Nimco Ali

The Power of Authenticity and Acceptance (Warning: This podcast features a discussion of sensitive topics, including FGM, which may be upsetting for some listeners) This week’s podcast features a candid conversation between our very own Lady Marieme Jamme and social activist Nimco Ali OBE. Lady Marieme met Nimco at a conference where Nimco was discussing Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Nimco herself has experienced FGM and is now working tirelessly to put a stop to it. She is the co-founder and CEO of The Five Foundation. This non-profit organization aims to end FGM and provide funding for African women working in African grassroots projects fighting against FGM. Nimco’s work is changing so many girl’s lives for the better. Nimco talks to Lady Marieme about her experience of moving to England from Somalia at a young age, her family, the importance of staying true to yourself and being kind to yourself, and her book is called ‘What We’re Told Not to Talk About (But We’re Going to Anyway).

Nimco Ali is a leading campaigner, activist and writer, as well as an independent government advisor on tackling violence against women and girls. Each week Nimco will speak to commentators, celebrities and politicians as they aim to find common ground on the issues that matter to them both.Guests include Home Secretary, Priti Patel, artist and mental health campaigner Jordan Stephens, as well as comedian and novelist David Baddiel.Nimco is also CEO and founder of The Five Foundation, the global partnership to end female genital mutilation (FGM). In 2010, she co-founded Daughters of Eve, a non-profit organisation which works to protect girls and young women who are at risk from FGM.Follow Nimco on Twitter: @NimkoAli

Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu - Author of This Is Why I Resist, Lawyer and Political & Women's Rights Activist | John Nicolson - SNP MP for Ochil and South Perthshire & Spokesperson for Culture | Nimco Ali - Women's rights campaigner & CEO of the Five Foundation | Richard Tice - Leader of Reform UK & Businessman

Welcome to the fifth episode of The Making Of... from The Female Lead. Our guest this week is the FGM campaigner and author, Nimco Ali. As a survivor of FGM herself, for over 10 years Nimco has been fighting to end this practice throughout the world. She is CEO of the Five Foundation and she has just been appointed as an independent government adviser tackling violence against women and girls. In 2019 she also published her first book What We’re Told Not To Talk About (But We’re Going To Anyway). Our conversation covered many tough topics like FGM and violence against women, as well as race, privilege and coming to terms with the past. It was an emotional conversation at times and we were honoured to experience Nimco’s total honesty and willingness to share. We recorded the interview over zoom, at the height of lockdown, so please bear with us as some bits may sound a little wobbly. *Nimco Ali OBE is a Somali British social activist and writer. She co-founded Daughters of Eve, a non-profit organisation which works to protect girls and young women who are at risk from female genital mutilation (FGM), in 2010 and The Five Foundation, which leverages resources for front line activists, in 2019. Nimco has helped to position FGM as a central issue in ending violence against women and girls.Her professional experience has included working for counter-terrorism within the civil service, supporting the rights of girls in the UK as part of Girlguiding UK and as network lead on The Girl Generation, the DfID-funded anti-FGM social change communications initiative. She is also a leading commentator in international media on the rights of girls and women – particularly surrounding FGM and related issues.In 2014, she was awarded Red Magazine’s Woman of the Year award, and placed at No 6 on the Woman’s Hour Power List. Most recently she was named by the Sunday Times as one of Debrett’s 500 most influential people in Britain, as well one of the Evening Standard‘s 1000 most powerful and BBC’s 100 Women 2018. *The Making Of is hosted by Bea Appleby and is edited by Lauren Lind. The production is brought to you by The Female Lead and the whole series is very kindly sponsored by Missoma

In this episode Laura is joined by Nimco Ali OBE, Activist and Co-Founder of the Five Foundation. They discuss Nimco's campaign to eradicate Female Genital Mutilation and finding support in unexpected places. They also cover feminism, the myth of the African superwoman, and much more. You can follow Nimco and Laura on Twitter: @NimkoAli and @LauraRound ++ In What Were You Thinking former political advisor Laura Round speaks to politicians, opinion formers and business people to find out about the experiences, people and places that have inspired them. What motivates them? Why did they decide to do what they do? What are the most memorable and surprising situations they have found themselves in? The answer is often unexpected. This podcast is in partnership with the Big Tent Ideas Festival, the non-partisan festival of politics, culture technology and fresh thinking. Give them a follow: @BigTentIdeas And if you are looking for more content, become a friend of the Big Tent for only £6 per month.

Nimco Ali OBE, is a British Somali feminist and social activist. In 2010, along with psychotherapist Leyla Hussein, Nimco founded Daughters of Eve, a non-profit organisation established to help young women and girls, with a focus on providing education and raising awareness on female genital mutilation (FGM). Nimco underwent the procedure herself when she was just seven years old and later suffered health complications which led her to undergo reconstructive surgery. In 2019 Nimco co-founded The Five Foundation, the Global Partnership to End FGM, with Brendan Wynne. The non-profit works to raise the issue of FGM on the international agenda and re-grant funding to grassroots organisations working to end FGM. Nimco was shortlisted for a Women of the Future Award in 2015 in the Community Spirits category. ------- For more information on the Women of the Future Programme and initiatives, please visit: www.womenofthefuture.co.uk

Tracy-Ann talks to the social activist Nimco Ali, OBE. Co-founder and CEO of The Five Foundation, the global partnership to end female genital mutilation, Nimco talks about her life as an FGM survivor, and how challenging it is in the current echo chambers of social media to not belong to a clear cut political tribe. This has brought her a whole fairly terrifying world of online abuse from both left and right wings, and left her more determined than ever to stand up for what she believes in, and find resolution through conversation.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Activist and writer Nimco Ali @NimkoAli sits with Francis and Konstantin to talk FGM and Woke RacismThank you to Daniel Toomes for additional editing support - check out his graphic design work at www.danieltoomes.com Support TRIGGERnometry:Paypal: https://bit.ly/2Tnz8yqhttps://www.subscribestar.com/triggernometryhttps://www.patreon.com/triggerpodFind TRIGGERnometry on Social Media: https://twitter.com/triggerpodhttps://www.facebook.com/triggerpodhttps://www.instagram.com/triggerpodAbout TRIGGERnometry: Stand-up comedians Konstantin Kisin (@konstantinkisin) and Francis Foster (@failinghuman) make sense of politics, economics, free speech, AI, drug policy and WW3 with the help of presidential advisors, renowned economists, award-winning journalists, controversial writers, leading scientists and notorious comedians.

My guest this week is Nimco Ali, activist, anti-FGM campaigner and author of What We’re Told Not to Talk About (But We’re Going to Anyway): Women’s Voices from East London to Ethiopia. A hugely important piece of writing, it contains interviews with women from across the world on their experience of periods, sex, menopause and more. Nimko has been a hero of mine for some time - she’s a fiercely independent thinker and a passionate advocate for women’s rights. We talk about her own experience of FGM, the failure of adults around her to help, lobbying politicians for change and more. I hope you find her as inspiring as I did. Edited by Chelsey Moore With thanks to Nimco Ali Buy What We’re Told Not to Talk About (But We’re Going to Anyway) here: https://tinyurl.com/y3dlh9km Twitter: @aliceazania @NimkoAli Instagram: @aliceazania @nimkoali

On International Women's Day, activist Nimco Ali joins ODI for a conversation on tackling female genital mutilation (FGM) and harmful traditional practices towards adolescent girls.