Hussain Amarshi: 'It's not where you're from, it's where you're going'

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With increasing numbers of immigrants arriving every year from Asia, the Caribbean and other parts of the world, Canada's urban demographic makeup is undergoing a profound shift. Marina Jimenez talks with seven emerging leaders from this new demographic, and their thoughts on immigration, philanthropy, success and influence.

Hussain Amarshi is president of Mongrel Media. He named the film distribution company for a Salmon Rushdie essay which talks about the growing mongrelization of the world. As a devotee of foreign and alternative film, he's been called a film visionary - as well as a modest mogul. Mr. Amarshi has single-handedly changed film in Canada, and is behind such projects as Deepa Mehta's Water and Ruba Nadda's Sabah, which he helped fund and distribute.

Why and when did you move to Canada?

I came to Toronto in 1984. I grew up in eastern Africa, and in Pakistan. While doing a Masters degree in political studies at Queen's University, I dreamt up the idea of starting an annual international film festival to showcase films from the developing world.

What was your biggest challenge?

Just before coming to Canada, I was working at Exxon Chemicals in Pakistan in an entry-level management position. I soon realized when I came to Canada that I would have to start from scratch. During the summer of 1984, I ended up taking four different minimum-wage jobs and worked over 100 hours a week to save enough money to go to school in the fall.

Given the significant number of visible minorities in our country, why don't we see them well-represented in leadership positions?

We as a culture have a patronizing attitude towards immigration. We "allow" immigrants to come to the country as an act of beneficence. We have agencies that function as gatekeepers to manage this "vast" flow of immigrants. We have this misguided notion that immigrants take away services, jobs etc. from the people who have been here for a long time.

The reality is that Canada has been built by immigrants.

It is also true that the diversity you see on the Toronto's subway is not mirrored in the boardrooms, the executive ranks, the media, or in high-society functions. One is tempted to say that this may be a remnant of racial prejudices, but I would like to believe that it is just a question of time. Canada, at its best, is a tolerant, liberal, progressive country. We are restrained by our history and geography, but as a people, we do have an openness and goodness.

What impact have you made on your community, and on wider Canadian society?

In the first collection of films I distributed, the headline I chose for the catalogue was:

"It's not where you're from, it's where you're going".

Community is not the community you come from but the community you want to belong to. I did not come to Canada to be defined as a "South Asian" or "visible minority". Mine is a community of artists and filmmakers. My contribution is what I have done with my modest business, Mongrel Media, by bringing the best of World Cinema to Canada. Growing up in East Africa and Pakistan, I learned about Europe and North America through literature, film and television.

What personal experience captures the definition of being a Canadian?

Being in Toronto in the midst of the FIFA World Soccer cup for me defines the experience of being a Canadian. You have the freedom and the luxury to cheer for a sport that is not native to the country; to sport flags from multiple countries; to change your allegiances based on who is winning the tournament; and to end your day with O'Canada.

I have always been fond of Peirre Elliot Trudeau's comment that he was a "citizen of the world".

What is your personal motto?

Persevere.

What is your advice for other newcomers?

There is no going back. Even if you find yourself unable to achieve the goals you have set for yourself, the fact of just being here will change you. By recognizing and claiming this country as your home you can move forward. Canada is a work-in-progress that will continue to evolve as more immigrants take their rightful place.