“The Bright and Dark Colours of My Life”

This project took place between 2015 and 2017 and was fully funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.  It involved recording and publishing the oral histories of 5 Somali women living in Birmingham. The book which came from the project was launched on 6 May 2017 at a special exhibition of Somali culture in Small Heath.  The stories were moving, powerful, and informative. 

The “Dark Colours” included tragic stories of the effects of female genital mutilation and the war in Somalia, and the many “Bright Colours” included stories about growing up in Somalia, Somali courtship traditions, and numerous other aspects of Somali culture.