Today, it’s almost impossible to meet someone who has lived their whole life in one country. Whether it’s the country of origin or country of residence, it’s very rarely one place. Silvia Armanious is a 27-year-old girl who was born and raised in Dubai, currently lives in New York City, and has Egyptian roots, although she never lived in Egypt. Because she was going through an identity struggle due to the cultural mix that she is, Men Wein came to life.
‘Men Wein’, which translates to ‘from where?’ is an Instagram platform that invites you into Silvia’s journey, where she explores the different cultures that she belongs to. Through her platform, she raises the question “where am I from?”, and attempts to build a connection between her 3 different backgrounds, while admiring their differences.
“It’s very common that women give birth at a different country so that the child can have the “passport”. When some of these children grow up, they’re going to possibly face an identity crisis. Especially if they get to live in their “passport” countries. That’s why I felt my blog is relevant now more than ever because it would cater to these individuals too,” she said.
Through her interesting use of graphics and color, and her skills in creating artistic edits and attractive designs, Armanious mixes graphic elements to help her send the message she wants to convey. “My aim is to unite people, regardless of where they’re from or where they were born. Especially Egyptians in Egypt and Egyptians outside of Egypt,” she added.
Mondays are dedicated to Dubai, Wednesdays are for Cairo, and Fridays are for New York. Men Wein’s posts are labelled according to which city the post is about, and the content discusses a topic or an individual from one of these cities. Apart from the cultural ideas and identity posts, she also creates posts about current events, trending topics, rituals from each city, thought-provoking news, and culture shocks that she faced.
In a very short time, Men Wein gained publicity, collaborated with Assault Police, and took part in one of the most influential movements that are currently taking place among the Egyptian society; the Egyptian “me too” movement.
“Appreciate your cultural mix because it forms the person you are today”. Armanious believes that people with multi-backgrounds find it easier to accept those who are different from them, which is an awesome personality trait to have. We definitely agree with you, Silvia!