The YouTubers exploring their family homelands

Bangladesh, Morocco and the self-declared republic of Somaliland does not read like the typical lad’s holiday wishlist.

But a group of friends have turned their backs on traditional destinations – and are racking up millions of views on social media by discovering their family’s homelands instead.

London-born Abu Finiin, Kayum Miah and Zak Hajjaj, who call themselves Kids of the Colony, have travelled to all three countries to learn more about their cultural heritage.

During their trips they met a relative claiming to be the world’s oldest man, picked up work in tiny sea ports and drank camel’s milk straight from the udder.

“It’s about children of immigrants coming together and telling their stories,” Abu said.

“Where you are from, matters.”

The friends, who met at school and are all aged 22, have created a docuseries for YouTube and regularly post their adventures on TikTok and Instagram.

Their main goals were to connect with their backgrounds, live how their families lived and showcase it to the world.

“Instead of going on holidays to a country where we have no cultural ties to, [we thought] let’s go to the countries where we’re from, ” said Abu.

They recruited friends Anas Omar and Henry Harte to film their travels and, self-financing their mission, they set off.

“We wanted to tell these stories in a way that was fun, entertaining, and in a way that second-generation immigrants that might be a bit detached from their homeland could relate to,” Abu added.

Abu and Zak met at primary school with Kayum joining them at Central Foundation Boys School in Islington.

Their first trip was last year, to Bangladesh, where Kayum’s parents lived until they emigrated to the UK in the 1970s.

“It was very surreal, especially when we went to my actual house and seeing [my friends] in the village – it was hilarious to see,” he said.

Their YouTube videos show them travelling through the bustling streets of Dhaka, visiting picturesque Silhet, meeting locals and Kayum’s grandfather – who insists he is 120 years old.

“That was one of my favourite bits, going to Kayum’s village and realising that I’m probably the first non-Bengali person to ever be here,” Abu said.

“You know when you’re visiting a country, especially a country like Bangladesh, they will sell you a tour or a package holiday where you don’t get the real experience.

“But being with [Kayum’s] family we got the real, raw experience – mosquitos and cockroaches included.”

Returning to London, they discovered they had racked up over 100,000 views and 6,000 YouTube subscribers in the first week of Kids of the Colony going live.

They also received a lot of love from the Bengali community.

“For me it was when people were saying, ‘my family watch your videos’ or ‘my parents watch it’ or ‘you’re my dad’s favourite character’ – that’s when I realised that yeah, we’ve created something special here,” Abu said.

Zak, who has a Moroccan father and English mother, took the group to Marrakesh.

After finding it a bit too touristy for their liking they headed to the city of Larache, known for its agriculture and fishing, to meet some of Zak’s relatives.

“I thought we were slightly losing the essence of [Kids of the Colony] in Marrakesh because we got caught up in the tourism,” said Abu.

“But I feel like moments in Larache, when I was with Zak’s family, in his family home, that really captured what this is.”

In June they went to Somaliland, a breakaway republic in the Horn of Africa, where Abu’s family emigrated from in 1991.

The friends utilised TikTok to show people they were in the capital Hargeisa, a destination not known for tourism especially amongst non-Somalis.

They live-streamed their daily experiences and previewed upcoming videos, garnering millions of views.

“I felt like we were all ready to create something special which I think we did.” Abu said.

He said having his friends visit Hargeisa and meet his family was surreal.

“I felt pride,” he said.

“I knew I was doing something amazing and I knew that the country would appreciate it.

“I was from London and born there and I’m spreading the word about my country – a country that’s not recognised too.

“It was great seeing the guys interact with my family and one thing I love is how involved everyone got into the culture and embraced it.”

Anas, who filmed Bangladesh, Morocco, and Somaliland, said he found the trips fresh and intriguing.

“I’m half-Moroccan half-Palestinian and being able to visit my friends’ homelands has been very special,” he said.

“It’s so entertaining and to watch it – first as a cameraman and being a first viewer – it’s an honour and a privilege.

“I would love to take them to Palestine one day.”

Henry, a filmmaker and photographer who Abu reached out to through social media, said the experience had been incredible.

“Being a white guy in Somaliland was a really fun experience because people were so accepting and excited that I was there, because they don’t have a lot of tourism,” he said.

“I got welcomed with open arms and everyone was so kind and gentle and it was the most beautiful place I think I’ve ever been.”

They experienced drinking camel’s milk together which Henry said was “the craziest and probably the stupidest thing we did out there” – they all fell ill for 48 hours after.

The friends told the BBC they had a very clear idea about what they wanted their audience to take away from their videos.

“Maybe a 15-year-old watching this that might be Somali or from Bangladesh, I hope they really reconnect to their roots,” Abu said.

“And yes, you can be proud of it, and your stories matter, your countries matter and you can create positive, wholesome stories in countries that don’t have that image.”

During their trip to Somaliland they took photographs exploring the difference between London and Hargeisa’s cultures and hope to exhibit them.

They hope their Kids of the Colony series can connect with many people, regardless of background.

“You don’t have to be Somali to enjoy the Somaliland series, you don’t have to be Bengali to think about your identity and where you’re from when watching the Bangladesh series,” said Abu.

“There’s an abundance of stories there that I hope to uncover and tell, there’s so many more people to be represented – so this is very much the first step.”