Asli and Yasin Ciyow, born to a Somali father and a French mother, are bringing together 32 aspiring young British-Somali entrepreneurs to share ideas at a convention in London.

[Admin]

Two siblings are on a quest to revive the entrepreneurial streak once associated with Somali communities abroad.

Asli and Yassin Ciyow want to dispel the image that young diaspora Somalis are often unemployed, involved in gangs, or linked to Islamist militants.The duo, born to a Somali father and a French mother, are bringing together 32 aspiring young British-Somali entrepreneurs to share ideas at a convention in London on Sunday.

The gathering will build on the "enterprising nature" of Somalis and "showcase a new wave of young Somalis getting the start-up bug", says Asli Ciyow, 27.

She began planning the Fiiri Bandhiga convention almost a year ago and came up with the idea while she was organising a separate charity event to build water wells in Somalia."I noticed there were a number of keen young Somalis from the UK and across Europe who were offering their services and skills."It was at that moment I suggested to my brother, 'Why don't we actually put a select group of young people, from across the diaspora, and who are already running their businesses, in touch with each other?'"Her younger brother was happy to help and they now aim to organise the convention once a year.It is not just about networking and "exchanging skills", Ms Ciyow says."It's also about demonstrating to young Somalis the possibilities open to them in the world of start-ups and getting the younger ones to start thinking early about their future."They intend to reach "many second-generation Somalis" growing up in various Western countries by rotating the convention between cities in the UK, Europe and the US.'Fortune men'The UK was a natural choice for the pairs' inaugural event as it is home to the oldest and largest Somali community in Europe, numbering more than 100,000.Somalis first came to the UK in the early 1900s, recruited as seamen and often known as "fortune men" in Somalia because of their ingenious ways of making a living.Their successors were quick to set up businesses to meet the needs of the growing refugee populations fleeing the civil conflict that began in 1991.

Shukri Hashi studied fashion design before setting up her bridal wear business

So can young British Somalis pick up the entrepreneurial spirit historically associated with their culture?London-based Shukri Hashi, one of the 32 chosen entrepreneurs, thinks so and says her background has been "inspirational" to her becoming a designer of Somali-tinged bespoke wedding dresses.

Her entry into the fashion industry is a far cry from businesses traditionally the economic backbone of Somali diaspora societies - like the internet and telecommunications, the restaurant business and money transfer services.

"I had a hard time explaining it my family. They were perplexed as to why I didn't stick to traditional graduate professions," says Ms Hashi, who graduated in fashion design five years ago."But they are slowly coming round to the idea that you can make a good living out of any profession if you put time and dedication into it."She says she is looking forward to networking and working with other young people from the British-Somali community - something that has not always been a given because of Somalia's clan system.Laura Hammond, an expert on the Somali diaspora at the School of Oriental & African Studies (Soas), says this shows how far second-generation Somalis have come."Their parents directed their investments and remittances to close relatives but young Somalis today are more likely than ever to cross those clan lines when it comes to doing business."They are less concerned with clan identities, relying on their British and Somali identities for the best of both worlds."'Reversing trends'So are young Somalis in the UK "turning a corner"?Awoowe Hamza, a 25-year-old community organiser in London, believes so.He often discusses challenges faced by young Somalis in the diaspora on his own 

 which airs on a UK-based Somali channel. He also believes second-generation Somalis are "reversing" trends when it comes to low education attainment and unemployment.

Talk show host Awoowe Hamza believes young British Somalis are overcoming barriers despite setbacks

"Collecting data on Somalis is always challenging but, from my observations, an increasingly high number of young Somalis graduate as distinguished alumni from Russell Group [of leading] universities and many are becoming role models in their respective fields including setting up their own businesses," he says.

The UK Somali community recently faced a setback when news emerged of British Somali teenage twin sisters reportedly joining Islamic State (IS) in Syria.

But Mr Hamza says he prefers to look at the bigger picture."Young Somalis on the whole are well integrated into British society achieving a good balance between their British, Somali and Muslim identities."The majority of them are focussed on trying to both develop themselves professionally, as well as supporting their parents and other members of their family who are struggling."Having visible role models like Olympic gold-winning athlete Mo Farah, acclaimed novelist Nadifa Mohamed and London's young poet laureate Warsan Shire has helped in the process of integration and "settling" the question of identity for young people, says Ms Hammond.For their part, the Ciyow siblings say they hope that their business convention helps create the "next generation" of role models in the world of business."We have spent months picking our entrepreneurs as we wanted only to showcase the best," says Ms Ciyow."The feedback has been positive so far and we can't wait for our next stop next year in Minneapolis, the US."Source: http://www.bbc.com

http://www.somaliaonline.com/asli-and-yasin-ciyow-born-to-a-somali-father-and-a-french-mother-are-bringing-together-32-aspiring-young-british-somali-entrepreneurs-to-share-ideas-at-a-convention-in-london/

[Nin-Yaaban]

Wish em all the luck. They seem to be doing something good and worthwhile.

[Alpha Blondy]

they're not even 100% Somali. these half breeds do not posses the legitimacy to lecture anyone.

[smartlander]

Of course they r somali their dad is somali they have a qabiil u r who ur dad is

 

Question is which qabiil is it

[Dhagax-Tuur]

Somali iyo qabiil maxaanu ku kala sameynaa? Yaa Alle yaqaan oo ummadeena cudurkaan ka daweeya.

 

These two young people came out to help their Somali brethren the best possible way here in Gaalo-land, yet some of you are going out of your way to even go far as saying they are not Somalis, Who the heck made you the gatekeeper?

 

Effing couch-servers.

[Adam]

I see this event is today any SOLers attending let us now you take on the conf. Asli and her brother seem nice . Z

[Alpha Blondy]

<cite>

@Dhagax-Tuur

said:</cite>

Somali iyo qabiil maxaanu ku kala sameynaa? Yaa Alle yaqaan oo ummadeena cudurkaan ka daweeya.

 

These two young people came out to help their Somali brethren the best possible way here in Gaalo-land, yet some of you are going out of your way to even go far as saying they are not Somalis, Who the heck made you the gatekeeper?

 

Effing couch-servers.

 

good morning,

 

there are far too many people with the messiah complex these days.

 

i've been following the developments of this event very closely over the net. it's bringing together a bunch of mediocre individuals who've ''apparently'' excelled in their particular field. there are half breeds, fashion designers, hipsters and homosexuals taking part. of course, i’m pretty mediocre myself though i'm ashamed to admit it. i'm not being self-deprecating but i've never done anything that stands out as, “whoah“! certainly i’ve had some successes and some failures but never reached any of the goals i had initially set. somehow i've always slipped off along the way, off the yellow brick road, into the wilderness but you don't see me, parading my talents for all to see and gagging for attention. self-awareness is a virtue.

 

qabil has nothing to do with this but we ought to be wary of those who taken upon themselves to civilise.

[Dhagax-Tuur]

^Messiah complex, my you know what!

 

Yaa Allah. Never mind. Carry on. As you were, sir.

[burahadeer]

Great, tens of 1000s of Somalis doing great in every field.Nice duo

[Tallaabo]

<cite>

@Alpha Blondy

said:</cite>

they're not even 100% Somali. these half breeds do not posses the legitimacy to lecture anyone.

Waryaa the black Nazi leave these two good people alone. Your full Soomaalinimo and your full monkeynimo could not help you to set up an even tiny library in Hargeisa :-D

[Alpha Blondy]

^ leave me alone!

 

my full Soomaalinimo and full monkeynimo has never got me anywhere in life. everything i have ever been, however little, has been through my own individual endeavours. this stuff is a waste of time, walle. like Kurtz, my belief in such shallow values, have left a hollow shell of a civilised, rational being, in my person.

 

yet, i'm finding myself becoming more nationalistic and radicalised by the day. these days, i have a particular hatred for non-ethnic Somalis. i'm not sure why.

 

as for the library, it's exist.

[Alpha Blondy]

<cite>

@Dhagax-Tuur

said:</cite>

^Messiah complex, my you know what!

 

Yaa Allah. Never mind. Carry on. As you were, sir.

 

[xabad]

They look like egyptians.

 

i love their names too, a nice change from generic ones i am used too.