I read a piece by Botham Ahmed Botan entitled “Onks: Such Emotion”. His piece was about his experience in grade school. He brings a reader through his experience of being bullied by his peers, being misunderstood by his teachers and school support, and eventually being diagnosed by a therapist with Aspbergers. One of the things I find interesting about this piece is that he not only tells us the story of his exprience but also engages us with his thoughts and feelings. All of his life after fleeing Somalia with his family, he has “been different” and others have assigned meaning to his difference. His School tries to “make sense” of his differences. This makes me wonder, was it a true diagnosis, or just a way to label him to make others feel better about not being able to understand who he is and his experience?

I think the colonial space entry point is his identity. He does not align with what his current community views as normal and is thus labeled different. He does not fit in with their view of what a “classmate” or “student” is.

What does decolonizing space mean or entail for the author?

From my understanding and perspective, a decolonizing space for the author is reclaiming his identity. The author is currently working on a novel about his mother’s life. I interpret this as the author taking steps to understand his history through his mother. I also believe that writing and art serves as a decolonizing space as it seems like a place of healing for him.