Comedian Alia Rasul’s jokes reveal that immigrants are more alike than different

Credit to Author: Sabrina Almeida| Date: Wed, 04 Dec 2024 01:13:09 +0000

Comedy has helped Alia Ceniza Rasul find her voice and perspective in life. The writer, performer and comedian shares with Canadian Immigrant that seeing life and her Filipino heritage through a comedic lens is both a “unique” and “weird” thing about her. Nevertheless, she believes this offers a more joyful perspective and is grateful for how it turned out for her.

Rasul didn’t initially plan on becoming a comedian, following a path that was laid out for her. “I finished high school, then I went to university… and then the job.” Yet even after going through all the steps, she was uncertain about what to do with the rest of her life.

From coffee to comedy

While studying at McGill University, Rasul worked as a barista at Second Cup and loved it. “I took economics and psychology because I was always curious about people’s behaviour learned a lot about people during my six years at the coffee shop,” she says with a laugh.

After graduating, she landed a job at the Second Cup headquarters in Toronto with the opportunity to host workshops. “I was passionate about coffee but had a fear of public speaking,” she shares. “It was so bad that I wouldn’t speak up at meetings. It was something I needed to change to be able to do my job.”

On a friend’s advice, she signed up for improv comedy classes at the Bad Dog Theatre Company, which set her on a new career path. While she loved being in a room full of people who were trying to be funny, Rasul believes the “real lesson” from improv was about “embracing failure, picking yourself up and going again”.

Reflecting on her career, the comedian explains that initially her goal was to carve out space for herself. “In 2014 there weren’t a lot of people with colour,” she explains. “So I really started to get into the work of inclusion, diversity and women in comedy.”

The next step was to think about what to say with her comedy knowing she wanted to “celebrate Filipino culture”. “The award-winning Tita Collective (2018), which tells stories about the Philippine diaspora through various mediums, and her solo show Moro Girl (2022) both paid tribute to her heritage. So did Super Important Filipina Thoughts!, her collection of poems on identity, family, and relationships, published in 2021.”

Her latest work 15 Ways My Dad Almost Died also showcases Rasul’s efforts to process her family’s intergenerational trauma while sharing her father’s experiences. The film, directed by Sura Mallouh, made its world premiere at the 2024 Reel Asian Film Festival on Nov. 16 and will also be available to stream on CBC Gem and YouTube starting Dec. 10.

Embracing her identity with pride and purpose

Just two of her thirty-plus years were spent in the Philippines; the rest were in Dubai and Saudi Arabia until she came to Canada at age 18. Yet, Rasul is “fiercely proud” of her heritage and attributes it to her upbringing. “My parents are similar,” she explains. “I spent my childhood really falling in love with how my parents saw the country and now, as an adult, I’m building a personal relationship.

“Anytime I had an opportunity to talk about it, be it a class or personal project, it’s pretty much always been about the Philippines or my family,” Rasul continues. “I’ve always had a strong relationship with my identity.”

However, representing one’s heritage “in a room or the world” comes with a sense of responsibility and purpose, according to Rasul. “That became a reason for being to me that I embraced,” she explains.

A superpower helps navigate tricky scenarios  

Having a Christian mum and Muslim dad created some tension in childhood as she equated choosing a religion with choosing one parent over the other. There were times when she wished life were simpler but now Rasul says she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“My everyday experience with my parents was a constant dialogue,” Rasul recalls. “It’s made me someone who can navigate life knowing that there are many different truths. In today’s context, that’s become a bit of a superpower. It helps navigate some pretty tricky scenarios and was really good training for being in a room with people who believe different things.”

Her advice to others is to follow the golden rule, ‘do unto others…’ and operate from a place of love, empathy and compassion.

“It’s a big reason I do comedy,” she explains. “A joke works if there’s someone to tell it to and receive it. So you must keep their perspective in mind.  Life is better in a community, not a vacuum, and communities are bound by compassion.”

Resonating with a larger audience

Even people who are not Filipino relate to Rasul’s jokes. “There’s always someone after the show who says, ‘You just reminded me of my auntie, and we’re not Filipino’,” she recounts. “One of my favourite things about being a performer is doing this joke that I thought was just me and meeting people who are like, ‘That’s me too.’”

This led Rasul to the conclusion that comedy on immigration is a universal experience in Canada. “There are things all of us used, like biscuit tins for sewing goods. So, we’re all more the same than we are different, which is really beautiful.”

The comedian believes her work has benefited from this universality. “Every single joke that I’ve ever written has been made better because people have reflected back their own experiences,” she adds.

Advice to immigrants

Rasul knows it is hard to build a life in a new country, recalling the frustration, loneliness and fear she experienced as a first-generation immigrant. “I immigrated here without my family. So, for a long time I felt alone and sometimes like I was free-falling without safety,” she says.

She believes that not reaching out for help put a lot of pressure on her and advises newcomers to find “your people” (friends) because “everything is better in a community (meaning support system)”.

The artist also recommends doing something creative to relax and reflect on what is important. “I was 27 when I started to pursue the arts,” Rasul says. “I was making pretty good money in the corporate world, but every day felt like detention.”

“Don’t let people undermine you,” continues Rasul. She was told that no one would watch an all-Filipina comedy show (Tita Collective). “If there’s something you want to do, just do it.”

“I’m happy with where I am today, and I know that I am here because of my achievements and failures,” the rising star concludes.

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