This just in, I’m in the New York Times 📰
I spoke about the travel ban, and how frustrating it is to feel cut off from your own people.
What didn’t make it into the article is what I really wanted to say:
The connection between Somalis here and back home is powerful.
I’ve seen artists get love here, and that energy gets sent back to Somalia. I’ve seen people run businesses from Minneapolis that help rebuild over there.
That back-and-forth matters. It’s part of healing. It’s part of rebuilding.
Cutting that off hurts all of us.
Appreciate @nytimes for including my voice. Just wanted to say the full part here.
#AbdiCreates #SomaliDiaspora #NYTFeature #NoBan
Six years ago, I starred in this Lyft ad about the challenges Somalis faced in Minnesota.
Now in 2025, the President of the United States is calling us “garbage.”
This is where we are. Sad to say little has changed.
Great local coverage by @kare11 on our episode “Camel on a Stick” on “Little America.” Glad folks get a chance to learn about @coolhandhashi ’s inspiring story behind the episode. Shout out to the bro @harfo0 for producing this.
When Operation Metro Surge hit Minnesota, this community was being targeted. And in the middle of all of that, I got a call.
The Somali American Bar Association needed help reaching people through something the community would actually watch, share, and trust.
The challenge: Written materials were not moving people. What worked was video. Something you could send on WhatsApp. Something you could forward to your auntie. Something that felt like it came from inside the community.
With support from the Minneapolis Foundation, we produced a bilingual PSA series in English and Somali.
The results: 100,000+ views. Zero paid advertising. All organic reach through community trust. Content shared daughter to parent, neighbor to neighbor.
What this taught me: Communication IS infrastructure. When you remove the language barrier, when you meet people in the format they already trust, when you let the community tell its own story, the reach multiplies on its own.
Grateful to the Minneapolis Foundation for believing this kind of work was worth investing in.
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Directed by: Abdi Mohamed
DP: @spiltcocoa
Creative Producer/Editor: @somalicuriosity
Grip/Editor: @moscenery
Nomadic Arc Media
Commissioned by: @somalibarassoc
Supported by: @mplsfoundation
#Minnesota #CommunityStories
The East African diaspora showed up and showed out the last time we had a showcase.
So you know we had to run it back!
A Gathering. May 9 at The Heights Theater.
Tickets at heightstheater.com
❤️ 🇸🇴 🌳 🇪🇹 🇸🇩 ❤️
I met Willard for the first time last year when visiting him about his initiative and left wishing more spaces existed like his. He’s built something in Minneapolis that I genuinely haven’t seen anywhere else.
Artist, Founder, and Friend.
Support Art Shelf, and pull up if you’re local.
Credit: Shot and Edited by 🙋🏾♂️
Produced for: Radical Media x Be The People.
100 years of history. One night of East African cinema.
A Gathering, a short film showcase.
May 9 at The Heights Theater.
Tickets are live at heightstheater.com
This one’s for the East African diaspora in the Twin Cities.
You showed up, you sold us out, and you’ve been asking ever since.
A Gathering. May 9 at The Heights Theater. Tickets are live.
Most people have never heard of halwo. But if you’re Somali, this sweet is at every wedding, every Eid, every celebration that matters. Halwo Kismayo has been making some of the best halwo in the country right here in South Minneapolis. People order from across the U.S. to get it shipped to their door.
If you’ve never tried it, consider this your invitation. You belong here.
Proud to partner with @visitlakestreet to highlight the incredible Somali businesses on Lake Street and beyond.
📍 Halwo Kismayo & Grill | 2941 Bloomington Ave, Minneapolis
#YouBelongHere #VisitLakeStreet #Minneapolis
The people asked for more, so we’re bringing it back.
Join us on May 9th for A Gathering. Seven East African short films. May 9 at The Heights Theater.
We sold out MSPIFF. Now we’re at one of the most iconic screens in the Twin Cities.
Tickets are LIVE! Don’t miss this one.
