Lubna ⚜️

Not brown enough.

All my life I have been told that I am not brown or South Asian enough. Yet too much of a PAKI for the white folk, but not Pakistani enough for the Pakistani community whilst being too much of a Pakistani for my Indian side.

Where do I fit in? Who is MY COMMUNITY? I am to religious for the non-believers yet not Muslim or modest enough for the people of my faith despite covering my hair.

Being East African Asian has rarely been welcomed, respected or understood. I have always been proud of who I am and the rich cultural heritage that I descend from. That is my people. We are an ethnicity of our own, being from a third culture is often incomprehensible to most people and the looks on their faces when you tell them where you are from makes you feel like an Alien.

I am tired of performing. I am tired of being a SOUTH ASIAN CREATIVE when I don’t even know what that truly means and have been told I don’t look Asian so how can a represent a community that I don’t feel a part of... Am I not brown enough to represent my community or to be casted, if so then who do I say I am? I am seen as too white washed for my culture when I am in fact a multitude of countries.

Diaspora is a trauma many of us have inherited and it still lives on through who we see ourselves as and what we identity or feel we are culturally.

I reclaim the skewed perceptions of me.
I AM BROWN ENOUGH.
I AM ASIAN ENOUGH.
I AM PAKISTANI ENOUGH.
I AM INDIAN ENOUGH.
I AM AFRICAN ENOUGH.
I AM BRITISH ENOUGH.
I AM BRITISH EAST AFRICAN ASIAN and I represent THAT community, MY community with pride and honour.

To all my third culture family, ‘white washed Asians’ and anyone who has been or felt isolated from their community for who they are, YOU ARE ENOUGH.

We are the answered prayers of our ancestors who’s DNA runs through our veins. Be proud of who you are, where you come from and reclaim who you are because no one else can give you the peace of self acceptance.

#BrownEnough #AsianEnough #EastAfricanAsian #SouthAsian