Souda Kariko is a 21-year-old model from the Netherlands. She is currently signed to The Movement Models in Amsterdam. Souda has been featured in magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar and has modelled for brands such as Monki and Filling Pieces.  Name: Souda Kariko Occupation/Role: Model What did you want to be when you were growing up? I always wanted to be a doctor so that I could help people. My dream was … Continue reading Spotlight: Souda Kariko

Nasra Ayub is an activist, freelance writer and civil servant. Nasra has been working with the charity Integrate UK since the age of 15 tackling violence against women and girls, including FGM and violent extremism. Nasra has represented the charity at high profile events both nationally and internationally, notably at the African Union in Ethiopia and in Gothenburg, Sweden where she worked with the Swedish government. Over the … Continue reading Spotlight: Nasra Ayub

Dahaba Layla Ali and her mother fled the Somali civil war in the 1990s and settled in the Netherlands. They moved to the United Kingdom when Dahaba was 10-years-old via secondary immigration where she became a part of the Somali diaspora in London. Dahaba graduated in 2017 from the University of Cambridge. Dahaba’s multicultural upbringing has given her a unique and diverse voice, which allows her to produce content that relates to … Continue reading Spotlight: Dahaba Layla Ali

Hayat Hashi was born and raised in Tanzania and moved to the United Kingdom when she was 19-years-old. Hayat went to college in Bristol and studied Theatrical & Media Make-up/Beauty Therapy. In 2001, Hayat moved to London where she pursued a BA in Management and worked for Chanel as a Business Manager for over 10 years in Harrods. She eventually moved to working with other luxury skincare brands such as La Mer and La Prairie before starting … Continue reading Spotlight: Hayat Hashi

Hafza Yusuf is a Somali-British textile designer, art educator and founder of Hafza Studio. Hafza and her family were forced to leave Somalia during the civil war when she was only two years old. Her love for art and her rich culture led her to pursue a career in textile design, which became a way for her to celebrate the beauty of the Somali culture. … Continue reading Spotlight: Hafza Yusuf

Hibaq Osman is a Somali writer born and based in London. Her work largely centres around women, identity and the healing process with a focus on the often hidden, nuanced aspects of our experiences. Her debut poetry collection A Silence You Can Carry was published with Out-Spoken Press in 2015. Hibaq has self-published two online poetry pamphlets, the heart is a smashed bulb (2017) and CARVINGS … Continue reading Spotlight: Hibaq Osman

Maryan Haye is a Somali-Canadian writer and actor from Toronto. She is a 4th-year student in the RTA Media Production program at Ryerson University, specializing in screenwriting. Along with acting in a few short films and media content, she devotes time to writing her own original scripts. She has just finished co-writing, directing, and acting her thesis project Visible (2020), a teen drama pilot, and … Continue reading Spotlight: Maryan Haye

Ladan Osman is the author of Exiles of Eden (2019) and The Kitchen-Dweller’s Testimony (2015), winner of the Sillerman Prize. Her writing has appeared in numerous journals, and several documentary film projects are forthcoming in 2020. She lives in Brooklyn.  Name: Ladan Osman Occupation/Role: Writer and filmmaker What did you want to be when you were growing up?  It seemed like a zany plan but all I ever wanted to do … Continue reading Spotlight: Ladan Osman

This week we spoke to Ummy Ali Hassan who is the founder of UMMY THEBOSSLADY cosmetics. The make-up line is targeted towards women of all ages and includes various products such as eye shadows, liquid eyeliners, eyelashes and liquid lipsticks. The liquid lipsticks in the collection all have Muslim female names because they’re named after her female relatives. For more information on UMMY THEBOSSLADY products, … Continue reading Spotlight: Ummy Ali Hassan

This week we spoke with Hanna Ali who is a writer, Teaching Fellow and PhD candidate at SOAS, University of London where she specialises in Afro-Arab identity. Hanna is a former Radio Presenter and was listed as number 4 in BuzzFeed’s “21 Black British Muslims You Should Know About” in 2017 and was a part of Trailblazing Muslim Women in 2018. She is the Director … Continue reading Spotlight: Hanna Ali