YouTube star Abdirahman Keinaan was born in Finland, but he kept hearing: “Go back to Somalia!” Now, in his new docuseries, he actually does. I was born and raised here. And then I thought: ‘Ok, I’ll actually go find out what’s going on over there,’” he tells Variety.
Film Festival – Love & Anarchy. It’s directed by Timo Korpi and Keinaan, and produced by Pertti Neuvonen. It definitely makes them react,” laughs Keinaan.
It used to be face-to-face. Now, it’s online comments. In this country, it’s pretty normal, and I’m not the only one.
I’ve gotten used to it, which is kind of sad.” Keinaan started posting content when he was just 16 years old. I’ve been doing it for eight years, and I started making documentaries two years ago. I travel around the world and tell people’s stories.
It has become a real passion.” This time, accompanied by his cameraman Hamsa Hussein, he had to tell his own story: the story of someone caught between two different cultures. Whether on YouTube or in my documentaries, I focus on other people. I’ve never been the type to open up on social media either.
But when we were talking with YLE, we wanted to make a show that’s different from what I usually do. It was supposed to be personal.” It wasn’t an easy transition, he admits. I went: ‘I’m talking about things I’ve never talked about before!’ Sometimes it feels almost too personal.
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