Pen's Pals: Living Rent-Free in Kuwait

When photographer and filmmaker Aïdah Aaliyah Rasheed left her Northern California home in 2019, she knew that she had a job and housing awaiting her in the country of Kuwait. Rasheed and her husband, Stephen Jamal Leeper, took contracts working at a school, and as a part of their employment, the married couple and their children were given complimentary housing. “What’s nice about not having to think about that,” says Rasheed of living rent-free, “is that you can think about other things, you know." Her family invests their money in other experiences, like traveling. Since moving, they've visited a number of countries in the region, and no longer have to consider the high cost of housing in the Bay Area. But living on the other side of the globe hasn't stopped Rasheed from keeping tabs on the U.S. through check-ins with extended family, conversations with community and her side gig-- a project that she's been working on for over a year. When she's not making media or leading classroom projects about how society is designed, Rasheed is working as a curator for Sapelo Square, a publication focused on highlighting stories of Black Muslims in the U.S. and throughout the diaspora. This week, Rasheed shares with us the importance of using media to tell real stories of the Black muslim diaspora, the beauty of the daily calls to prayer in Kuwait, and what she misses about home-- evidently, there's no shea butter like the kind you find at the Berkeley Flea Market. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices