Tag: Records of Somalia

Hamse Warfa, the Highest-Ranking Somali Appointee in the Biden-Harris Administration, Washington

Hamse Warfa.

Hamse Warfa presently serving as Deputy Commissioner for Workforce Development, in the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (MEED) is leaving for a position in the Biden administration.

As a senior advisor in the U.S. State Department, Hamse will play a role in promoting democracy abroad and addressing refugee resettlement.

Hamse first came to the U.S. from Somalia when he was a teenager in 1994. He studied political science and organizational management, and built a career in both the public and private sector.

In 2014, he published his autobiography, America Here I Come: A Somali Refugee’s Quest for Hope.

As a Bush Fellow in 2016, Hamse founded BanQu, a blockchain service to provide access to credit and bank services for refugees. He also founded a consulting group to address poverty and economic opportunities for marginalized people.

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pix: hiraan.com

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AMERICAN / SOMALIA

‘The Gravedigger’s Wife’: A Somali Love Story Wins Africa’s Top Film Prize : October 24th, 2021

Khadar Ayderus Ahamed. Writer. Film Director.

Movie by Finnish-Somali writer-director Khadar Ayderus Ahmed won the Stallion of Yennenga grand prize at the Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou.

A little more than one month after it won the Amplify Voices Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, The Gravedigger’s Wife  has scooped Africa’s top film prize.

The drama, by Finnish-Somali writer-director Khadar Ayderus Ahmed, won the prestigious Stallion of Yennenga Grand Prize for Best Film at the Pan African Film Festival in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on Sunday.

Filmed in Somali in Djibouti, the tenderly moving story of love and devotion follows Guled (Omar Abdi), a man who makes a precarious living from loss.

The film took home the 20 million franc ($35,714) CFA prize money and the golden stallion statue, beating 16 other African films to the top prize. The films in competition were made by directors from 15 different African countries.

It was also Somalia’s first official entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 2021 Academy Awards, and premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in July.

source/content: thenationalnews.com

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Khadar Ayderus Ahmed, left, Yasmin Warsame, centre, and Omar Abdi attend ‘The Gravedigger’s Wife’ photocall during the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival. / AFP / thenationalnews.com

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FINLAND / SOMALIA

Rawdah Mohamed is the First Hijab-Wearing Editor of Color at a Western Fashion Magazine ‘Vogue Scandinavia’

Rawdah Mohamed. Somali Origin – Norwegian. Social media influencer, model, blogger, activist, healthcare professional.

Mohamed landed the role as Vogue Scandinavia’s Norway fashion editor earlier this year. 

The magazine launched last week with Swedish teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg on the front cover.

At the beginning of her modeling career, Mohamed juggled the job with working with autistic people and people with different mental disabilities.

She continues to volunteer in mental health care to this day and has been working with patients at overstretched hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

source/content: arabnews.com

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Rawdah Mohamed is the first hijab-wearing editor of color at a western fashion magazine. (Ole Martin Halvorsen) / arabnews.com

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NORWAY / SOMALIA

Ramla Ali – First British Female Muslim Boxing Champion

Ramla Ali (aka) Ramla Said Ahmed Ali

Somali-British. English Professional Boxer, Model, Author and Racial Equality Activist.

First/s :

  • First Muslim Woman Boxer to win English National Titles in 2016
  • Somalia’s First ever Boxing Representative for Tokyo 2020 Olympics
  • First Female Somali Boxer in history to compete professionally
  • First male or female to win the African Boxing Title and International Gold medals whilst representing Somalia
  • First Boxer in history to have represented Somalia in Women’s World Championships, New Delhi, India

Winner : a few listed below :

  • As an amateur – Won Novice National Championship, England (2015)
  • England Boxing Elite Championship (2016)
  • African Zone Featherweight Title (2019)
  • etc..

Social Activist:

  • Launched a club ‘ The Sister’s Club’, UK (2018)

Model:

  • Front covers of British Vogue, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Guardian Observer, Wonderland, ELLE, The Square Mile, The Week, Swiss Style, Puss Puss Magazine etc..

Brand Ambassador:

  • Pantene nominated her as its newest Ambassador and Face of their Hair Care Brand (2019)

Book:

  • ‘Not Without A Fight’

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pix: olympicchannel.com/en

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UNITED KINGDOM / SOMALIAN-BRITISH