This week, we’re celebrating ten incredible Yemeni women making waves in the worlds of journalism, food, activism, photography, art, music and even paleoanthropology. From a filmmaker documenting the realities of living through the war in Yemen to an explorer uncovering the secrets of human evolution on Socotra, you need these fearless women on your feed!
Shaima Al-Tamimi | @i.am.shaima
Shaima Al-Tamimi uses her filmmaking and photography to reflect on and unravel her personal and family history, including generations of migration from Yemen to East Africa to the Gulf. Her latest piece of work, a multimedia film entitled Don’t Get Too Comfortable, made history as the first film by a Yemeni filmmaker to participate in the Venice International Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Orrizonti Award for Best Short Film.
Sama’a Al-Hamdani | @samaa.alhamdani
Sama’a Al-Hamdani is a political analyst, researcher and specialist commentator on Yemen, and has provided expert analysis for Al Jazeera, CNN, the BBC and Middle East Eye among many others. When she’s not trying to guide the world towards a better understanding of the war in Yemen, she’s advocating for its rich cultural heritage as the Director at the Yemen Cultural Institute for Heritage and the Arts. You can find her on Twitter at @yemeniaty.
Yasmine Nasser Diaz | @yasmine.diaz
Next up is Yemeni-American multidisciplinary artist Yasmine Nasser Diaz, who explores themes including third culture identity, representation and gender through a variety of mediums including collage, etchings and immersive installations like her latest piece of work, For Your Eyes Only.
Nawal Al-Maghafi | @bbcnawal
A journalist and filmmaker at the BBC, Nawal Al-Maghafi’s special focus is the Middle East and she is one of the few journalists to travel to Yemen in recent years. Her work has included the Emmy award-winning documentary Iraq’s Secret Sex Trade and a recent investigative piece about the impact of Covid-19 in Yemen, a country already grappling with one of the worst humanitarian crises in history.
Somaya Abdualla | @thesomaya
Sana’a-based filmmaker and photographer Somaya Abdualla’s work will take you straight to the heart of Yemen. Her short film, 100 Riyals is Enough to Explain Everything is incredibly moving, and will change your day in less than three minutes.
Thana Faroq | @thanafaroq7
Thana Faroq is a Yemeni photographer and educator who left her homeland for safety in Europe, and pours her experiences into her work. Her photobook, I Don’t Recognise Me In the Shadows, published in 2020 and nominated for the Lucie Photobook Prize in 2021, is her account of leaving Yemen and her experience of seeking asylum in the Netherlands. Another recent project documents the journeys of others who have been forcibly displaced from their homelands, exploring home, belonging, unbelonging and everything in between with her photography.
Noha Al-Maghafi | @intibint
Noha Al-Maghafi is known as Intibint, the Arabic for ‘you’re a girl’. She’s a singer, songwriter and producer based in London, who celebrates her Yemeni heritage in all that she does. Noha also founded Al Yamaniah, a platform dedicated to Yemeni women in art and culture. You can stream the Al Yamaniah podcast on Spotify and you can listen to Intibint’s latest release, Ishty Ansa, here.
Fatma Al-Baiti | @fatma.albaiti
Fatma Al-Baiti’s feed will have you drooling over your screen – she’s an incredible cook and believes that sharing food is one of the most powerful ways to understand other people and cultures. She’s also the ultimate host, and started @meetmeatfatmas, the pop-up brunch club bringing the taste of Yemen to London (the pop-ups had to go on hiatus during the pandemic, but here’s hoping they start again soon!).
Ella Al-Shamahi | @ella_alshamahi
We’re not sure where to start describing Ella Al-Shamahi – she’s an author, stand up comedian, palaeoanthropologist and Nat Geo Explorer who has also presented two TV series! Get a taste of her work on paleoanthropology in unstable territories via her TED talk about “science’s geography problem”, read her book The Handshake about the history of that simplest form of human contact, or if you’re in the UK, you can watch her series Jungle Mystery: Lost Kingdoms of the Amazon on Channel 4 On Demand!
Alaa Al-Eryani | @alaaeryani
The fearless Alaa Al-Eryani is the founder of the @yemenifeministmovement, a platform which advocates for women’s rights and raises awareness of domestic violence, femicide and honour killings. Despite threats against her in response to her work, Alaa has continued her work for gender equality, harnessing the power of social media to spread her message.
If you’re keen for even more stories of incredible women from the Middle East and North Africa, don’t miss these articles:
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