# Safwat Saleem: Why I keep speaking up, even when people mock my accent

Artist Safwat Saleem grew up with a stutter — but as an independent animator, he decided to do his own voiceovers to give life to his characters. When YouTube commenters started mocking his Pakistani accent, it crushed him, and his voice began to leave his work. Hear how this TED Fellow reclaimed his voice and confidence in this charming, thoughtful talk.

- Kind: Talk
- Year: 2016
- Runtime: 10 min
- By: TED.com
- Genres: Animation, Comedy, Education
- Archive: [Internet Archive](https://archive.org/details/SafwatSaleem_2016U)
- Licence or status: [CC BY-NC-ND 3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/) (as the archive states it)
- Who can watch: Kids profiles and older (the archive gives no rating; placed by Invisible Network from its collection and subjects)

[Watch now](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/watch/archive/ia/SafwatSaleem_2016U?play=1)