About:
Abdo is a trilingual Moroccan writer, storyteller, and interviewer. He focuses on highlighting under-represented and overlooked issues in emerging, non-first-world countries. Abdo's work can be found on his blog, Lessons and Obsessions, which focuses on internet and Gen-Z culture, investigative journalism, philosophy, and psychology.
Abderrahemane Nejam answered a few fun questions for us:
🦸🏻 If you could have a superpower, what would it be… and what would your superhero name be?
Probability manipulation! I think having the ability to manipulate the odds of anything would overpower all other abilities. For example, you can set the odds of winning a battle to 100% and you will never lose. The same goes for mortality and aging (if that works). As for the name, it would be “Probably Odd”.
🧞♂️ If you had one wish to improve the world, what would you change?
I would wish for all our resources and energies to be renewable. I think one of the biggest challenges we are currently dealing with is climate change and dwindling resources. Wishing for the whole world to go green and live on renewable resources of energy and food, would substantially improve everyone’s chances for a good future.
📚 Which books do you recommend to others?
Two books that I will always remember are Haruki Murakami’s Kafka on the Shore and Yōko Ogawa’s The Memory Police. Murakami encourages us to find magic in normal day-to-day life with child-like wonder. Meanwhile, Ogawa’s The Memory Police taught me that we often take things for granted without appreciating them.
🍽 What person living or dead would you invite to your dream dinner party and why?
I’m currently reading Moral Letters to Lucilius by Lucius Seneca. This collection paints Seneca as a relatable person. If I ever hosted a dinner party, I would love to invite him. He seems like a humble wise person to talk to and I would love to listen to what the day-to-day life of ancient Rome was like.
🏝 What 3 things would you take to a desert island?
First item I would take is a portable solar-powered water boiler/filter device so I can drink sea water safely. Secondly, I would take a solid Swiss Army knife for its multi-purpose use (to start fires, cut trees, build shelter, etc.) The third item would probably be a solar-powered ebook with thousands of offline books so I don’t get bored.
