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The Aram

with Tahmina Begum
January is the colour blue, not of sea but sky. January is a reset button for many and a month of two faces: one which looks back at the year left behind but also ahead to intend what's to come.

Intention is a funny thing. Do we judge ourselves and the people around us based on what they set out to do or the execution? Do we have mercy on ourselves when we don't set out to do our intentions or was it supposed to be this way, all along?

The past two weeks have shared conversations with loved ones starting with, 'What's your word for 2022?' With the ambition to let go of the past two years of heaviness, this question has felt more popular than ever. Are you a person of intention? 
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As someone, who for the past ten years, has always started her year with an intended word and a scatter of resolutions, I do believe there's some noor in this practice. (As long as you don't get disappointed with yourself and life if your word of the year hasn't aligned with reality). I don't have any particular new year's resolutions but I do have my words in mind.
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My word for 2020 was 'recalibration' and for 2021, it was 'acceptance'. I've walked into 2022 with two words: 'embrace' and 'reckless'.

On the surface, these words don't derive from the same connotations but if you've been reading The Aram, you'll know that so much of my personal work has been to consciously make mistakes and embrace the parts of myself that don't feel like home. To let go of perfected fantasies. The recklessness is really about rebirthing that sense of chaotic joy, the one that doesn't always kneel to responsibilities nor seek safety solely in cemented answers. I've spent so long thinking my way through things instead of living messily through them.

Do I think having a word for your coming year is important? It's not life-saving but it definitely has the ability to focus your energy on what you may need from yourself. What's your word for 2022? I would love to know. I hope it presents you with more flowers than you could have ever thought to grow.

With embrace and recklessness,

Tahmina
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The Aram is a bi-monthly newsletter that explores our relationship with ease and joy. In "Getting Aram With", I ask a woman of colour and/or Muslim woman I admire three questions surrounding her comforts.

#26 is Yassmin Abdel-Magied. Sudanese-Australian writer, engineer and award-winning social advocate, Yassmin is a living sermon I actively search for.

Be it Yassmin speaking facts across news channels, her newsletter, her children's book Listen Layla or her upcoming collection of essays, Talking About A Revolution in which she explores resistance, transformation, and revolution, Yassmin is an example of how we can use our voice in a myriad of ways. Can’t forget about her wonderful TikTok too.

What's currently bringing you aram?

It’s that time of the year where I try out new hobbies. I like to start every year with the ambition to learn something new… sometimes these habits stick, sometimes they fall by the wayside. I’ve tried sailing, knitting, sewing, woodturning, criteriums (like sprint cycling) this year I’m trying out horse riding. So what is giving me ease is the chance to get out into nature and spend some time with animals, getting out of my head and into a world where I am a novice again, a beginner who only has the joy of learning and improvement ahead! 

I’m also enjoying discovering new parks in London… this city’s weather can be extremely dispiriting, but if I pretend I’m in an Enid Blyton novel and I’m traipsing about the moors on some giant adventure, the weight of the grey skies feels a little lighter. 

Over the years, what have you learned about your voice — be it honing in on what you have to say as a broadcaster or the way in which you share your thoughts and knowledge with the world or even when you write for children?

I’ve learned that my voice is a tool that I can wield in a variety of manners, all depending on what the context calls for. When one understands the content, you can explain it just as well to a group of children as you can to a room of combative adults or your aunty at Eid lunch. That said, for me, understanding my voice has been about stripping back the expectations I have around what I should sound like and who I should be, and doing my absolute best to write or share what feels honest, and true. Much easier said than done, I’m afraid!
 

Spread the maya and shout out someone who you think deserves more light. 

Oh my goodness so many! Let me share three of my current faves: 

If you don’t know about my dear friend Dhakshayini Sooriyakumaran, you must ameliorate the situation immediately. They are a whip smart former engineer like myself turned scholar-activist and they do amazing work in the tech/human rights space and they’re a fantastic writer. Check out their medium here and a fab interview they’ve done on Australian welfare abuse here.

Ola Labib is a hilarious Sudanese British comedian who is killing the GAME right now and Sara Elhassan is an incredible Sudanese American activist who has been committed since day one to spreading the word on the resistance movements happening on the ground in Sudan as we speak.

What's Brought Me Aram Lately

Library 
Finding My Voice by Nadiya Hussain 

Podcast
Hosanna In Excelsis by The Receipts Podcast

Playlist 
Get No Better by Cassidy ft Mashonda
Accidentally In Love by Counting Crows

On-Screen
Around The World In 80 Days
Little Women 
Want to read past newsletters from the archive?
Want to read past newsletters from the archive?
Hola! I'm Tahmina Begum 👋🏾 I'm a writer, editor and creative consultant. The Aram is currently free to subscribers but it does take a labour of love to write and produce, so if you'd like to support, you can buy me a digital Ko-Fi. If you'd like to commission me for any work, feel free to check out my website

Images courtesy of @sansnovazuhause and @_jordanquill_

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The Aram · Location · London , London London · United Kingdom