The Somali Woman

Medium: textile collages
Framed 73 x 95 cm
 
Cher Graham 2024
 
The Somali woman is an image of what I imagine Sadicya, the wife of Asad Abdullahi, looks like. The stories of Sadicya and Asad are told in Jonny Steinberg’s book ”A Man of Good Hope.” This gruelling, heart wrenching read tells the true story of Asad, a Somali orphan who makes his way to South Africa and tries to create a life here. He met Sadicya in Soetwater camp in Kommetjie, Cape Town,  after the 2008 Xenophobic violence necessitated the creation of such a place of safety.