Finnish YouTuber Turns 'Go Back to Somalia' Taunt Into Docuseries
Finnish YouTube star Abdirahman Keinaan has turned a taunt he heard all his life into a docuseries that takes him to Somalia.
The show is called 'Keinaan, Go Back to Somalia'. It follows Keinaan on a journey to Somalia, built directly as a response to the "go back to Somalia" comments he heard throughout his life, according to Variety.
Keinaan was born in Finland. He started posting videos on YouTube at age 16 with his best friend, and has now been making online videos for eight years. The past two years have been focused on documentaries, a shift from short online clips to longer factual work.
He did not travel alone. He was accompanied to Somalia by cameraman Hamsa Hussein, the person behind the camera on location for the trip.
For both men, the destination is personal. Somalia is the homeland of Keinaan's and Hamsa's parents, according to the Helsinki International Film Festival programme notes. That family link gives the journey its starting point.
The series is a co-production, meaning it was made jointly by two outfits. The partners are Keinaan's company Knaans and YLE Culture & Factual Content. It was directed by Timo Korpi and Keinaan, and produced by Pertti Neuvonen.
In practical terms, the director leads the creative choices and the producer handles the organisation that gets the shoot done. A docuseries means a documentary told across episodes rather than as a single film. That episodic shape fits Keinaan's background on YouTube, where stories arrive in instalments and creators stay close to their audience.
The project premiered at the Helsinki International Film Festival – Love & Anarchy. A festival premiere means a first public screening in front of an audience beyond the production team. In Finnish, the title is 'Keinaan, mee takas Somaliaan', listed as a 2026 Finnish production by Helsingin Sanomat. The festival lists its running time as 52 minutes.
What makes this stand out is the reversal. A phrase meant to push someone away becomes a reason to go closer and ask questions. For fans, this means a familiar creator in a new slot: a festival premiere first, with a series form built to travel beyond that room.
