Category: Arab Americans Who Care
A new exhibit at the Arab American National Museum features work from photographer Somali-born Mohamud Mumin. CAAP had a chance to sit down with Mumin and discuss his inspiration for The Youth//Dhallinyarada. The exhibit, made up of large-scale black and white portraits of Mumin’s friends and other members of the Somali American community in Minneapolis, celebrates the civic engagement of Somali Americans. Mumin says that his subjects were specifically chosen because they were actively engaged in giving back to their community.
Mumin believes that his large scale portraits will command the attention of the viewer. While the exhibit is not a reaction to hyperbole in the media, it confronts negative attitudes that many have of Somalis. Mumin, who says that “strength is in the everyday,” believes that it makes a powerful statement to capture and present the Somali experiences.
Mumin hopes to replicate the exhibit using subjects from various cities with high populations of Somalis, and is currently working on an exhibition that highlights Somali American women. In this way he is giving back, by spotlighting the uniqueness, generosity and diversity of each community and its members. Read more about Arab Americans Who Care.