Abid Imam

LM: Hi there. My name is Luisa Mitchell and I’m a Nyungar woman. 

Today we present to you Backyard Truthtelling: stories from Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians that were shared in local resident’s backyards all around Walyalup.  

Walyalup is the Nyungar name for Fremantle, located on the southern end of what is now called Western Australia. Just like the rest of Australia, Walyalup is an ancient country and belongs to one of the world’s oldest surviving cultures, the Whadjuk Nyungar people.  

In this collection, you’re about to hear live recordings from people who spoke about difficult truths, hidden histories and reimagined futures, all reflections of their lived experiences of colonisation in Walyalup and Australia.  

In partnership with the City of Fremantle and produced by Centre for Stories, these stories were captured on Whadjuk Nyungar boodjar. We pay our respect to Whadjuk Elders, and all Aboriginal people from the beginning, who are the knowledge-keepers and custodians of this place. 

In this episode, you will hear Abid Imam’s story. Abid is a Sports Manager, Presenter, Podcaster & DJ. Growing up, he always had a cricket bat or soccer ball close by. This is Abid… or as he is sometimes called, ‘Bidi’. 

AI: Once upon a time I used to call myself Steve to fit in. And I’ll tell you why.  

My dad’s from Karachi, a big megacity in Pakistan, and he moved here to Walyalup, his first port of call, where the flats in Suffex Street and my mum’s from Nadi. Nadi in Fiji. They actually met right here in the middle, basically, and in wanting to raise a child in Australia, they wanted to give me a name that had cultural meaning, but at the same time allowed me to navigate Australia. 

The name they chose is eight letters. Four letters for the first name, four for the surname. No middle name, just a basic combination. Should be pretty easy, hey? The name they chose is Abid Imam. Abid means worshiper. So, it’s a name of Arabic origins. And we are a Muslim family and Imam is ‘leader’. The reality of living with this name is that I grew up with a lot of questions. I got used to hearing my name spelt or said wrongly many times and also spelt incorrectly. 

So many questions about where I’m from, even though I felt dinky-di Australian being born here, so made me think about a lot of things and where I fitted even as a young person and growing up in primary school or high school, it just wasn’t cool to be the Fijian-Pakistani kid, the Muslim kid. I never met another Abid and I always stood out amongst my classmates. 

So I found that it was very difficult growing up in Australia with the name Abid Imam. And, you know, when I even called myself sometimes as a kid, I would say my name with an apologetic intonation. I would also be on autopilot and catch myself spelling my name when I didn’t really need to. So I came up with some coping strategies to help. 

And you know, in Australia, we love a bit of self-deprecating humor. When I would say my name and someone would give me a blank stare. So, you know, what? Can you say that again? I would just say it’s what you do at an auction. You make ‘a bid’, that would cut some of the awkwardness. But I didn’t like having to explain myself to strangers. 

I found it really difficult, especially, you know, when you’re in primary school and high school. So I gave myself an alias. And the alias is Steve. I felt like a fraud because I sure as hell don’t look like a Steve and I don’t feel like a Steve, but it really helped me with those situations where you’re at a cafe and you give your order and, you know, they always say, oh, what’s your name again? 

Or they, you know, you just have to go through all of that rigmarole. So for me, Steve worked. It was fine. There was a moment a few years ago actually, where I had the same situation in a cafe that I usually do, and I said, my name is Steve. And then the barista looked up at me with a puzzled look and said, how do you spell that? 

And in that moment, I had a revelation, like a epiphany. Here I am using a fake name and I’m needing to spell it out. Maybe I should just embrace who I am. 

And that came in at a point in my life where, with a bit of age and wisdom, I was starting to embrace who I am in my cultural journey and be more authentic. And I even feel, you know, being raised here Walyalup, there’s a magic in this place. This is where I spent a lot of time with my Freo de Janeiro podcast, and the DJ project. 

There’s something inspirational about the magic of Walyalup that has allowed me to live into who I am. And honour the story that my parents have given me with my name. 

I’ve been proud to reclaim Abid Imam and not “white” it out out with Steve. Because if I’m not going to embrace who I am, how can I expect others to? Something that my close friends call me now is Biddy, and I really love that. I’ve recognized and learnt over time that Biddy, I understand is a Noongar word for path or journey. 

And there’s many paths and journeys that people take to arrive on this Boodjar, this country. My journey to embrace the simple eight letters that my parents have gifted me has made me feel better about who I am as a person, what it means to fit in in this melting pot of a land. And that’s Noongar country, this Boodjar is not just for Steves. But it’s for people from all backgrounds and names. And what matters most is the inner values of respect and kindness. My name is Abid Imam.