Sona's socials:
linktr.ee/sona...
I met Sona through my old roommate James.
Sona grew up in Texas in a very religious household. So when he started his career as an underground house DJ, only his two best friends, who were Taiwanese, knew what he was up to. After seeing that Sona was becoming more serious about his DJ career, one of his Taiwanese friends invited him here to help promote his uncle’s liquor company. His 2006 tour here lasted two weeks, but afterwards, Sona decided to move here. In the beginning, Sona taught English, but found it very hard to get a job. When he spoke over the phone to potential employers, they assumed he wasn’t black. But when he showed up for interviews, many cram school owners said that they couldn’t hire him because the parents doubted his English ability. Sona said this type of cultural insensitivity has changed thanks to the internet and more long term foreigners living here and having meaningful exchanges with locals. However, because of growing up in the States, Sona still gets triggered when people say things like “you black people”. Therefore, Sona decided to learn Chinese and Taiwanese so he could better understand the mindset of people here. He realized that much of the curiosity and questions such as “Why do black people like fried chicken and basketball” don’t carry the same weight as it does in the States. According to Sona, American PC culture comes from the historical context of the mistreatment of minority groups. However, Taiwan doesn’t have the same historical baggage, so when Taiwanese people say “Hey it’s dark out here I can’t see you” it doesn’t mean “I think you’re inferior and everyone that looks like you should die”. Sona also realized from a young age that accent was extremely important, not only as a survival mechanism, but as a way to blend into the different groups he was a part of. Moreover, his father was an award winning scientist and PhD from Cameroon. Despite his credentials, Sona’s father was ridiculed for his accent. Thus, when Sona saw the consequences of Westerners in Taiwan speaking in a heavily accented way to curry favor with locals. Even though Taiwanese think these foreigners are cute, they will always be labeled as outsiders. After mastering Chinese and Taiwanese, Sona went on to be the first American to host the Presidential Office Concert as well as a TV show called the Rappers. Because of his special contribution, Sona is now eligible for Taiwanese citizenship. He thinks that the bar for foreigners getting dual nationality is currently too high, and wonders why ABCs that don’t necessarily contribute to Taiwan can naturalize quite easily even after evading military service. Sona thinks that conflict with China is imminent, and thus, understands why people don’t want to serve. Despite this, Sona thinks that it’s everyone’s duty as a citizen that receives the benefits of Taiwanese society to protect their homeland. Sona even said he’s willing to die for his new home.
15 сен 2024
