I had the pleasure of interviewing Rahma Mohamed, also goes by her pen name Rahma Rodaah. Rahma is a mother of three, an author of children’s books, a TEDx speaker, a community leader, and so much more!
Rahma was born and raised in Somalia. At the age of eight, her family immigrated to Canada. They arrived in Quebec, where Rahma attended her first formal school in French. The first few years were challenging, she endured years of bullying due to being the only black Somali girl in her class and her inability to speak the language. But eventually, she would be first to graduate from University in her family, having mastered both French and English.
Reflecting on her struggles of growing up in a foreign country, Rahma became determined to write books centered on characters that are Muslim and with African roots. She set out to write children’s books to encourage youth to be proud of their uniqueness by celebrating diversity. Rahma firmly believes that children need to be able to identify themselves in the books they read to enhance their self-confidence as well as bolster their sense of pride
In this episode, we talked about Rahma’s experience immigrating to Canada as a child, what inspired her to become a writer, raising confident and proud kids, her dreams for the future and so much more! Although this was the first-time meeting Rahma, our connection was instant. I’m inspired by Rahma’s passion for building a future where black-Muslim kids can take-up any space without the need to explain themselves. Join us in this enriching conversation.
Connect with Rahma Here:
- Website: https://rahmarodaah.com/
- TEDx – Pebbles that Build Mountains
- Instagram: @rahmarodaah
- Facebook: @rahmarodaah
- Twitter: @rahmarodaah
Let’s hear your thoughts about this episode, what were some of the things that resonated with you in this conversation?