Yasmeen Barakat
I’m More Than The Immigrant You Had In Mind is a powerful project that highlights the diverse and multifaceted identities of immigrants in Canada. The project aims to challenge the stereotypes often associated with newcomers, offering a richer and more nuanced view of their lives, passions, and contributions. Join us as we share the personal stories of immigrants from all walks of life, shedding light on their hopes, dreams, and pursuit of belonging in their new home.
Here I am, someone whose family has been displaced because of colonialism and imperialism. And yet I am here on territories where I wasn’t invited. I didn’t go through the Elders, I didn’t go through Indigenous peoples. I went through basically their colonizer system. And I found myself here. And as someone who’s had similar background experiences where my grandparents were forced to leave during the Nakba in 1948, I couldn’t help but feel an enormous amount of guilt.
Name: Yasmeen Barakat
Originally From: Palestine, citizen of Jordan
Photographs by Nathan Smith
In this thought-provoking narrative, Yasmeen Barakat, a Palestinian-origin woman, shares her journey as an uninvited racialized settler on Lekwungen, Songhees, and Esquimalt Nations’ lands. Born and raised in Jordan, Yasmeen identifies as a Palestinian first and foremost, navigating a complex journey of identity, culture, and belonging. Since arriving in so-called Canada in January 2024, Yasmeen has confronted many challenges, including culture shock, navigating scholarly spaces, and the unique difficulties of being a queer Palestinian woman of color.
Despite the hardships, Yasmeen reflects on the personal growth she has experienced through academic settings, particularly through taking an indigenous leadership course that pushed her to embrace complexity and multiplicity. Her story is one of reconciliation with her identity, grappling with the guilt of occupying land where she was not invited, while understanding the broader histories of colonialism and displacement.
Listen to Yasmeen’s reflection on finding growth amidst struggle, and how embracing multiple identities has shaped her journey in Canada.
This project is produced and presented to you by the Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria and powered by the Department of Canadian Heritage.
