‘KAbubakar Finiin recalled that “ayum has been my friend for years.” “But, when I met with his grandfather in Bangladesh, I felt as if I knew his entire story. I knew so many more things about him.
This moment captures the essence Kids of the Colony, A grassroots travel series created on YouTube by three childhood Islington friends: Abubakar (age 23), Kayum Miah (age 23) and Zakariya Hajijaj. In a series vlogs, which thrives on their offbeat friendship and their sense of humour, the three childhood friends provide a rich travelogue about culture and identity while they explore the countries where their parents were born.
Abubakar’s idea was born as he pondered his future plans after graduating Oxford University in the year 2023. He reflects on his layered identity as a child in “I just thought of the places we came from.” London With ties to other countries. Abubakar is Somalian, Kayum is Bengali, and Zakariya has Moroccan and English ancestry.
“My university life was very different from my homelife.” Abubakar: “I wanted to inspire people with something positive.” He turned to his friends after his pitches to media companies were rejected. We were planning to travel to Bangladesh that summer. I asked Kayum, Zakariya and their friends if they would like to join us.
Zakariya says, “I loved the idea from the start.” “I’m a guy who loves travelling – especially if my friends are there.”
Kayum was equally convinced: “I could not let you go.” [Abubakar] Go to Bangladesh alone.”
The film was made with the help of friends, despite their lack of a budget or studio. “Travel YouTube Abubakar says that the mini-genre is huge. “But I thought it was strange that people would only bring a GoPro to the market and haggle over prices. It’s impossible to visit a foreign country without capturing the local culture.
Their rules were simple: no resorts, no tourist traps and no fancy restaurants – just real life, as lived by the people who call these places home.
Abubakar says, “It is always important to us that we have someone who has a connection to the country that we are visiting on our trip.” “I believe that’s what makes us different.”
Kayum’s father is originally from Bangladesh. Their first trip took them to the country. He acted as an unofficial guide and took them to a shop where they could try on clothes. lungi They sampled street food in Sylhet (the north-east of the country) and wore traditional men’s skirts. They swam a FukriWe marveled at the cows that roamed along the road, as well as a communal pond.
Kayum explains that, although he has spent the summer in Bangladesh, many of Abubakar’s and Zakariya’s first-time encounters were also new to him. “But to see their reactions when they saw things that I considered normal, such as cows, made me laugh.”
One of the most touching, yet funny moments is when they talk to Kayum’s grandpa, who claims to be 120 but no one has confirmed this. Kayum says, “It was incredible to see my friends merge into my family back home, especially when the nieces and nephews came over to play football with us.” It was an experience of a lifetime.
Second series: The first two episodes took place in SomalilandAbubakar’s roots are in Nigeria. They served Shaah In the capital Hargeisa, they prayed Eid with thousands at the stadium national and drank (spiced) tea in a local café. In an episode, the girls are invited to practice martial arts in a taekwondo class. Kayum was astonished by the energy in a dojo, having never been inside one before. “They didn’t have much funding – they were just doing it themselves,” he says. “But there was so many talents inside.”
Then came the trio’s favourite moment – sharing an urn of camel milk. “Everyone started dropping like flies – there was very little footage the day after that,” Abubakar laughs, recalling how everyone but him got sick. Zakariya’s and Kayum’s chaotic aftermath, spread out on sofas was included in the vlog. “It was funny to me, that I drank the drink and had immunity.”
The boys visited Zakariya, Zakariya’s native country, though it was not featured on their YouTube channel. In one TikTok clipThey are serenaded in a somewhat questionable manner by a street entertainer who they refer to as the “Moroccan Shakira”. Zakariya told me that they plan to film another series.
Kids of the Colony uploaded their first video on November 20, 2023. The band has a large and loyal following. Their Instagram followers have passed 35,000They are TikTok The combined likes of this video and the original have surpassed one million. Abubakar’s own page. Fans of the band include NBA star Kyrie Irwin and Amelia Dimoldenberg, host of YouTube’s celebrity show Chicken Shop Date. Teachers have told us that they’ve seen us and people in the public have recognized us. [on social media] Kayum says, “They have been showing our videos to geography students.”
Abubakar says, “We wanted to make a family show that parents could watch and remember the good times they had as children.”
The desire to represent their roots and reframe negative perceptions is reflected in their channel name, which was coined by Abubakar after learning about third-culture kids – individuals who grow up in a culture different from their parents’. He wanted to create his own version of the phrase:[The name] Children of immigrants from former colonies are mentioned. But when we come together, we can create a colony of our own – like ants – to be a nice and powerful force.”
Zakariya, who has filmed in both of their countries of origins, is eager to keep on going: “I would like to visit every country.” It’s a great reason to travel. Kayum, meanwhile, sees the show’s opportunity to correct misrepresentations of parts of the globe: “I would love to visit Palestine.” I want go to places where the media gives them the worst coverage.
The three feel that the investment was worth it, even though they are still self-funding. They all work and use their savings to pay the filming costs and travel expenses. “So many good things have happened because we came together,” says Kayum.
Abubakar explains, “We were raised in working class families, but through the arts and film, we are trying to create an identity.” We hope that our platform celebrates this identity.
Kayum says it best: “It’s about preserving cultural heritage.”
Kids of the Colony, in reshaping the narrative of travel and stories documented, enables us to explore new places.
