LAHORE - In the beginning, the darkness, though for a while, has made it difficult for the audience in the hall to identify the faces of those who have come on the stage to talk about ‘Who Belongs Where?’—a subject related to ‘Identity crisis and racial discrimination in the world’.

“I’d like my introduction in the darkness,” Teju Cole said amusingly as his co-speaker Mohsin Hamid started the conversation. And just at that moment, the light suddenly spread across the hall – showing the enthusiastic faces of all present about the topic that was to be under discussion between Teju Cole and Mohsin Hamid.

Teju Cole is a writer with global perspective, author, art historian and is a photography critic for The New York Times Magazine. Mohsin Hamid is Pakistan born British national with distinction of his book “Exit West” that tells an unforgettable story of love, loyalty, and courage that is both completely of our time and for all times.

Both the panellists delved into the question of identity ‘Who Belongs Where’ – arising even in the modern world of 21st century. Often people in their gatherings ask each other “Hello, where are you from?” and then usually to the answer adopt their desired mood of conversation, which quickly change their minds.

Even though, one may be living in London or Lahore, Paris or New York he or she has to face racial supremacy as many people still believe in it.

“Yes, of course, white supremacy still dominates the world,” Teju agreed to the point in a humorous way while answering a question about racial discrimination. His reference is so solid for having close observation as Nigerian-American. 

Both the panellists, however, were on the same page that the trouble of discrimination on the basis of identity or race is not specifically attached to any particular area. It is a worldwide phenomen.

“Legas city in Ethiopia and its culture may be weird to those living in Lahore. Similarly Lahore must be different to those living in New York and London. But it is true that people face terrible things and it may be anywhere.

“I have been in depression since American elections, because the Americans like racism. People are going through the setback – a recent setback in the form of ‘Trump’. They are dying as freedom of speech, movement, assembly all are at stake due to this setback that they mourn,” Teju explained.

A guest in the audience asked him as to how they should counter the situation if they themselves face identity issue whenever they set on their journey to different places in the world. The reply was simple. “One must carry out what it be and just be,” he said.  “I am black and don’t wake up in the early morning to see myself in the mirror saying that ‘oh, I’ m black,” Teju said. The hall responded with laughter. Mohsin Hamid said he doesn’t look at himself in the mirror to feel any complex that he was ‘brown’. “One doesn’t fit completely anywhere. One must be just what he or she is,” Mohsin was of the view.

Answering a question that at last why Americans have chosen ‘a white man’ as their president after 8-year long rule of ‘a Black man’, a question that gave little tough time to panelist Teju whose answer was remarkable. “It is simply crazy continuation of American projects and not the matter of white or brown. It is a messed-up land of contradictions,” he said.

The audience couldn’t stop themselves from laughing when Teju answered a question about his piece about ‘Ebola’ – that was carried by CNN. “Is Ebola the ISIS of biological agents? Is Ebola the Boko Haram of AIDS? Is Ebola the al-Shabaab of dengue fever?  I’m not going to lie to you, and I don’t care what colour you are, you could be red, green, blue, purple, whatever; you need to understand that Ebola (the Obama of Osama, but don’t quote me).”

FIDA HUSSNAIN