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Coded Inspiration: A Conversation with Mawi Asgedom

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Picture: Courtesy of Mawispeaks.com

As individuals, we are by definition unique. Bottled within each and everyone of us, is a life unlike any other, full of its own laughs and tears; joys and heartache; triumphs and trials. The one constant is the journey in time we all, willing or otherwise, embark on. For people in the diaspora the journey is both literal and figurative. Along with the steady tides of time, we brave new shores in search of that elusive betterment. Whether we find what we seek is both subjective and immaterial. The journey, the degrees of detachment and the desire for the familiar are what loosely bind us to congregate amongst our own. So when we see one of our own make it, whatever that ‘it’ represents, the communal pride is immediately discernable.

In the case of Mawi Asgedom, the ‘it’ is multi-dimensional. When he was a young boy he made ‘it’ out of Adi Wahla in Tigray with his family and into neighboring Sudan when countless thousands didn’t. From there again his family made ‘it’ out of Sudan and immigrated to Wheaton, Illinois. His compelling journey is recounted in his first book, Of Beetles and Angels: A Boy’s Remarkable Journey From A Refugee Camp To Harvard, which is the latest chapter in a young life rife of overcoming hurdles in its path. What makes Mawi’s story different from yours and mine? He had the courage to share it with the world. Now he shares some time with abesha.com to talk about his inspirations and aspirations and his upcoming book.

Living in America, how do you feel about identity and how do you identify yourself?
Mawi: Well that is hard. Identity is a very American thing, and often times it is assumed for you before you can consciously do it for yourself. I would say in the past I thought of myself as part African-American, part African, Ethiopian and Eritrean and so on. At Harvard it was difficult to fall into one group because I would hang out with African-Americans. I would also be around white students because growing up in suburban Chicago (Wheaton) I was always around white people. Slowly I began to see that America was built on classifying people as this or that race. Today I feel like I belong both everywhere and nowhere at the same time. I don’t feel fully abesha, because growing up here, there is somewhat of a disconnect. (Laughs) I like basketball more than soccer. I feel like I am beyond simple classification now. As a speaker, strictly identifying yourself in one particular way closes you off to many potential audiences. It’s an advantage. As a speaker, I feel I can identify with diverse groups. I recognize cultural differences and can adjust to them.

Your book deals with the experiences of you and your family after emigrating to the U.S. Why do you think family is important and why did you choose to make it the theme of your book?
Mawi: I just felt that my story could not be isolated out of my familial experiences. Though I have experienced many things as an individual, the elements that shaped me the most were those that I had at an early age with and within my family. Also it was a story that needed to be told. That is not mine specifically, but it was the first book by a black immigrant refugee. It offers a different perspective than typical memoirs because I wrote it at a relatively young age. (Twenty-three)

Since your first book was published, you’ve also become a sought-after motivational speaker. How did it all come about? Have you always had public speaking aspirations?
Mawi: No way man. I was one of the shyest kids. I didn’t want to share my story with anyone because I was worried people would make fun on me. But as I matured, I saw my family and myself in a different light. I realized not only did I love my parents, but also I was also very proud of them. I would have never thought I would become an author or a speaker. But I love what I do. It all started after I graduated from college and was living in Oklahoma. The youth pastor at the church I was attending couldn’t make it one day and I took his place. The kids really seemed to enjoy my story and received it warmly. That’s how I got started.

So what’s on the horizon for you? Author, speaker what’s next?
Mawi: As far as my public speaking, I’m satisfied with the progress I’ve made so far and feel like I’m on the right path. My next major goal is to blow up as an author. I want to be able to write and have millions of people want to read what I’ve written. But I know that I have to take it one step at a time. That’s what I tell kids when I’m speaking to them. It’s okay not to know the entire journey, to just have a general idea of where you want to go. I had no idea what the publishing world was like before I wrote my first book. But it’s all a process you learn from people that have come before you.

What have you learned about the publishing world that’s most striking?
Mawi: That it is above all things a business. Unless you are an author that consistently churning out best seller after best seller like say John Grisham, then publishers will not want to spend money promoting you or your book. The irony is that by the time you attain success on the level of a John Grisham, you no longer really need to be promoted because you have a very large reader base that will go out and buy your books. So the most important lesson I learned about publishing is that it is a business.

Speaking of business, tell me about your upcoming projects? What were the differences in writing a book as an already published writer? Was there more or less pressure?
Mawi: Well I am going to continue speaking around schools all around the country. I really enjoy the dialogue I have with teen-agers. That has led me to writing my next book, which should be published on Little Brown in September of this year. It’s going to be titled The Code: The Five Secrets of Teen Success. Though its marketed towards teens, I feel that there is information in the book for people of all ages. It was hard to finally finish the book, because as a writer you always want to improve what you’ve done. But at a point you just have to

So who or what has influenced you to achieve success?
Mawi: My family is definitely an inspiration. In their own ways each member of my family have given me inspiration. Seeing my parents struggles in coming to a foreign country and persevere has been a continual influence. My brother was also inspiring in so many ways. There are also numerous people that I’ve met in all aspects of life that have inspired me. Professor Cornel West was amazing. I took his class twice, once for credit and once as an audit, because he is a great teacher. He uses no notes so each lecture was a unique experience that provided many tangential delights. He used to say “Put self confidence, self respect and self love at the center of yourself and what you do” and I reflect on those words all the time. Finally my faith in God inspires me as well.

A lot of people may know you from your appearance on Oprah, when they did a segment on your life. How was that experience and how has it affected the mainstream acceptance of your book?
Mawi: The appearance on Oprah helped in raising awareness about my book. But at the same time, they did not feature the book or even have it on the website. So the actual affect it had on sales is hard to determine. The positive aspect was the exposure and also the hundreds of e-mails I got from viewers that saw the show and sent words of praise or encouragement. Conversely I did not like the depictions of Ethiopia and Eritrea that they had on-screen. It seemed very one-sided and portrayed the countries in the same biased way they usually do. Also people get the perception that because you’ve written a book or appeared on a TV show that you’ve become rich and that’s not the case at all. I had people approach me saying, ‘Mawi, I have this great idea, all you need to do is connect me to Oprah’ and all I can do is politely explain how that can’t happen. (Laughs).

Finally, on a light-hearted note, let’s play a little game or word-association. Tell me the first thing that comes to mind…

Oprah…success
Chicago Bulls…down
Yale…weak
George W. Bush…weak
Sudan…sand
Happiness…yellow
Defeat…victory