. What your December looked like a shoe
Abdurrahman Danquah, 21, New York, USA
“Zay in Soho. Peep da gold teeth.” @dryhug
Sharmane Fury
that was you know, shout yourself out more.
Abdurrahman Danquah
Give myself some more credit.
Sharmane Fury
Yes.
Abdurrahman Danquah
Oh, so my mother is Moroccan and my dad is Jamaican. So those are my two Mixes.
Sharmane Fury
Um hmm. And you speak at Arabic.
Abdurrahman Danquah
Yeah and uh "tan takalam - tan hadr". Depends on what your dialect is.
Sharmane Fury
Yes. Because what Arabic I know, I say it to you and you're like, I don't know what that means. And then I tell you what it is and you're like, Oh, it sounds like this
Abdurrahman Danquah
Yeah, cause that's with all the ... Oh man. It's bad. And I get so embarrassed when I'm talking to like Egyptians. They're just interesting. I'm glad you're talking about.
Sharmane Fury
I love that there's so many ways in which I mean it happens in English to where you can speak to someone and just 100% not know what they're saying even though you're Speaking technically the same language,
Abdurrahman Danquah
Right? Yeah, that's how I feel with Jamaicans actually. I have no clue what they're saying. Oh, so thick
Sharmane Fury
is your Dad, Jamaican born or American born?
Abdurrahman Danquah
He' s Jamaican born. But he's lived here for so long. He hasn't had an accent anymore.
Sharmane Fury
Oh his accents gone. Okay,
Abdurrahman Danquah
So certain words, though he'll say really weird. Like, instead of, oh, he'll say, hoe, so it's like she hoes me money. What are you? So like, because Jamaicans will say like, say like that. But everything else is very, very, not speaking at all. Cuz he's been here before.
Sharmane Fury
So. So the way that Abdu and I met is he just came into the shop to be a nerd at a comic book shop. And in less than 20 minutes, I like was like, Hey, I'm gonna be hiring soon. And then Byron walked in and I was like, Can I keep him and then we ended up actually having an interview the very same moment basically that I met you. And even though it's been a, you know, the holidays, where we had a break, and all that other kind of stuff, we haven't really gotten into the flow too much. But you are a member of the team.
Abdurrahman Danquah
Not a family dude. She's like a family like I love this. Pop it up and hanging out chatting with you guys. Crazy. I like I don't even think I'll you to the future. I'll probably have like a better job than what I got. Right.
Sharmane Fury
I'm just glad that you're you came in because there was a couple people I was going to interview for, but I fell in love with the minute I met you. So that's why I'm excited to that I got I have an excuse to put you on any of my shows. Because I don't.
Abdurrahman Danquah
And I'm Mixed. It's crazy, it's crazy.
Sharmane Fury
exactly. So I mean, everybody who knows me through the show knows that Mixedness is obviously a very important thing. I've been doing this podcast for almost four years now. And and so it ends up coming up a lot. I don't know when and how it came up in our conversation. But I was you said something about being Moroccan and I was like, I was like, Oh, I'm, I'm Mixed too you know, because yeah, that kind of stuff. And that we get into it. So I'm glad to have you here. We've had a few conversations about it, but not too much. And it's it's just a lot different. Because usually I'm getting to know the person while I'm interviewing them. And I know you a little bit so
Abdurrahman Danquah
we already, we already close,
Sharmane Fury
we already like this son. So. Um, gosh, I don't even know where to where to start. Oh, when you grew up, uh, you were born here and everything.
Abdurrahman Danquah
I wasn't born in Houston. But I was born in America. Yeah, yes.
Sharmane Fury
But you're a Texan. Yeah. You're basically a Texan. And you, you're here and he's right now because you're going to school you do right for photography and everything like that. I guess let's just get into kind of how it was when you were when you were little? Like What did you understand about yourself? With your two different color parents?
Abdurrahman Danquah
Yeah.
Sharmane Fury
And who you were? Did you did you identify as Mixed when you're growing up?
Abdurrahman Danquah
I mean, even like now it's it's kind of hard to think about think of myself as Mixed. I'm either like, well, all the time. I'm just me right. But then like, it's certain, like areas of groups. Like you don't have either you're either one or the other. So it's like, like, I'm like, almost reminded like, oh, yeah, like these people see me as like a like a Black person. Like, every time I said the N word for somebody I forgot. They were Hey, oh, wait, no, yeah, you're Black. Yeah, I forgot. So
Sharmane Fury
they they identified you more with your Moroccan by the way. It's funny,
Abdurrahman Danquah
but no, when I was younger, I like as a kid I obviously like was aware that like my mom is like, you know very light skinned and that is like super dark. So I asked my mom I remember she told me this was just hilarious. I was like, I was like mom. Like why are my darker like I wanted I want to be Black like my dad like why? Why am I like by the skin skin tone? She She didn't say any words. She got like a glass right? That she put a built in it. And then she got a she was like look this is b She put the milk in it and she got like the you know the chocolate powder or whatever so they just see your dad and she looks at you. So I think after that I was like oh okay
Sharmane Fury
I've seen a picture of your mom though. She No she's not. She doesn't identify like White or anything. I mean, I know Moroccans they have all different shades and skin tones and everything like that because your M ix even in Morocco of African and colonizers and whatever, even the language. We talked about an incident in which the whole time we thought you were speaking Arabic but you were saying something in Spanish. But like how how does she walk around? Does she walk around as a Moroccan or an Arabic identified person?
Abdurrahman Danquah
Hundreds of very, very unapologetic, unapologetically Arab Muslim and just herself. She walks around. She has a hijab on all the time. Yeah, she's she's proud of her Moraccan-ness. Yeah, I mean, she carries herself in that way. And she she also has like an accent, you know what I mean? So it's kind of hard to say hide, especially with the hijab and everything like that, but now yeah, she's Yeah, she's dope.
Sharmane Fury
And you in the time that I've known you, you're you may not be identified, often as a Mixed person, but I see you, I see you flip between, like your your Moroccan-ness and your Blackness, or Americanness. However, you want to break it down throughout the time like you code switch the same way any of us others do, too. But you and I have a different experience, because I've maneuver as such an ambiguously presented person that someone assumes there's something different going on with me. Whereas you are perceived mostly as Black until you start talking. And even and even with the Arabic you speak, I wonder if sometimes people just think you're like a Black Muslim. And so they're not even identifying you with with Arabic.
Abdurrahman Danquah
That has happened before. I think somebody was like, like, they're, they're trying to be like, consider, they're like, Yeah, Black people speak Arabic to like, that's totally normal. Like you don't I mean, it's, it's, we need to be more accepting of Black people. We can get learning Arabic. I was like, did it like me? Like I am Black, but like, Moroccan. So it's like, that's how I know Arabic? Yeah. They're like, Oh, but that's not to do they're trying to be trying to open?
Sharmane Fury
Well, you and I are from different generations. So the way you and I handle it is probably a lot different. But a lot of times in my case when someone's wokeness actually is invalidating I need to take I need to check that.
Abdurrahman Danquah
No, well, yeah, I didn't take offense to it.
Sharmane Fury
But you're also very sweet. So oh, well, you grew up going back and forth, right? Like you. Yeah, you grew up, going back and forth.
Abdurrahman Danquah
Did a lot of time, my parents are also divorced, too. So that also adds a layer to like to everything. So going back and forth with my mom and dad, like it made by my mom, she's like, I'm surprised you know any Arabic at all, honestly, because she was like I didn't, I didn't really speak that much Arabic around you. I guess you're just really good at just picking stuff up and then like going with it building on it. And we traveled to Morocco pretty often. And and I would constantly ask questions, what is this? What is happy? What is this? But what's really interesting to me is that I never, like in either circles. I never really feel like I'm less of like Arab or Black. There was one instance actually where someone was like, no, like, in Arab culture, you are like, You are the race of your father or whatever. Like, all right, that was this will last last semester. That was the first time I ever heard like, really? Yeah, I was like, that's I was like, No, I don't care what you say.
Sharmane Fury
Well, whether you said that. So like there generationally, at least specially here in the States, there's different times in which you were identified at your racial category, no matter what you look like, was identified by who your father was. And there was a lot of cultures in the world that did that, too. So in your case, Jamaicans from what I understand from people that have been on the show, Jamaicans are identified by who their mother is, but Nigerians are identified by who their father is. And so your father is Jamaican but of Nigerian descent. And so you are literally fighting your identity based off of which parent is that culture is dominant. And then, in Arabic cultures, various Arabic cultures, because I guess I can't speak for all of them. But of the few that I know, you are identified by who your father is on paper, like in terms of my birth certificate, I am Black and Japanese because of the two Browns basically, but because my dad's name is listed first on paper, I'm Black before I'm anything else, but also culturally, I'm Black before anything else, because that's how I was raised. So in your case, I imagine depending on where you live in the world, you might be viewed more. Yeah, with your dad's identity than your mom's,
Abdurrahman Danquah
which is strange, because whatever I'm in Morocco, it's that's never really the case. Like, like, I never feel in the best way possible. I never feel Black in Morocco, right? Like, you're, you're Moroccan Moroccan like people will even say like racist things in front of me. And I'm like, a Black, and they're like, oh, wait, yeah. Yeah, it's true. Like my uncle of mine. That was married to it. Like, what is it? Uncle in law? though, I don't know, cuz that was my mom's sister's husband. Right? So
Sharmane Fury
I see what you're saying. So not directly your uncle but an uncle positioned relative?
Abdurrahman Danquah
Yeah, I guess he was, uh, cuz I think my cousin was dating a Black guy at the time. And I was like, Why does your dad No, because the mom, my aunt, she knew she's cool with it. She was like, no, like, he just he just wouldn't trust his Oh, blah. And I just couldn't I couldn't wrap my mind around the fact I was like, There's no way that he doesn't like Black people like, like, you don't be like he's so loving to be and all this kind of stuff. So I asked him, I said, Hey, what would you do for your daughter's like, was like a Black guy? He was like, oh, no, no, like, they're, you know, there's like, they are so abusive. And like, just all these stereotypes. Yeah, it's in front of me. And I was like, I was like, what about my father? You know, he's like, oh, you know, this is like, realize that yeah, you're Black, you know, and like, my dad, like, my dad, like everyone in Morocco, like, respects my dad, because he, he, there's only one mosque in Killeen that he built it. You know what I mean? And he's like, he's, like, always showing love and like, you know, to be like, all these stereotypes just out the window. You know what I mean? So, he was just like, oh, no, not you obviously, like, not your father. But like,
Sharmane Fury
Did that feel like one of the good ones? That I don't like that your uncle was saying? You're not like, oh,
Abdurrahman Danquah
yeah, definitely. Definitely. Definitely. Because I feel like we're ignorant people are so like, associate themselves with the people that they're like, in their like, like, oppressing or whatever the case may be. That they, you know, tend to realize, oh, you know, these people aren't so bad, like homophobic people tend to not actually have a conversation with, you know, gay people, or whatever the case may be. But what they do, they're like, oh, people are human. That's weird. So I don't know.
Sharmane Fury
Yeah. Yeah, that one's a tough one. I used to happen to me on my British side, one of my uncle's who I was very close to as a child, but he's my actual my Nana's brother. So he's like a great uncle. Oh, wow. Right. We he but he and I were close when I was growing up, because he'd come for a visit. And I used to write him letters and stuff. And then I went to go visit him as an adult, which was a whole different experience. Because in the span of the first two hours, I was there, he told about six different racist stories. He targeted the the Jews, the Black people, the Asian people, and the Arabs all in one basic conversation. And there was times when I was like, having to go like, you, you do understand that I'm from the Black side of the fam, like, like, you know, come to visit you love my dad and all that kind of stuff. And it's the same kind of thing. And so like, after that experience, I couldn't even write letters anymore because I couldn't get out of my head, the racism, you know, and how resistant he was to it. Because basically, like it was even down to the case of like having he used to have a supervisor that was Black. And if that supervisor ever told him what to do, he would pass out the supervisor for being like, I'm a White man. Really? Yeah, so he's telling me this story is as if it's a heroic story. And I'm like, Uncle You know that I'm Black right like we're good. And and so I think after that that that for me that experience of like, Oh no, your family is one of the good ones except for your grandfather which is the reason why you're Black like that whole thing makes me feel like I really struggled like I couldn't really keep up the the relationship after that he since passed away too and and but before that there was sort of this like angry letter back and forth situation of like how could you just after all these years not talk to me and I was like, how could you not identify your racism and and in fact, just tell me how you're not racist when you literally told me all kinds of racist things visited you you know, so I couldn't I severed that relationship because I couldn't I couldn't fake it after you know, I at that point basically had no more interesting person because he was already resistant even believing he was racist by saying that kind of stuff. So I think that that's tough when it's happening in your own family because like yeah, these are people that you love. But you when you learn like oh, if I wasn't related to them they actually wouldn't like me for something completely having no I'm outside of the choice of this right like I was I was made this way that that part is a bit tough. So oh, yeah, I I'm sorry that that's
Abdurrahman Danquah
that that's all good. I think they divorced actually. So it works great.
Sharmane Fury
Yeah, so x Ex-uncle I guess that's fine. Yeah, yeah. No, that kind of stuff is tough and with as families inner marry to it, or like, you know, races in our marriage, stuff like that. It gets a lot complicated because you could, you could always be adding someone into the mix that though isn't isn't for you. So that's rough. But in terms of just like your day to day identity, I know that you do kind of default with more like I'm Abdu not necessarily like my categories or whatever, but are there things that make you feel very, like Black Moroccan? Or, you know, like that you can hybrid things up together to feel like a complete this is all my cultures coming together and one thing is there like a food or an activity.
Abdurrahman Danquah
Now it's either it's either one or the other, usually ever, but I'm, like, aware of it. It's like, usually usually I carry myself, like, Bailey, like as a Black man, you know, through life. And then like, but did like, there's like that? I don't know, it's like, I don't know, explain it. Is that Arab? Just, you know, mise en scène or film nerd words.
Sharmane Fury
No, that makes sense to me. I mean, I think I think a lot of people like in my case, because I'm not perceived necessarily as Black by Non-Black people, you know, if they're, if they're not looking at me or something like that, that. That's why it comes out so often of like, before you get into any nonsense in front of me. Black-Japanese. So yeah, that being said, like, I grew up predominantly Black communities around Black people. And I feel more comfortable in those spaces than then outside of it. But looking the way that I look, I would, you know, on the surface think that maybe I would fit more into an Asian space, but I never feel less Japanese than when I'm around Japanese people.
Abdurrahman Danquah
Yeah, that's crazy, dude. So that really does,
Sharmane Fury
Yeah, it's a different like you and I have a totally different experience, which I think is fascinating. Like, this just goes to show people who listen to the show, like how much you cannot pin down with Mixed experiences, because depending on how we appear, we could be totally different. I'm typically really accepted in Blackness, on occasion, not but not enough to where I were, I would say, for me, I'm not Black enough for Black people, I'm not, you know, like, I'm not Asian enough for Asian people, which is usually like the biracial kids plight of not being enough of one of the other. I don't experience that because I tend to be really accepted, even though I'm ambiguous presenting, except when I'm in an Asian space, or in which case, like, actually, well, I'll even correct that. In a Japanese space, I'm not Japanese enough. In an Asian space, I'm getting there, I'm finally getting to be Asian enough in Asian spaces, because I do a lot of Black Asian solidarity work. And in those cases, they're set up for the crossover of like Black and Asian people actually need to unite against you know, White supremacy against these things, or whatever. So in in spaces, where now somebody has an Asian identity, which is very specific to America, I think, because we're not Asian back in Asia, we're Asian when we leave Asia. So if I go to an American, Asian American space, I'm Asian, if I go to a Japanese space, I'm not Japanese. So that's, that's the difference, I think, between what you experienced and what and what I experienced, even though skin tone wise and things like that look a little bit more like them. Yeah. Although in the face, I don't,
Abdurrahman Danquah
I hear that a lot with a lot of friends that I have, who are big swing Asian, like, I have some friends that are in like, either Asian fraternities, and they're like, they're, you know, Mixed, Black and Asian, and they told me to how they struggle, sometimes with that, because they are, you know, either saying racist things or just not accepting of that person. Or like, even I think it was a friend of mine that was that's Asian and White, who was in a, in an organization, or club or something like that. I was like, predominantly, like, aged, orientated type deal. They I forgot how it went, but they were like, we're not we are not accepting of, like White people in our spaces or some like that. But it's like, hey,
Sharmane Fury
yeah, no, it's a big thing. And in a lot of Asian cultures, where they're not really accepting of their Mixed people, but then they also have a hierarchy. It's a lot easier to be Wasian than Blasian.
Abdurrahman Danquah
Oh, I bet dude. Yeah, yeah.
Sharmane Fury
So things like things like that definitely come come to play. But now that I'm engaging in more Asian American spaces, I think the invalidation that a lot of Asians feel as Americans are actually make creating solidarity amongst us. Versus if I like, legit try to walk into like, a Japanese space and be like, "Watashi wa Nihonjin desu." You know, like, and then they're like, yeah, that's how did you learn that? Who taught you that way. Yeah, but But yeah, so let's talk about how you nerd because you're really into manga. Yeah, yeah. And stuff like that. Does does your nerdiness at all come at? Do you feel like your cultural or your heritage stuff coming into play at all and your nerdy nerdiness
Abdurrahman Danquah
Oh, you know, what a lot of so. All these like memories are coming in. So there's are nerds everywhere, right? So and just like in every space like I remember when I whenever I go to Morocco, there's this place called a cyber bar, because C bar and like now down the street. Now give like $1 not stay there like for five hours. And I would just like watch, like One Piece or whatever, like whatever show and like people will come in because like one piece is huge for some reason. It like Morocco like everywhere that really Yes. Huge, huge people love One
Sharmane Fury
do you listen to it in, in Japanese with Arabic subtitles or Arabic?
Abdurrahman Danquah
I can't read Arabic that fast. I can read Arabic but like, I'd have an Arabic as hard
Sharmane Fury
same my Japanese. Yeah,
Abdurrahman Danquah
so I watch a regular, you know, on my anime sites or whatever. But like, then there's like, Oh, you're watching what piece like, Yo, like, let's chat about it. And like, I'll be this like conversation with this guy like Naruto, like, da da da da da. Now like in America, a lot of it's becoming a lot more accepting for like Black people to be like, huge nerds. Like, I told you about Arty C, the Dream Con stuff that they do. That's really that's really cool. Because I'll go to that. And like, it's just, well, obviously, there's more than just black people there. But you know, it'd be like, right, Black people.
Sharmane Fury
It's not as often like looking at a Black Nerd. Like, what are you doing here?
Abdurrahman Danquah
Right, right. And I remember I remember like, you know, it'd be like, back in like middle school or something. Like, instead of like, doing a gym or whatever, I'll be like watching anime, because that all what does he do? You know, it'd be like, Why are you watching that? Oh, but then, you know, now it's like, it's cool. So it's all good. It's so like, more people are willing to come out and be like, Yeah, but No, I'm okay with that. And so it's like, all these Black people is super dope. So yeah, I feel like it every, like, every race in every, you know, part of the world is going to be under you don't. So yeah, it's cool to navigate through.
Sharmane Fury
It's definitely a different time from when I was growing up. Because like, being a nerd was not okay. Being in the comics was not okay. Meanwhile, come to find out as an adult, we were all reading comics. We're just keeping a secret from everybody, because we were trying to be hard and shit like, but one place I could get a pass was in anime and manga because I was a Mixed Japanese person. So they would be like, That's not nerdy. She's just being Japanese right now. But if they knew that I was like collecting X-Men comics or something like that, or Batman or whatever it would be like, what's going on? So my other show BLERDcoMIXed with my with my, my podcast partner on that we were friends since we were eight. But we didn't know that the other one was reading comics. We kept it a secret. Right? So like, we're learning that, you know, well, we know it now. But we've been learning that for about each other for last 10 years or so. So I'm excited now that you can exist, that you by the time you walked into Gulf Coast Cosmos, you were already a nerd and I didn't you know, like, I wasn't influencing your nerd shape or form you just rolled up and nerdy. But another great thing about you is because you're up to the more modern manga and anime that's happening. And I only know the shit from when I was growing up. I don't have to work that hard right now. Right? I could be like, Abdu got you.
Abdurrahman Danquah
Yeah, even my friends do. They'll be like, Yo, tell them about this. Well, this was coming out this this and that. Like, I'm actually really good. I got my books back here. I'm reading this was called Good night. Okay, we're free to be honest. He was like, Yo, you guys need to have this this shop. So I was like, Maybe we give this a read. See? Nice. But yeah, so yeah,
Sharmane Fury
you're expanding my horizons too. Because I wasn't like I was pulling together things based off of what people were talking about in the shop, you know, because that is actually something that's been happening is since we opened the doors there's been a lot more Black nerds that are into anime and manga they're like Do you got this you got this you get this? I'm like it's going on the list. Yeah. And and we're starting to build that that section up a little bit more, but I'm really glad that you're there because the research I don't have to do
Abdurrahman Danquah
Yeah yeah it makes it easier on both sides really?
Sharmane Fury
Yeah. No, it's I don't know. I enjoy you. Oh, I have I have enjoyed you the whole time but I'm I'm also I'm not gonna lie. I also really love that you're Mixed to just because like, I get it I know that you're seen as a black boy and all that kind of stuff. Like I get it. I understand. Yeah, that being said, the amount of times you interchange between your English and your Arabic like makes me feel kind of way I appreciate it. I do it too with my Japanese so like to know that. I'm not alone in it or that I'm not always the Mixed one. You know, like, I mean, literally I am I'm branded like I'm out in this world on these Mixedness streets and people know me as as Mixed Auntie Mane, like, I get it. I understand I branded it, I understand. Yeah. But I just enjoy that you're present and that maybe there's not a whole lot of learning that people need to do by you're like, oh, that's just Sharmane being Mixed right now, talking about mixed shit, because I actually got someone else that like, understands what it's like to code switch between cultures.
Abdurrahman Danquah
Yeah, you got somebody on your team. And on top of that, I'm Muslim too, which I feel like because a big thing of that you talk about is how we want to reflect the community and I think Houston has like the t did I tell you about how like is a huge, like sMuslim population .How, like, when I came here, I like I saw some guy like Walmart, or something he had a name tag was like an Arabic. I was like, oh, sound like are you mMslim? He's like, Yeah, I was like, Yo, ssalam o alaikum .Oh, AWa-Alaikum-Salaam Anyway, your total is you don't I mean, they're just like, everywhere, you know, so Oh, cuz
Sharmane Fury
you grew up where you probably were in the religious minority. But now you're saying that you're actually finding people more often.
Abdurrahman Danquah
Yeah, I used to, like keep it a secret almost that I was Muslim. Like, in elementary school, I tell like my really close friends like i You gotta secretly I'm actually Muslim. But like to be like,
Sharmane Fury
this like, also, though, because when you're born, you're born around the time that there's an increase in anti-Muslim anti-Arab sentiment and so you're, you're a product of that generation in a way that's different from someone my age because I watched it happen, right? So I can understand why you would have.
Abdurrahman Danquah
Yeah, no, cuz I remember when I was younger, I thought like, because, you know, when you go to the mosque and stuff there, whatever be taught at home and stuff, it's like, always, like, here, these peaceful things, here's our values and all this stuff. But then it's like, I go to school, we're talking about like, 9/11. And I'm like, that's, you know, literally impossible. Like, how is that even? Like, we like we would not do that. Yeah, so then when I was younger, I thought like, what if like, when I turned 18 They would be like, are we actually got a secret? What's really going behind the scenes, we just got this front. So like, I was like paranoid,
Sharmane Fury
Really. Oh my God, I didn't even think about that as a possibility. But no, it makes sense
Abdurrahman Danquah
It's all peace you're it's all like all love it all brotherhood and I might dude this is this is not matching up with what we're seeing at school. So it's like what, like, what's like, how's that possible house was really right.
Sharmane Fury
Because Because like Christian fundamentalism is not treated like that here in the United States, like literally, most of our major domestic terrorism situations have been White guys that read like the Turner doctrines and all that other kind of shit. And nobody ever checking all Christians on right, the basis of the actions of this one guy, right? Whereas literally anybody who is of even remotely Arabic looking so not necessarily Arabic, because racism for whatever reason, they don't understand who they're racist against. And so like the amount of people that are like South Asian and getting attacked because they think they're Arab, because they can't distinguish between the difference between Islam and ethnicity.
Abdurrahman Danquah
yeah, like, they wrap their heads, right. Yeah, like Sikhs
Sharmane Fury
were getting beat up. Hindus were getting a bit of anybody that was not necessarily Muslim, but was brown in a way that was distinguished as Non-White and I guess American. Yeah, they would hold every Muslim, every Arabic person, every South Asian person, every Persian person up to the standard of exactly answer for your religion. Your religion did this to us when when we have far more Christian domestic terrorism, I think here. Exactly. But you know what I mean, even here in Texas, there's several cases of like, non non Arab, but Pakistani people that were attacked, wow, they were there. They were just living their lives, you know, right. So that that is true. So I understand. I understand what that would happen. But that actually is really great. Because that's a different form of religious trauma. That's not like, Yeah, this is a fear of what could happen.
Abdurrahman Danquah
What could have the it? It's not, it's not even a thought it was just me. But then there's this show called Rami. And, like, one of the episodes he has like this fever dream, where like Osama bin Laden's like, basically, our orderly I feel like his parents like we're, like, all like, this is this is our plan. This is what we're gonna do you know what I mean? So I was like, Oh, come on, I alone in this.
Sharmane Fury
I have not seen this, but I heard it referenced on a podcast called King of the World. And they the it's called King of the world because the guy 's name translates into king of the world and was talking about like his experiences as basically being held accountable for 9/11 on on 9/12. Like he went to school, he's a high school kid, he went to school and three White guys walk right up to him and say, what did your people do? And so like, the way he was treated over the course of the next 20, you know, years post 9/11 always tied back to 9/11 in some way, shape or form, even though you know, he was just a high school kid and Massachusetts that yeah, happened to be Muslim, but you know, that kind of stuff. So it was really good. It's a seven episode podcast, highly recommend it. King of the World. It's really it's a really, really good. But I think it's the lack of information, the lack of understanding about stuff like that, that makes that continued like division between people because I'm, well, I'm an atheist. So I'm, I'm generally I'm not anti belief, necessarily. I'm anti organized religion, right? Yeah. And I am no more or less uncomfortable around Christians or Muslims. Like, the difference is not for me. It's not like one religion is more peaceful than the other or anything like that. For me, it's literally like, I, I personally do not support organized religion. So like, someone's saying, Well, I'm Christian, not Muslim, I'd be like, that means nothing to me. Right? You're like, you're trying to convince me that your religion is, is peaceful is more Yeah, like that. Like, I would never side over a Muslim person with a Christian just on the basis of like, that's the main religion here in the United States.
Abdurrahman Danquah
Right? Well, that's good. I feel like
Sharmane Fury
that's not a thing for me. So it's always surprising when people are surprised that Christians can be viewed in the way that Christians allow Muslims to be. And that's very specific language. I'm using Christians allowing Muslims to be rude. Because I imagine most people are just regular citizens who access the belief system, right? And they're just living their life. But yeah, you end up carrying the weight of some shit that it's just happens to be from fundamentalist from a totally different sect of what? Yeah, your thing in the same way, Timothy McVeigh. And let's, let's not forget them. But yeah, so that's interesting. I, I well so you've just opened up something that like has nothing to do with this show specifically, but I'll be thinking about for weeks now. Of like, oh, like all these little poor Muslim kids that like grew up thinking that they were getting tricked into like, your 18 year old man, you know, what it makes me think of, there's this book series that I was really into called The Passage. The first book is called The Passage and it's a vampire book series, but like science vampires, so they're not like, you know, they're basically like the the US military investigated some kind of thing in in the jungle, and they ended up actually bringing back vampires that they were going to weaponize into, like, their army was now going to be these vampires. Right?
Abdurrahman Danquah
This is a book series?
Sharmane Fury
It's a book series is a three part book series. But the first book really was was what happened. So when the virus they call them virals, they didn't call vampires. They're basic vampires. They call them virals when the virus broke out of the military installation and ended up like annihilating the population. These different safe places popped up were these communities popped up where they protected children basically. So they get like, 100 kids, and now they're living in this community that's got lights everywhere, so the viral don't come attack them or whatever. But what they did with the kids is they allowed them to live in blissful ignorance of the virals in a sanctuary like school set up until they were 11. And then then when they were 11, their teacher would pull them into a room and be like, you know, how we told you when you turn 12 you get to go live with your family and everything's going to be happy and go lucky. Psyche mind, actually, there's this there's this beast out there that used to be human that will kill you and your whole family and some of you will turn into them and some of you will just die. Now go ahead and go out there and be with your family. And so they will be they will be like they will be ripped out of this like blissful utopia.
Abdurrahman Danquah
Wow!
Sharmane Fury
They experience for their first 11 years. And then from 12 on they were basically training to either fight the virals protect against the virals or do like food service or whatever like to keep the community going. But there'll be these pocket communities of like less than a couple 100 people at a time. That's what that makes me think of it's just like you're just there just being like Allah and then 18 comes around us we like Guess what?
Abdurrahman Danquah
Guess what? I bet that story was read by a Muslim dude
Sharmane Fury
I'm so sorry that you felt that Oh, cuz I don't think that would have happened to you if you just got to like, be without it being a whole thing. Yeah.
Abdurrahman Danquah
But it was also just like a small a small part of my life because then at some point I was like, that's not really gonna happen
Sharmane Fury
or like just because they tell me that that's what is that don't have
Abdurrahman Danquah
it's like the you start to learn more about the do wants, like things of like political you know all these like ideaologies and how everyone could Debs pretty much but well
Sharmane Fury
let's talk about let's talk about a little bit of like your art. So I know you're a film student right now you also do photography plus, again, don't forget to mention that you have been featured in ID magazine shout yourself out, put it on your your social media, what's wrong with the
Abdurrahman Danquah
story if that counts for anything?
Sharmane Fury
I mean, put it where it's people can go back to it stories disappear. What's wrong with you?
Abdurrahman Danquah
Oh, maybe, I don't know
Sharmane Fury
You have to shout yourself out! We're always told not too. That's, that's dope, you have this amazing picture in a magazine. Just shout yourself out. So let's talk about how you approach your your art. Is there anything about like who you are culturally, or anything that informs the way you produce the work that you do?
Abdurrahman Danquah
Well, photography right now is just a a baby step for me to become a better filmmaker. But definitely one thing that comes to mind is whenever I write my scripts, I always want to what I have a goal with for when I want to when I want to make movies, I want to have my main characters to be either Black or Arab and have not really I guess, normal dates, like, you know what I mean? Or names that I
Sharmane Fury
am more culturally accurate names as opposed to White supremacy.
Abdurrahman Danquah
Yeah, exactly. So I definitely want to, I want to create a space to where someone is, is Muslim, or someone is Black. Not it has nothing to do with the story. Right? Like, it's just a day in the life. Right? Exactly. Like, but like, everyone's Black, you know, right? And has nothing to do with, you know, it's just like a story. And that's really what I want to gear towards. Because it's like, oh, man, like, I know, a kid named Abdurraham too, like, that's cool. I know a kid named Hussein like for that movie, like, you know what I mean? Like, I that's something I really want to really want to contribute. But when it comes to photography, somebody told me that they're like, Yeah, I could tell that someone, whoever is behind the slides is a Black artist. That's so interesting. Like, I wonder, yeah, I was like, I was like, Cool. Like, I wonder how like, I don't know, I can't pinpoint it. But it's, it's, it's dope to hear his dope to hear. But I tend to, I tend to just really just be myself and try to try to make everyone comfortable. But as when it comes to movies, that's a big, big goal of, it'll be like, if someone's praying in a movie, you know what I mean. And it's not like sound weird. I really want to see that happen. Yeah.
Sharmane Fury
That's always been something like I went to film school too. And that was that I basically wanted to be like the Mixed femme Francis Ford Coppola. Yeah, he's known for creating basically cultural relevant to his culture movies. And he was the filmmaker that inspired me to go to film, school and stuff like that. So I wanted that to be the thing to where it didn't necessarily have to be a Mixed movie, a Black movie, a Black Japanese movie, it's just that the primary characters were going to be a mix of races, because my my existence was a mix of races and cultures and stuff like that, right? Like, that's what I know. That's my normal. So why does it make sense and I still regret this to this day, one of my major films that I made, centered around a White dude. And it in hindsight, it kills me almost immediately. It killed me. But it was that I didn't think I could fundraise. I didn't think that I could get it accepted in places. If it was not about a White guy. Oh, yeah. And actually, it kind of killed my love of making movies altogether, to be honest. So I kind of pivoted after that. That being said, I found my way back into doing that kind of work where, you know, in my case, it is obviously race and culture centered, but it's specifically to expose the fact that there's like, not an archive of Mixed narratives that we don't understand the nuance of of someone's existence like yours, a person who might appear to be, quote unquote, just Black, but actually, you have different cultures going on, you have different ethnicities going on. And, and the way your religion plays into those cultures as well is, is different than, you know, Chad, in any romantic comedy or any dramatic movie, right? And so I think that that that kind of work is important. I would love to get to the place that we could make mediocre shit that just so happens to have Brown people all the way through it all the time, without it being like, Oh, see how this is why we don't let Brown people make movies, because mediocre because white people make mediocre stuff all the time. So like, I'm with you on that, where it's just like, can I just have this slice of life? Or can I just have this romantic comedy? Or can I just have this buddy movie, and it literally just be to Brown people and their brownness is not central to the story. But it is by our very existence? Because
Abdurrahman Danquah
Exactly.
Sharmane Fury
That's who we are.
Abdurrahman Danquah
We're 100% That's exactly how I feel. Yeah,
Sharmane Fury
that's so well, I'm proud of you, that you you're working towards that too. I like that you're using photography as a way to to like, tighten up. Yeah, your film makes it
Abdurrahman Danquah
interesting to even think as I'm like researching more about film directors, a lot of directors start off as photographers and then move their way up. It makes sense because we're accessible. Yeah, that's that's also the big reason why because it's, it's it's easier, cheaper to make a good photo than it is to make a good movie. It is
Sharmane Fury
simultaneously more difficult to tell a good story with a single photo than it is in a film. So you're training a very difficult skill in photography. Yes. That will eventually help you be more concise in your filmmaking.
Abdurrahman Danquah
For sure. I need to think about it like that. Actually.
Sharmane Fury
That's why you got Auntie Mane.
Abdurrahman Danquah
Auntie Mane, Auntie Mane but I don't know how I wonder. I like I think about that every time I shoot down he says, I can tell that there's a Black person behind this lens like what like
Sharmane Fury
that's awesome. That's like a little mantra that you can always Yeah. I love that. I'm glad someone said that to
Abdurrahman Danquah
you for door. I I gotta think about it.
Sharmane Fury
One day is going to explode your brain is someone's gonna be like, Oh my gosh, that's clearly a Moroccan Black guy.
Abdurrahman Danquah
But oh, Moraccan Jamaican artists, right? There are 100% I saw your photo. Yeah. While you're stalking me,
Sharmane Fury
there was a moment for me that I replay all the time in terms of my first like, major like my almost my whole identity was validated and one gesture is I went to this Hafu event Ha Hafus are what Japanese called Mixed people. It's English, it's half Japanese pronunciation Hafu. So I went to this event and there was this Black-Japanese professor across the table at this lunch thing. And so a person introduced me to him. And she's like, she's Black & Japanese too. And he gave me the Wakanda salute, followed by a bow combo combo move. Like just like, it was the most validating moment of my entire life. Like, figured out a way to work in like a bisexual flag, we would have been done. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Like so this gesture forever is my like that is that's my that's the way that I do it. Because that is that is
Abdurrahman Danquah
that do That's right, super dope.
Sharmane Fury
So that's, and I don't like to hug people that I'm not familiar with. So this is what people are gonna get it. They don't know me. It's pretty dope, but we're coming a little bit closer again. So before I ask the question that I asked all of my guests, I sometimes ask my guests, as you've already said, No, but I want you to think about it really, really hard. Is there not a single food combination that you have eaten? Or would be curious about eating that would combine both of your major cultural influences.
Abdurrahman Danquah
I said no to this?
Sharmane Fury
You said no. And at the beginning, I was like, Do you have a food or a thing that makes you feel like it combines everything and you're like, No, but maybe you didn't hear me say food?
Abdurrahman Danquah
Oh, yeah, did not because now sorry to think of all these. I would love like so we're because we make food called couscous. You know you have chicken and veggies at like it's like a grade pasta things like a tiny little
Sharmane Fury
I know couscous. I'm also married to have a Halfabic, right? Exactly.
Abdurrahman Danquah
Exactly but I would oh my god, I would die for a jerk chicken couscous. Like I was just thinking about it oh what would I do
Sharmane Fury
Why haven't you tried it like,
Abdurrahman Danquah
I just thought about it just now. Yeah, I'm gonna, I gotta I gotta well cuz I don't even on it because because it's kind of it's not hard to but you just need certain tools. Yeah. So we're going to go back home and try to learn how to make jerk chicken that me and my mom can
Sharmane Fury
the day you do that. I need you to FaceTime me or call or something. I need a plate. I want to have this experience.
Abdurrahman Danquah
Yeah. Hopefully jerk I need to write that down,
Sharmane Fury
Jerk Chicken couscous, I'm not gonna let you forget. I'm gonna bring it up. I'm like, Have you figured it out yet?
Abdurrahman Danquah
Where's the jerk chicken couscous?
Sharmane Fury
You know, I'm saying we do also have a kitchen in the shop. So desperate times. There's a stove.
Abdurrahman Danquah
Yeah, dude, I'm so like,
Sharmane Fury
Maybe we just go in on a Monday or Tuesday when no one's there. And we sit there and try to figure this meal out together. Alright, so let me now ask you the question that I asked all my guests, we are coming to the end. Because this accidentally just turned into a staff meeting. This is what's so different. Like the flow is so different when I actually know the person everything in real life. Okay, so what I like to ask everybody because sometimes people come through, they're Mixedness through trauma, some people come through it with a lot of invalidation. When not all the time, but I like to end on the question of what do you love most about your Mixed identity?
Abdurrahman Danquah
Ooh...
Sharmane Fury
about being Mixed.
Abdurrahman Danquah
You know what? I don't know. I don't know if this is like a like a love thing. But like, the first thing that came to mind, is I actually enjoy the fact that I can seamlessly blend between the two. Because if I tell a person I am like Arab, they're just gonna they're just gonna think that I am like, both my parents are Arab, but it's just that like, we're from like, a southern southern region or whatever country that we're where there are Black Arabs. I think that's that's why I never really feel like out of you know, certain groups I see. And so, but at the same time, since I am looked as Black first it's a lot of fun to take people off for like a sweet like, you know, like they're just like, well, what? Why don't you you speak some Arabic and just like how is that even possible that you're doing that right now?
Sharmane Fury
Have you ever pretended to not speak English and only speak Arabic to someone because they are they approached you problematically?
Abdurrahman Danquah
I could not only speak Arabic, I could not pull it off.
Sharmane Fury
Imagine if they're coming into an ignorance that they don't actually speak Arabic, you could literally just speak all the Arabic You know,
Abdurrahman Danquah
you be like with like a, like a White person or like just an ignorant person.
Sharmane Fury
Like if anybody tries to devalue you in any way. And you're just like, I don't speak English, but you're saying it in Arabic?
Abdurrahman Danquah
No, I haven't. I don't think I have that low confidence yet. I could do that. That'd be that'd be nervous. I'd be stuttering
Sharmane Fury
Well, they might not know though. Yeah, I know. But I understand how ignorant English speakers can be here other languages.
Abdurrahman Danquah
And they probably make fun of you. Can't even you know, even though just say right, I mean, in
Sharmane Fury
Japanese, like the, you know, filler words like um, and stuff like that. Japanese it's like, ano, ano, ne. You know, like, you throw a couple ano ne's in the middle of something and then you just like, piece together some sentences that, you know, if I looked more Japanese, I would do that shit all the time. I'd be like, "demo mada ja jouzou ja arimasen ano ne Watashi wa yon bun no ichi and what I basically just said was, but I'm not very good yet, with a couple of ano ne's in the middle, which is just filler, kind of. I mean, it means like, we get it. And then on the back end of that, I said that I was Japanese. I particially Mixed Japanese. So like, it's nonsense to a person who understood what I said, but it's not not it. It just sounds like I spoke Japanese, right? So like, you could literally pull up whatever Arabic You know, it's true.
Abdurrahman Danquah
Next time somebody comes at me sideways. I'll just pull up whatever even though what are fillers? I think we say like, well, Egyptians they'll say yadi which is like, like, you know, like was just now like, like group like that. So I don't know what we
Sharmane Fury
figured out your Moroccan fillers yet?
Abdurrahman Danquah
I don't know. But I like the that. But I'm like, like a secret spy. But But
Sharmane Fury
this like that sometimes, definitely does
Abdurrahman Danquah
but I'm accepted and loved by everyone. Well, well, sometimes. I told you about that one time when I was in middle school. With a kid I listen to rap music he's like you can't listen to rap you're you're Moroccan here you're not you're not Black you know? I was like what the heck?
Sharmane Fury
I mean your over here a full dark skinned dude just like what I'm not Black enough?
Abdurrahman Danquah
My fro isn't but even so it's like anyone can listen to rap music dude cool yeah that's funny
Sharmane Fury
well you people will be a nerd in any way shape or form that they can do they can try it but thank you for coming on my show with me. I appreciate you want to tell everybody how to find you and then also promised me that you'll post your thing on your your Instagram so that I
Abdurrahman Danquah
will I will I will. I think I should actually. I'm thinking about it. You're right. But I feel like the easiest way to find me is @DryHug on Instagram.
Sharmane Fury
Dry Hug
Abdurrahman Danquah
Dry Hug. Dry a hug. It's it's there's no level of dampness to it to dry hug. No, no strangers
Sharmane Fury
I just hit my microphone.
Abdurrahman Danquah
Dry hug Instagram. Try my main It's @mybruiseworld. There's no deep meanings to either either of those days. They just sounded cool to be. But yeah, on Instagram. Go crazy.
Sharmane Fury
That's funny. You're such a dork. I love it.