Our Story

Dhaqan meaning 'the common thread that connects Somali peoples to their ancestral homelands' (A. A. Ilmi) 

The dhaqan collective is a feminist art collective of Somali women, centering the voices of womxn and elders in our community, and privileging co-creation and collaboration. 

Fozia Ismail (of Arawelo Eats), who like many Somalis used to communicate with her relatives back home with cassette tapes, wondered what happened to the tapes she had grown up with. And together with Ayan Cilmi, and the Somali elders of Bristol the Camel Meat and Cassette Tapes project was born. We wanted to archive the work done as part of Arnolifini 'City Fellows' and continue creating together, and so the dhaqan collective was formed.

We model our collaboration together from the Somali elders we have worked with.

​

Please get in touch with any enquiries, we welcome new collaborations and/or conversations.