Storyteller Salma Hasan Ali on What Makes Us Human
This blog post was written by APF Blog Writer Naila Rafique.
Salma Hasan Ali, a storyteller, wife, mother and recently published author met virtually with the American Pakistan Foundation to chat about her journey as a writer, which led to the recent publication of her first book, 30 Days - Stories of Gratitude, Traditions, and Wisdom. The book is based on the 30 Days, 30 Deeds blog that Ms. Ali started to share traditions and stories during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. These are some highlights from the conversation:
“The American ‘melting pot’ is richer by virtue of knowing who we are and where we come from.”
APF: What was the impetus for writing your first blog post in 2011?
“Before speaking about the blog, I have to mention a piece I wrote over 13 years ago which made me realize the power of sharing our stories. I wrote an article in the Washingtonian, “Pakistan on the Potomac,” on the journey of my family emigrating from Pakistan, our story of being brought up in the U.S. as immigrants, and how this will shape the upbringing of my children. I had no intention of publishing this piece but after speaking to a friend, she suggested that I send it in. After just three days, I received a positive response and a desire by the Washingtonian magazine to publish the piece. Following the release of this piece, I started receiving dozens and dozens of emails, from Pakistanis and Muslims, but also from people of different faiths and backgrounds saying that they were happy to get to know a Muslim family through this story. They expressed a sense of deep connection and had similar experiences of their own; the story, while unique, also felt familiar. That is what first convinced me of the power of our stories - how stories can help develop a relationship, promote understanding, dispel misperceptions, and introduce someone to an 'other'.
Also, through my work for a non-profit, KindWorks, as the Chief Inspiration Officer, the main mission of the organization is to find ways to encourage individuals to volunteer more. With busy schedules and the time required to plan volunteer activities, KindWorks takes the time and work out of planning volunteer activities to fit your schedule. This is very relevant to the month of Ramadan, where it's all about giving back and coming to the service of others, beyond the “not eating” part. To keep disciplined to write every day for the 30-day period was something I knew would keep me motivated and could be a small way to capture the month with my family. It started with 30 days, 30 deeds and my kids and I would decide one good deed to do each day and would document our days. This didn’t need to be something big and could be small actions done within our family and community.
The blog was to simply celebrate this month and implement the wonderful principles and lessons of Ramadan in a way that was meaningful for us even if we were not fasting all 30 days. I shared the link of my blog with neighbors, family friends and loved ones and the blog began to grow organically this way. Eventually, I started getting emails and responses from readers from all over the world. I think readers found these ordinary stories, written in a very personal and honest way, a strong connection to them. It then evolved and I would have different themes for each Ramadan year and now it’s become a permanent tradition, read by readers from all over. I had no idea that this blog would be read by strangers and people globally. Now I have readers who write to me from all over the world to say that while they do not celebrate Ramadan, they do look forward to it so they can read these stories and learn not just about the essence of this special month but also about our common humanity, the things we all share. It is through sharing our ordinary stories, after all, that we get to know each other better."
APF: Did you have a similar motivation when putting together your 30 Days book?
“It has always been a dream of mine to write a book. While reflecting on the 30 Days blogs, and it being the ten-year anniversary, I thought this would be the perfect time to put together all the wonderful stories from the blog over the decade into a book. I was still not fully convinced that I should put this book together since all the stories already existed on the blog. Then one day a friend called and said that a woman that recently came from Afghanistan was in need of some support with her transition to the U.S and in seeking asylum here. After connecting with her I came to find out that she was an extraordinary artist. Sughra Hussainy, paints intricate miniatures in the traditional Afghan styles and calligraphy. While coming to learn more about her, I thought why not support her with her passion of art and have her design the art for my book. That is when I knew that I must go forward with this book. Over the period of two and a half months we discussed the design and cover art, all during the pandemic. It was a perfect balance of her art and my stories. Also, during the pandemic just seemed like the perfect time to release this book. People were alone, felt lonely and distant. My hope was that they would use this book as an impetus to dig deeper and share their own stories and get to know neighbors and strangers. That's why each book includes postcards at the back, to share an aspect of your story with someone you would like to get to know better.”
APF: Now after many years of writing your blog series, what is one theme that is reflected time and time again across the blog posts?
“There is not necessarily one theme but one thing I’ve learned over the years is to just ask people about their stories. People are interested in sharing their stories. In the process of putting together the blog posts, I make sure to inquire in an organic and authentic way during the numerous conversations from over the years. When capturing these stories, I did not want it to be a rehearsed and a thought-out response when asking people about their stories, wisdoms and best recommendations. In speaking to various folks, the wisdom that they cherished most was almost always at the front of their mind. People are interested in sharing and communicating what is important to them. Our stories are who we are and they are what make us, us. I can’t imagine something more precious than our stories and is really what makes us who we are. Giving people the opportunity to share may seem like a gift to them but the gift is more of what I get in return from hearing their stories.”
The 30 Days book was published by Drik, a production company in Bangladesh run by prominent photographer and social activist Shahidul Alam.
APF: It's lovely to see a cultural mix of curators behind your book: an artist from Afghanistan; a production facility in Bangladesh; and a Pakistani author. what inspired this unique creation process?
“My hope was that the meaningful stories from people and experiences of my life would be contributing to the inspiration of others to share their stories and open ways for people to connect with these stories. The artwork which is so beautiful by Sughra, added so much value to the pages of this book in the form of her story. For the actual production of the book, I did not want a large production company. My friend, Shahidul Alam, a well-known photographer, journalist and social activist from Bangladesh, has a production company in Dhaka with a commitment to social justice through media. After learning about the story and people that work in this organization, I asked him if he would be interested in working on the production of the book. The organization had never worked with someone thousands of miles away across the world so this production process was very new to them too. The production of every book was conducted with utmost care, uniqueness and in a detailed manner. My main objective was to ensure each aspect of this book, design of artwork, binding of book, etc. had a story behind it, allowing others to also be involved and share their story in a sense.”
APF: The mission of the American Pakistan Foundation is to empower the Pakistani American community and builds bridges between the United States and Pakistan. how would you say your blogs and book aligns with the APF mission?
“After receiving feedback following my “Pakistan on the Potomac” piece in The Washingtonian, I realized that our stories are our largest power. An extraordinary power that can be used as a connecting tool to build those bridges and connect and promote understanding across people. This is why I started my storytelling work. We have so many extraordinary stories from Pakistan. We have so much to be proud of from this country, our people, the stories and culture, and I want to share that. This is what I want to communicate through these personal stories.”
APF: Do you have any advice to share with aspiring storytellers and writers, especially for women, persons of color and other minorities that may face unique challenges in this space?
“My main piece of advice would be to believe in yourself and in your stories and know that you have many stories to share. Your stories are important and will touch someone. It doesn’t matter if it's ten people or 10,000 people. Don’t worry about who is reading it. Whoever is meant to read them will read them. Somehow, they [your stories] always find their way to the people that need to read them.”
“We all have stories to share, our stories make us human and are unique to each one of us and they are universal in the emotions and feelings we share.”
APF: One of my favorite poets, Khalil Gibran SAID, “All you have shall someday be given; Therefore, give now, that the season of giving may be yours and not your inheritors.: What is one thing you hope to give while the season of giving is yours?
“One thing that comes to mind is giving inspiration. Inspiration makes so many things possible. For me inspiration is fundamental to everything else. It makes things possible in peoples’ minds. It motivates, compels and activates people to do what they want to do. I want to inspire people to be good and kind. Whatever it is you want to achieve in your life, you need inspiration. In my newest blog - humanKIND I write all about the inspiration I see around me. I see it everyday in small gestures and in how people interact with each other. humanKIND is a way of capturing these sources of inspiration and sharing it with my audience.”
APF: Finally, if you had just one minute and the attention of the whole world, what would be a message you would share?
“My fundamental message would be that, we all have stories to share, our stories make us human and are unique to each one of us and they are universal in the emotions and feelings we share. Don’t be shy, open up and connect deeply and with meaning and share who you are. Share what you cry about, pray about and dream about. And then pause and listen and then listen some more…”
Learn more at Salma Hasan Ali’s Website and follow her on Instagram @salma.hasan.ali