I am an ethnographic researcher and writer interested in how popular forms of art and practices of ‘voicing’ are entangled in processes of sociopolitical transformation, especially in the wake of violence. For the last decade, my research focus has been Somaliland, where I have worked with poet, musicians, singers and cultural activists to understand the power of poetry and song to shape both intimate relationships and everyday processes of social change. More recently, I have started working with diaspora Somali artists based in the UK. 

My research builds on my interdisciplinary training in social anthropology and peace studies, and a longstanding practice-informed interest in the role of storytelling in war and peacebuilding processes. My interests in this area were initially inspired by personal encounters and resettlement work with refugee communities in Canada. I have worked with a variety of peace research and refugee resettlement organizations in Canada and Africa – including Project Ploughshares (Ontario), the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (Cape Town),  the Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Hargeysa, the Rift Valley Institute, and Wilfrid Laurier University’s chapter of World University Service of Canada (WUSC). Since 2024 I have also worked as the Artistic Director for Kayd Somali Arts and Culture, a London-based charity committed to preserving Somali arts and heritage.

I completed PhD and MPhil degrees in Social Anthropology at Cambridge. I also hold an MA in International Peace Studies from Notre Dame, and a BA in Global Studies and Religion and Culture from Wilfrid Laurier University.