#wilo geedi

[maantamag-blog]

Somali been way shagtaa laakin been ma maahmaahdo

This is the first of the Maahmaah Series aka Somali been way shagtaa laakin been ma maahmaahdo= Somalis lie, but dont lie in proverbs.

This piece is called Waari mayso warhakaa haro= You won't last so leave a legacy. It's a proverb my mom used say to me and my siblings. It was meant to instill in us that we are part of a greater legacy and we always have a part in contributing to it. 

This piece explores some of the impacts Somali women have had as arbiters of culture and history and on our greater understanding of  Somaalinimo and what that legacy holds. As caretakers and creators, somali women have been passing down maahmaah from generation to generation.

Wilo Geedi 

[maantamag-blog]

Curating Somali Aesthetics

In 1991 my family found themselves displaced, fragmented not only from their home but from each other.  I often think what my family and even Somali people would be like if history unfolded differently. As I grew up I found there was a wall of trauma and violence that kept both my parents from passing on their knowledge and even memories of their home on to us.

There my obsession of googling anything and everything about Somalia began. It was part research, part self-care and all archiving. As I got older, university and museum archives would feed my need for information: searching for identity in history. Through this obsessive ritual of research and archiving came a way for me to combat the stereotypes and the violence my community faced growing up in Canada.

Through this collaboration with Maanta Mag, I am going to connect my practice as graphic designer to explore these archived materials.  I want to explore Somalinimo through aesthetics. What is the beauty in Somali culture and art?  How do we find healing and transformation in that?

I hope to receive your feedback and contribution regarding Somali Aesthetics this month.

Wilo Geedi 

[maantamag-blog]

6Points Artist: Wilo Geedi

Wilo is a graphic designer and the founder of Practice of Creation. Follow Wilo on Twitter and keep up with all of Wilo's creations and curations here. Wilo has tons in store for us: art by Nadia Faragaab, personal stories from people who participated in the historic Storytelling Somalia retreat and original art inspired by Somali proverbs!