Ahmed Isselmou

Jul 29, 2024 | wordswithoutborders.org | Kaori Fujino |Mieko Kawakami |Ahmed Isselmou |Eve Stockwell

At Tokyo Station, I saw someone willingly cease being themself. I’d heard it was becoming an issue, but this was the first time I’d actually seen it happen. Wait, we just got here, wow, no way, the city really is a scary place. My friend Cocoro and I transmitted these thoughts back and forth as we blinked away, taking snapshots. By the time we left the station, giddy with excitement—Tokyo! We’re in Tokyo!—more than half of the person’s P-Pod had already melted off, forty-two yards ahead of us.

Sep 3, 2023 | themarkaz.org | Ahmed Isselmou |Sawad Hussain

An unfortunate Mauritanian man perseveres, maintaiing his resilience and sense of humor amidst continuous adversities. Ahmed IsselmouTranslated by Sawad HussainCarefully, he read the handwritten notice in the bank window: PLEASE COUNT YOUR MONEY BEFORE YOU LEAVE. Yes, it was all there: seven thousand. Exactly what the teller had said his balance was. He looked at his phone: 10:10 a.m. No worries, I’ve still got more than enough time he told himself. She’ll probably be an hour late anyways.