The month of March is Women’s History month which corresponds with the International Women’s Day celebration. The cultural, political and socio-economic achievements of women are celebrated on this day.
The African diaspora in Finland is celebrating the outstanding achievements of women from African backgrounds. Diaspora Glitz Magazine, the voice of the African diaspora in Finland collaborated with Diaconia University of Applied Sciences on this pilot project which was sponsored by Moniheli ry. The Top10 Most Influential Women Of African Descent event took place on Saturday 19 March 2022 in Helsinki.
Celebrating the impacts of African women in our society is commendable. Many of the women are trailblazers in their field. Some of them have lived here for a long time and have helped in changing the immigrant narratives in Finland.
A committee was set up by Diaspora Glitz Magazine that handled the selection process. Several nominations were received and the last 10 was unanimously chosen. Two of the awardees, Awak Kuier and Michaela Moua are currently not in Finland while Maryan Abdulkarim was a last minute absentee.
From left: Hon Obi-West Utchaychukwu (Diaspora Glitz Magazine publisher) H E Mrs Sarra Chaouani Abidi (Tunisian Ambassador to Finland) & Abdirahim Husu (Moniheli Executive Director)
Diaspora Glitz Magazine looks to organise it on an annual basis because there are more women to be celebrated, so much excellence to be acknowledged.
BATULO ESSAK
Batulo Essak receiving her award from Hon Obi-West Utchaychukwu who was supported by Nancy Hurtsi
Madam Batulo Essak is a Somali-born midwife, nurse, mother, civil society leader and a couple’s counsellor. She came to Finland as a refugee in 1991 and has since spoken up for the rights of women across platforms. From the Advisory Board of Ethnic Relation to Nordic Women Mediators Finland, Essak has persistently fought to make the voices of female immigrants heard and to educate professionals on the importance of work against female genital mutilation in Finland. Essak graduated as a public health nurse from Laurea University of Applied Sciences in 2004 and she’s currently a master’s student of public and global health at the University of Tampere. In the Municipal elections 2004, She was elected to the Vantaa City Council. Essak received the Aleksandra Prize of the Confederation of Women’s Organisations in 2006. In 2008, she was elected to the country brand delegation appointed by Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb and led by Jorma Ollila. Since 2002, Essak has been the executive director of African Care ry, an NGO which supports women from immigrant backgrounds in Helsinki and coordinates a development project in Southern Somalia. She views NGOs as a powerful way to provide support to women in vulnerable positions in Finland and continues to be motivated by the impact of her work.
OGE OGUEJIOFOR-ENEH
Oge Oguejiofor-Eneh receiving her award from Hon Obi-West Utchaychukwu who was supported by Nancy Hurtsi
Oge Oguejiofor-Eneh is a Nigerian from the Igbo extraction. She had her primary, secondary and tertiary education in Nigeria before arriving in Finland in 1985 to continue her education at the University of Helsinki. She graduated in 1991 with a masters degree in Education. In addition, she holds Diplomas in International Business and Marketing from the Helsinki School of Economics, and a Client-Centred Consultation Approach from the University of Helsinki, Adult Education Center (Palmenia). She holds lifelong learning certificates in Career Planning, Crisis Intervention skills, Cooperative Education learning & Volunteer Certificate from Suomen Lähetysseura 2021. Oge has worked in these areas; education, training, multiculturism, inclusion & international team building. She has planned projects for Education tourism for West Africa market e.g Nigeria, and Saudi Arabia. She worked as a researcher from 1998 – 2000 at the Monash University, Australia, Centre for Research in International Education (MCRIE). She has trained international team professionals for companies such as Borealis Neste, renowned Finnish IT company(NOKIA) at Melbourne and Helsinki, Finnish Ministry of Foreign affairs, Finnish Meteorological Institute, Victoria community education officers in Melbourne, Suomi-Seura and Agricolan Lutheran church in Melbourne. In Finland, she had trained the Finnish Police on Culture Competence for a decade. She was invited to join the Swedish Peoples Party of Finland in 2008, she contested for the municipal election in Espoo. In 2009 she was the first African-Finn to contest for the European Parliament election. She joined Kookoomus in 2011, contested the 2012 municipal election. She became a board member for education under Kookoomus in Espoo in 2012. In 2015, the President of Finland invited her to the Presidential villa to join the Finnish Independence Anniversary Party, as a recognition for her work with migrant women, children, & youths at Helsinki City Culture Centre Caisa. She’s the first Nigerian Finn to get such honour. She contested the 2017 municipal election in Helsinki. She is a member of Helsinki Women National Coalition Party (Kokoomus). Board member at Helsinki City property: Kiinteistö Oy Helsingin Malminkatu 3 (KOK). A mother of two adults and three grandchildren. She practices christian faith.
EDEM AGBEKEY-TAYLOR
Eden Agbekey Taylor receiving her award from Hon Obi-West Utchaychukwu who was supported by Nancy Hurtsi
Edem Agbekey-Taylor is from Ghana. She’s one of the few entrepreneurs from African backgrounds who have been able to have a major breakthrough in the Finnish market. She graduated as an automobile engineer and moved to Finland to pursue postgraduate studies. In 2006, when her daughter was born, she had a severe rash for which the clinic’s instructions did not help. Edam’s mother advised her to use African black soap and Shea butter. The clinic wondered how quickly the child skin healed. She gave these products to the caregiver for an experiment and she fell in love with them. She asked if they could buy them from somewhere because she wanted to recommend the products to other mothers as well, that was how Inkuto Organic products was established in the summer of 2007. The company which is based in Helsinki manufactures skin and hair care products such as African black soap and shea butter. They have been used in Africa for centuries. The company buys raw materials from Africa and employs more than 60 widows in Ghana. The early stages of the company was difficult because of language barrier, Edem toured to sell Inkuto’s products at the Helsinki Market Square, various festivals and fairs. Inkuto had a major breakthrough in 2017 when K-Citymarket started selling its products on its shelves. Already in 2009, Ruohonjuuri, which specializes in ecological and organic products, had started selling Inkuto’s products. Edem, the 2016 entrepreneur of the year award winner is an employer, she has been able to hire employees who works with her.
FATIMA USMAN
Fatima Usman receiving her award from Hon Obi-West Utchaychukwu who was supported by Mama Aria
Fatima Usman hails from Nigeria. She is one of the promoters of African culture and tradition in Finland. A large number of Africans in Finland calls her Mama Africa because of her impact within the Finland African diaspora. She is passionate about the future of children born by African parents, having lived here for a long time. She is an advocate of immigrant integration and inclusion in Finnish society. She is the organizer and host of several multicultural training and events. She left a footprint at the Caisa Cultural Centre in Helsinki where she taught African folklore, music and drums to children and teenagers. Madam Fatima is the President of AFAES Ry, an acronym for African and African-European Association, founded in 2003 in Helsinki, as a registered multicultural association. The association aims to combat racism through teamwork and market African culture to the Finnish people. She is the founder of African Pots Restaurant, one of the few afro-fusion restaurants in town. She is a member of the Moniheli board; a multicultural association with over 100 members. Without a doubt, Madam Fatima has found her strength and place in Finnish society. She was featured in Zambezi theatre performance in 2020 which was directed by Ritva Siikala. The play was about a Finnish refugee family in Africa.
MICHAELA MOUA
Michaela Moua. EU anti-racism coordinator
Michaela Moua is currently the first-ever European Union Anti-Racism Coordinator for the European Commission. Her role is to implement the first EU Anti-racism action plan. She will be liaising closely with the EU Member States, the European Parliament, Civil Society Organisations and academia. Before taking up her new role in Brussels, for the last few years, she has worked at the Non-discrimination Ombudsman’s office where she coordinated a survey on discrimination faced by people of African Descent in Finland in education and employment and the reasons behind underreporting. She was also a project manager at the Ministry of Justice in Finland, where she was in charge of a national anti-racism project. She has extensive experience and expertise in combatting racism and racial discrimination on the local and member state level. She has also held a number of senior roles in NGOs and grassroots organisations working on anti-racism and anti-discrimination. For instance, she was the vice-chair of the Anti-Racist Forum, an anti-racist, intersectional, feminist organization led by racialised people. In addition, she was part of the core team of Good Hair Day, a collective of AfroFinns whose activities are led by the for us by us principle and broaden representations of AfroFinns as well as create safer spaces. Moua is also a solution-focused therapist and specializes on the effects of racism and discrimination on mental health and racialized clients who suffer from the trauma of systemic and cumulative racism. She is a pioneer in Finland and one of the few racialised mental health specialists. She started the conversation on a societal level about the connection between racism to mental health.
EMMA TAMANKAG
Emma Tamankag receiving her award from Hon Obi-West Utchaychukwu who was supported by Nancy Hurtsi
Emma Tamankag a.k.a Mama Ems is a proud African woman who has lived in Finland for 23 years. She is currently a Doctoral candidate at the University of Helsinki, faculty of medicine. She has a bachelor’s degree in Nursing, a master’s degree in Health Care, a master’s degree in Teacher Education, and a Pedagogical Teacher Qualification. Emma is a Senior Lecturer in the department of nursing at Laurea University of Applied Sciences and the Degree Clinical Placement Coordinator. She has worked as a registered nurse and was the first African immigrant to have held the position of an Expert Nurse, Nurse Manager, and Effica Administrator. Out of working life, Emma is the current chairperson of the Board of Directors of the largest multicultural network (Moniheli), and the chairperson of HEED Association Finland ry. She is also currently sitting as a vice board member in the Advisory Board for Ethnic Relationships under the Minister of Justice (ETNO). As a community leader, Emma has impacted the immigrant communities through her words and actions, including empowering women through education and civic activism. Some of her achievements in organisation work include but not limited to winning the Moniheli Member Association of the Year Award (MAYA), implementing the first-ever Chronic Disease Awareness project in Finland (CHRODA), Facilitated the first-ever cultural mediator training in Finland, and championing the blood donation campaign from immigrants. She has also actively participated in community outreach work on health education and other integration issues, provided guidance on mental wellbeing First Aid, and facilitated many peer support groups. Respect, family, health, diversity, inclusion, justice, fairness, equality, integrity, and the oneness of mankind are among her core values that guide both her professional and private life. Emma is a wife and a mother of 4.
MARYAN ABDULKARIM
Maryan Abdulkarim
Maryan Abdulkarim came to Tampere from Mogadishu in Somalia at the age of seven as an asylum seeker. She is a social activist, a feminist , freelance journalist, columnist and a prolific writer. Maryan is a well-known social activist and anti racism advocate, a crème de la crème of Finland African diaspora. She has carved out a niche for herself in media and culture.
In 2019 , Abdulkarim was awarded the Minna Canth Prize at the Helsinki Book Fair . The reasons for awarding the award included: “ Like Minna Canth, she is a courageous social writer and debater. She takes a tireless stand for women and minorities and makes inequality visible even in areas where many people think equality already exists. “ In 2021, the Helsinki City Government awarded Abdulkarim the Golden Helsinki Medal . According to the city government, thanks to Abdulkarim’s work and speeches, Helsinki has better awakened to the changes required by a diversifying city
DR FAITH MKWESHA
Dr Faith Mkwesha receiving her award. She was supported by her husband
Dr. Mkwesha is an educator, lecturer, researcher, mother and a social justice activist. She is the Director of SahWira Africa International NGO that she founded doing great work to support African Community. The organisation is building bridges and connecting African women with Finnish and Nordic Women to heal and rebuild equal excellent relations through Healing the Feminine Summits and workshops. The summits and workshops centre and amplify the voices of women in African and African Diaspora in Conversation with Global Black, Brown and Indigenous Women, and White Women Allies. Dr. Mkwesha advocates for black children’s rights and protection of black girls from charity and development organisations who use dehumanising images of black children to raise money. Also, she does anti/racism activism using online petitions to influence policy and initiate discussions on representation and racism. She initiated and led successful online campaigns: #ProtectBlackGirlsToo, #ProtectBlackChildren #Negro/Negre/NeekeritIsRacist in museums, #NoRacismInUniversity. SahWira Africa International also do activities to support integration of multi-ethnic youth in Finland. Dr. Mkwesha is one of the editors of the book, Rasismi, valta ja vastarinta (Racism, power and resistance) published in 2021. She is a researcher at Helsinki University, Swedish School of Social Sciences, Centre of Ethnic Relations and Nationalism. She gives lectures in different universities and institutions on different themes on Africa, decolonisation, indigenous knowledges, ubuntu, gender and feminism. She also advocates for Africans and African diaspora to play an active role in contributing to development of Finland and Africa relations, education, culture and business. She is an advocate of ubuntu, a black decolonial anti/racism African feminist.
AWAK HIBA KUIER
Awak Kuier
Awak Kuier was born in Cairo, Egypt to South Sudan natives who fled civil war. She moved to Finland with her parents and four brothers when she was two years old. She learned Arabic, Finnish and English in that order and began playing basketball at age 11. Awak, the only youth in the list of Top10 Most Influential Women Of African Descent In Finland began her basketball journey in the small city of Kotka. Kuier is a 6-foot-5 power forward who has been able to dunk since age 14. From 2017 to 2020, she went to Helsinki Basketball Academy where she took her game to another level. In June 2020, Kuier selected a new team from a number of European options and signed with Virtus Eirene Ragusa , one of the top teams in the Italian main series . The agreement was a four-year open agreement , from which Kuier would be able to buy herself out, for example, if she wants to join the WNBA. Indeed, Kuier played for the summer of 2021 in Dallas Wings in the United States. She made Finnish basketball history when she became the first Finnish national to play in the premier women’s professional league ( WNBA) with Dallas Wings. After a season at Dallas Wings, Awak Kuier returned to Europe and to the Italian Virtus Eirene Ragusa for the new season. She represented Finland at the 2019 U18B FIBA Women’s European Championship, winning the championship and being named tournament MVP. She was then named to the All-Star Five at the 2019 U20B FIBA Women’s European Championship, helping Finland to a second-place finish.
HARRIET ARYENDA
Harriet Aryenda receiving her award from Hon Obi-West Utchaychukwu who was supported by Nancy Hurtsi
Harriet is born and raised in Uganda. She moved to Finland with her Finnish spouse.At her earlier times in Finland,she worked in kindergartens and also as an afternoon club organiser for school going children. Coming from an enterprenual background, Harriet always had the desire to continue entrepreneurship also in Finland. An opportunity arose when Harriet was on her maternity leave, she then had time to think through and approach the necessary offices in business . On 10th February 2014,Harriet started The Natural beauty shop,Finland. The natural beauty shop Finland, is located along Hammentie in Helsinki. The Natural Beautyshop, Finland manufactures organic handmade cosmetics and sells ethically traded crafts from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ghana. Harriet is being celebrated today because of her resilience and hard work. Her success story is a motivation to many who aspire to become entrepreneurs.
Amkelwa Mbekeni (MC) & Hon Obi-West Utchaychukwu, the chief organizer of the event
