Somali Week: Trailblazing Women Poets

‘Does anyone survive to question
the essence of being Somali?’
– Asha Lul Mohamed Yusuf, tr. Clare Pollard

Poet, playwright and filmmaker Yasmin Mohamed Kahin, and star of the Somali poetry diaspora Asha Lul Mohamud Yusuf, reflect on this question and more through poetry and writings, which they share alongside their English translators.

Visiting the UK for the first time, Yasmin Mohamed Kahin is a breakthrough author whose work is rooted in the social issues of her birthplace, exploring migration, mental health, and the marginalisation of women and young people.

This event premieres the first English translations of Kahin’s work by acclaimed writers Maxamed Xasan ‘Alto’ and Anna Selby.

Asha Lul Mohamud Yusuf, who has lived in the UK for more than 25 years, is a poet known for her mastery of the prestigious gabay form, which is otherwise dominated by male writers.

She reads alongside her longtime friend and poet-translator Clare Pollard from their collection The Sea-Migrations, named the Sunday Times Poetry Book Of The Year.

The poets and translators are in conversation with Erica Hesketh, director of the Poetry Translation Centre from 2016 to 2024.

This bilingual event is supported by Arts Council England as part of the Poetry Translation Centre’s 20th birthday activity, celebrating the longstanding partnership between the centre and Kayd Somali Arts & Culture.