Follow the co-founders of the Soomal House of Art in Minneapolis, who are themselves working visual artists, as they run a community-based gallery. Together, they uplift Somali art and inspire a new generation to explore its cultural heritage.
Silsilad (Sequence) is a short film centered around three Somali-American artists – Khadijah Muse, Mohamud Mumin, and Kaamil A. Haider – who are the co-founders of the Soomaal House of Art, an artist collective and contemporary art gallery based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The film explores the role of visual art as a tool for self-expression, investigation, and celebration within a newly arrived immigrant community. Despite the overwhelming challenges these artists face, including a lack of funding and engagement in the broader art community, Silsilad chronicles their triumphs in engaging their local community and raising cultural consciousness about the talents and contributions of Somali artists.
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Sadak Abukar is a young Somali-American refugee who arrived in the USA when he was 12 years old. This documentary short shows how this young man has not only overcome the enormous challenges that come with being a refugee from a conflict zone like Somalia, but also how he has had a positive impact on other young refugees in the Somali-American community around his home in Maryland. Too often we hear media reports of refugee youth causing or getting into trouble. Abukar’s life tells a very different story – one of mentorship, commitment to family and community, and hard work.
Black businesses continue to struggle for equal footing with “majority owned,” or non-minority businesses, despite improvements in racial relations.