I joined @taha.r.karem in the studio of Radio Lora in Munich recently to talk about the topic of Identity.
Identity is the focus of the current issue of the @neuland_zeitung, a social project and platform for the voices of migrants and refugees in Germany. Taha and I both contribute to the Neuland project as writers and both of us are migrants to this country - Taha from Kurdistan/Iraq, I'm from Australia.
The question of identity is one that anyone that has moved countries is faced with. Who am I really - am I that nationality, that ethnicity, that religion, that language, that culture? Who am I without it?
Many of us identify greatly with the culture we grew up in, others are desperate to leave one behind and embrace another. But whether we like it or not, culture influences us a great deal, instilling in us beliefs that we hold to be true and subconsciously sway our decisions and actions throughout life. Sometimes this is helpful, other times they stand in our way of living more authentically.
It is only when we learn to go inward and question what is true and right for ourselves that we can liberate ourselves from the confines of rigid beliefs.
It is here that we find our true identity.
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