Shukri Omar
Personal info
- Name:
- Shukri Omar
- Age:
- 37 years
- Profession:
- Radio and video journalist
- Nationality:
- Finnish
- Country, city:
- Finland, Helsinki
Story
I have studied media and worked with media-related projects for the last ten years. I have also two other professions from Finnish institutions: I am a cook and a practical nurse.
I have been involved in NGO activity with Africarewo, Shiffa and the Finnish-Somalia Friendship Society, mainly as a media trainer and a member.
I first came in contact with grassroots comics in 2007 at a course run by World Comics Finland's trainers Katja Tukiainen and Leif Packalen in how to use the method. Later that year I went to Hargeisa in Somaliland with Warda Ahmed (Finnish comics trainer) to conduct a workshop there for the Candlelight organization. This was a cooperation between the Finnish International Solidarity Organisation and Shiffa.
First I was apprehensive; could it really be possible for everybody to make comics? To my amazement all the workshop participants learned the skill easily and used it with enthusiasm. Probably to divide the process of making comics into very small steps, does the trick.
I was a trainer again in another workshop in 2009 with Candlelight in Burco in Somaliland, together with Daahir Mahamed from the organization HARDO in Mogadishu. The workshop was on FGM (female genital mutilation) campaigning. Both young men and women attended, and the opinions in the group varied a lot. The theme was very difficult, so it took some time for the participants to create their stories, but again, there was no problem with making the actual comics. The method worked very well, though some of the participants had never drawn before.
