Kinsi Abdulleh is a dynamic artist, curator, and educator who founded Numbi Arts and the pioneering Somali Museum, which preserves, researches, and exhibits the history of the Somali community in the UK. Her work is grounded in social justice and cultural preservation, with a commitment to empowering Somali communities by ensuring their stories are told “by Somalis, for Somalis.” 

Through Numbi Arts, she has also been involved in numerous cross-art projects, focusing on how British Somali experiences are documented and shared by cultural institutions, and providing crucial opportunities for young artists within the diaspora to explore their heritage. 

The UK’s Somali community has deep roots in the country going back to communities of sailors who settled in port cities from Cardiff to Hull. Most Somalis in the UK at the time were transient workers in dockyards and on ships, but many eventually settled and formed small close-knit communities across the country. The British-Somali author Nadifa Mohamed has written three books exploring these extraordinary lives and stories (most recently with The Fortune Men), yet they remain largely untold and unfamiliar — even to many Somalis themselves. A second major wave of migration to the UK followed the collapse of the Somali state and the ensuing civil war — events that have shaped the character of the Somali community here today — followed more recently by slower migration from several European countries. 

Despite the globalised nature of the Somali community today, Kinsi sees it as her mission to keep its culture alive — something she believes can be achieved through engagement with Somali literature, dance, and other forms of cultural expression. “Even though our stories have no borders and Somalis live across Africa, in Europe, and beyond, we want to make the connection with the Somali homeland and our ancestors,” she says.  

Beyond her work with Numbi Arts and the Somali Museum, Kinsi is also a key contributor to The Anarchist Citizenship: People Made of Stories, an ongoing research and exhibition project that critically examines how visual and oral culture shapes citizenship in Somaliland and its diaspora. 

In this interview with Geeska, Kinsi Abdulleh talks about the inspiration behind the Somali Museum, her pioneering work in cultural preservation, and how the institution challenges traditional museum models to amplify Somali voices and connect diaspora communities. 

Musab Saeed: Okay, so let's start with the heart of the Somali Museum. You’ve described the Somali Museum as both a virtual and physical space. What inspired the idea, and what kind of stories do you hope it will tell? 

Kinsi Abdulleh: We want to tell stories by Somalis, for Somalis. We also want to connect with the wider communities we live amongst — some of whom are our families — and leave a legacy for generations to come. Unfortunately, many of our stories haven’t been told by us. This is where we want to start. Even though our stories have no borders, and Somalis live across Europe, in the diaspora, and beyond, we want to make that connection with the Somali homeland and our ancestors. That’s really the motivation behind the Somali Museum: it’s a place of knowledge exchange and a space for us, as Somali communities. I believe culture is not static; it’s a moving, changing thing. One way to keep a culture alive is by learning our dances, connecting with our literature, and engaging with the many stories that have been preserved for us, and also by being able to tell our own story. Furthermore, I think having a space where our stories won’t be erased inspires us now and will inspire this generation and the next. As Somalis, we’re a people of movement, and it’s important that we remain anchored through our faith, our culture, and our connections. I think the Somali Museum is inspired by that. We reclaim much of what’s already in archives about us, but mainly, we want to create and tell our own stories — and bring our communities together. 

One way to keep a culture alive is by learning our dances, connecting with our literature, and engaging with the many stories that have been preserved for us, and also by being able to tell our own story. 

MS: Why do you think it's important that the museum goes beyond a series of exhibitions and into, let's say, a long-term institution? What gaps do you think it fills in Britain and for the Somali diaspora broadly? 

KA: I think it’s important for us to build institutions. I come from a generation that has lived as refugees, even though we are now citizens. I emphasise that it’s important for us to build institutions created by us that can bring our communities together. Also, I think it’s important that we’re gathering — not just thinking about collecting objects but recognising that the exchange of ideas is equally important. Between any two people, there’s a story. We have a very rich culture, and I think it’s important that we don’t lose sight of that. When you don’t have institutions built by yourselves, it’s very easy to lose those connections with ourselves. In America, they obviously have a greater infrastructure in this regard and have already created spaces. I’m always very inspired when I see a Somali museum — in Minnesota, there’s the amazing Soomaal House of Art, Maryam Gallery — and I think, equally, in the UK and Europe, we have the capacity, with established festivals and new spaces including Culture House, to build and celebrate this ecosystem, to create for ourselves, and to connect. A lot of the time, people can go back home and return regularly, but many people don’t have that privilege. Numbi Arts and the Somali Museum are here to collect and archive all of this, and to commission contemporary artists to interpret and make different connections. 

MS: So, what led you and Numbi Arts to shape the Somali Museum as a hybrid space – part archive, part art gallery, part cultural hub, and part dance studio? 

KA: I think all those things are important because museums have historically been problematic for us as a people, but conceptually, I think the idea of a library, a gallery, a recording studio, a dance studio, a kitchen, a place of gathering — “Ardaa" (dadka oo dhan deeqa – enough for all to join) — is essential. I believe we come from a culture that is very hospitable, welcoming, and open. It’s important that we were inspired to think in a way that is placemaking, almost like “geedka hoostiisa” — under the tree — that kind of idea of “Ardaa,” “fagaare,” where people can gather. Because of the wars and everything happening, it’s very easy for us to lose sight of what we have in common as people: our faith, our culture, our language. Many things, I think, bridge us. I truly believe that culture has always been a place of gathering, a place for keeping our connections strong. And the Somali Museum comes from that place.  

One of my favourite stories I’ve ever heard about peacebuilding in the Wajir region involved a woman who was asked, “There’s only one woman among all these men. How is it that you’re part of this group?” She replied: “If your house catches fire, you don’t think ‘man, woman, child’; you think, ‘let’s put the fire out.’” For me, that’s the place we come from at Numbi. 

MS: Your work is deeply rooted in community and cultural preservation. So, how do you navigate the challenge of representing such a diverse and dispersed Somali identity? 

KA: I think it’s important that where the museum came from, Numbi, is a very inclusive and open space. It has taken three decades to navigate many processes and dialogues, but it was the parents of the children we were working with who sparked this idea when we did a project called Coming Here, Being Here to celebrate those connections: the Somalis who were already here, the established community, and also the diverse Somalis who arrived at different times — as students, as refugees, for many different reasons. Mapping and engaging with those placemaking ideas, looking at our history and archives, inspired this project. Of course, there will always be challenges, because it’s through creative dialogue that we move forward. One of my favourite stories I’ve ever heard about peacebuilding in the Wajir region involved a woman who was asked, “There’s only one woman among all these men. How is it that you’re part of this group?” She replied: “If your house catches fire, you don’t think ‘man, woman, child’; you think, ‘let’s put the fire out.’” For me, that’s the place we come from at Numbi. We are a diverse team, and the Somali Museum reflects that diversity within its teams and the people involved. That’s what we want to maintain and continue building. We might have more fires to put out along the way, but I hope we build this institution through connections, dialogue, and consultation, keeping the door open so we can create something lasting that overcomes barriers of difference. When we focus on what we have in common, I believe it’s possible. I truly believe the people who came before us managed this despite all the differences. We have always kept something sacred at heart as a people — through our faith and culture — to stay together. 

MS: Your aim is to challenge colonial museum models. How has that influenced your choices regarding display, storytelling, and design in this exhibition? 

KA: Okay, so the first inaugural exhibition we held in 2023, and then again in 2024, was called Somali Museum Atelier. We commissioned young, up-and-coming Somali artists to tell their personal stories through their creativity and to make those connections. One of the commissions was a sound piece by Elmi, a DJ and trained architect. He worked with a tape collection from his mother, who has since passed away. Each tape features poets, and we listened to them to extract stories, which we then made available on headphones for people to listen to. To make it more inclusive, we translated the recordings so that non-Somali speakers could understand. 

MS: For the young generation you mentioned, how do the arts help reclaim or reimagine Somali histories and futures? 

KA: Yes, they are interested in the arts. The younger generation now has more opportunities than before; they study architecture, film, and the arts, and they graduate. After finishing or while still at school, they want to deepen their understanding, apply what they’ve learned practically, and innovate. Most of the time, they approach us and gain valuable experience with us. I also think that art schools and universities are failing to provide many of our young people with what they are truly looking for, so the Somali Museum can help bridge this gap — offering the best of both worlds. 

MS: Looking ahead, what would success look like for the Somali Museum in five or ten years? What’s your dream for it? 

KA: To have a Somali-made space where we can showcase our culture and where wider communities can also visit to share our events and experience our cultures. To get a glimpse of our process, we would love to invite you to our Numbi Festival-themed event, Hibaaq, this year at Whitechapel Gallery in London on Saturday 28 June.