The Most Famous
SOCIAL ACTIVISTS from Somalia
This page contains a list of the greatest Somali Social Activists. The pantheon dataset contains 840 Social Activists, 3 of which were born in Somalia. This makes Somalia the birth place of the 47th most number of Social Activists behind Ecuador, and Hong Kong.
Top 5
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Somali Social Activists of all time. This list of famous Somali Social Activists is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Hawa Abdi (1947 - 2020)
With an HPI of 43.78, Hawa Abdi is the most famous Somali Social Activist. Her biography has been translated into 23 different languages on wikipedia.
Hawa Abdi Dhiblawe (Somali: Xaawo Cabdi, Arabic: حواء عبدي, 17 May 1947 – 5 August 2020) was a Somali human rights activist and physician. She was the founder and chairperson of the Dr. Hawa Abdi Foundation (DHAF), a non-profit organization.
2. Fartuun Adan (b. 1969)
With an HPI of 40.06, Fartuun Adan is the 2nd most famous Somali Social Activist. Her biography has been translated into 26 different languages.
Fartuun Abdisalaan Adan (Somali: Fartuun Aadan, Arabic: فرتون آدن) is a Somali social activist. She is the executive director of the Elman Peace and Human Rights Centre.
3. Faiza Jama Mohamed (b. 1958)
With an HPI of 38.35, Faiza Jama Mohamed is the 3rd most famous Somali Social Activist. Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Faiza Jama Mohamed (born 1958) is a Somalian women's rights activist, Africa Regional Director of Equality Now. She has been a prominent campaigner for the Maputo Protocol, and against female genital mutilation.
4. Ilwad Elman (b. 1990)
With an HPI of 20.96, Ilwad Elman is the 4th most famous Somali Social Activist. Her biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Ilwad Elman (Somali: Ilwaad Elman) is a Somali-Canadian social activist. She works at the Elman Peace and Human Rights Center in Mogadishu alongside her mother Fartuun Adan, the NGO's founder. She was voted the African Young Personality (Female) of the Year during the 2016 Africa Youth Awards.
5. Nimco Ali (b. 1983)
With an HPI of 13.42, Nimco Ali is the 5th most famous Somali Social Activist. Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
Nimko Ali (Somali: Nimco Cali), alternatively spelled Nimco (born c. 1982), is a British social activist of Somali heritage. She is the co-founder and CEO of The Five Foundation, a global partnership to end female genital mutilation (FGM). Ali underwent female genital mutilation in Djibouti. She released her first book in 2019 that contains 42 stories from 152 interviews that Ali collected from women across 14 countries. Later that year she co-founded The Five Foundation with Brendan Wynne, which is her current full time role. In 2020, she also co-founded the Ginsburg Women's Health Board with Mika Simmons. She contested a seat in the 2017 general election under the Women's Equality Party. In 2019, she supported Boris Johnson, endorsed the Conservative Party and campaigned for Conservative candidates. She was appointed as Independent Government Adviser for Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls in 2020, a post which ended in 2022.
People
Pantheon has 5 people classified as Somali social activists born between 1947 and 1990. Of these 5, 4 (80.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Somali social activists include Fartuun Adan, Faiza Jama Mohamed, and Ilwad Elman. The most famous deceased Somali social activists include Hawa Abdi. As of April 2024, 2 new Somali social activists have been added to Pantheon including Ilwad Elman, and Nimco Ali.
Living Somali Social Activists
Go to all Rankings
Fartuun Adan
1969 - Present
HPI: 40.06
Faiza Jama Mohamed
1958 - Present
HPI: 38.35
Ilwad Elman
1990 - Present
HPI: 20.96
Nimco Ali
1983 - Present
HPI: 13.42
