ABOUT US
Our history, our team and much more.
SAYASPORA is a not-for-profit media platform for women stemming from the African diaspora.
As an African women-led and bilingual organization founded in 2015 in Montréal, Canada, we strongly believe in the power of representation as tool for social change and inspiration.
Therefore, through our events and online content, we hope to foster a place where African youth living in the diaspora can lead, be inspired, affirm their voice and find community.
Today Sayaspora is a network of more than 20,000 people online, it is a media platform followed on all continents, in several key cities, such as Montreal, Paris and Abidjan.
Today Sayaspora is a network of more than 19,000 people online. It is a predominantly female and young audience (18-34 years old). It is a media platform followed on all continents, in several key cities, such as Montreal, Paris and Bamako.
TEAM
5 women founded Sayaspora : Djamilla Toure, Rydia Sesay, Aurore Iradukunda, Shana Musimbe, and Dorra Bannouri. Together, they laid the foundations for Sayaspora and allowed many young women around the world to freely occupy online and offline spaces to express their truths. Sayaspora began as a blog and then evolved into a movement that transcends established borders and allows many young women to shine through their expertise.
As an organisation created, thought and led by African women living in Canada and working to improve their communities, SAYASPORA’s mission is to promote women’s solidarity across borders. Women changemakers.
our team
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DJAMILLA TOURE Founder and Excecutive directorBorn in Côte d'Ivoire, raised in Morocco and living in Montreal, Djamilla identifies herself as a product of the diaspora. In charge of projects about women's empowerment and media, Djamilla is also a content creator and graduate of a Bachelor's degree in International Relations and International Law. In 2015, Djamilla made it her mission to rethink the world by changing it at her own scale. Thus, together with four other women, she founded SAYASPORA. A media platform for young African women around the world. Through this media, Djamilla aspires to create a space where the voices of these women will be amplified and their ideas put forward, while allowing them to find a community.
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NASMA DAURIN Digital Development ManagerBorn and raised in the Paris region to Comorian parents, Nasma has always had questions about different aspects of her identity. Feminism, anti-racism and decolonial thinking have strongly impacted her understanding of her experiences. As a freelance digital strategy consultant, she uses her experiences and knowledge to help brands create inclusive online spaces. As a digital development manager at Sayaspora, Nasma is responsible for creating and implementing digital strategies that will allow the voices of women in the African diaspora to be always amplified.
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JOSIE FOMÉ Co-Editor in ChiefJosie Fomé is a multimedia Journalist with a keen interest on issues related to the African Continent and the African diaspora. She has international experience in community facilitation, radio show production and documentary film making. She has a passion for reshaping and creating new narratives surrounding the African continent and the African diaspora through story telling in all its forms. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and her Gr.Dip. in Journalism.
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Fatima Terhini Co-editor in chiefOriginally from Ivory Coast and Lebanon, Fatima Terhini describes herself as an "artivist" primarily concerned by feminist, anti-racist and decolonial issues. Her degree in psychosociology and her experience in community work attest her insatiable curiosity and love for humans, living beings and of course social facts. She joined Sayaspora in October 2020 as a community manager, but her love for writing and reading led her to the blog a year later, where she serves as co-editor.
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Nayla Si Mahfoud Public engagement officerOrginally from Algeria, Nayla was born and raised in Montreal, Canada. She joined Sayaspora's team in April 2021 and is currently working on the blog’s public engagement. She holds a bachelor’s degree from McGill University in International Development studies with a double minor in African studies and World Islamic and Middle Eastern studies. She is the new curator for the Global Shapers’ Montreal Hub. Nayla is passionate about representation of the African diaspora and issues related to identity, migration and inclusion.
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Fanny Abokitse Visual content creatorOriginally from Togo/Ghana and having grown up in Germany, Fanny Abokitse considers herself a "Third Culture Kid". She holds a degree in Political Science and works as a project manager in sustainable agriculture. She is particularly interested in food security and sustainable development issues in Africa. Fanny also seeks to understand the role and impact of women and girls in these areas. In 2021, she joined Sayaspora as a visual content creator, which allows her to explore other passions and find a community.
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Armelle Kwegnia Ngongang Video content strategistOriginally from Cameroon, Armelle was born and raised in France. In 2017, freshly graduated from a master's degree in information systems management, she decided to settle in Montreal, where she currently lives. After several years working in the IT field, she decided in 2021 to take a professional turn in order to serve more the human being by working in competency development. Sensitive to anthropological issues in general, she is also interested in the themes of Afrofeminism and ecology.
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Priscilla Soro Community managerOriginally from the Ivory Coast, Priscilla describes herself as a generous and sensitive soul who never stops trying to find her place in the world. In 2013, after graduating from high school, she moved to Canada to pursue her university studies. First in Ottawa, then in Montreal, where she now works in the marketing communication sector, she has at heart the development of her community, both on the continent and internationally. For her, this inevitably involves culture, discussion and the sharing of realities and cultural riches. She joined Sayaspora in 2021, where she works as a community manager, which gives her the opportunity to join a community with values and a mission similar to her own.
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Zineb Dina Kettani Social media strategistZineb describes herself as a little french baguette mixed with a moroccan couscous, spanish tapas, australian vegemite and canadian poutine. In 2014 she takes off for madrid where she studied International Relations to fulfill her lifelong dream of becoming a president. Very quickly she realizes the real world of what politics really is and the inequality for people and espacially for women of color. She changes her path and goes back to her passion : fashion and jewelry; and in 2020 she launches her own business. Since then, Zineb spread her wings for Canada and joined the Sayaspora team as a nod to her 13 years old self who still wants to leave her mark on the world.
BOARD MEMBERS
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M’BORIKA DIOUME Administrator, Media DevelopmentM'Borika was born of Senegalese parents in France, a country where she grew up and evolved before arriving in Montreal in 2017. Recently graduated in Business Intelligence and passionate about fashion, art and culture, she has become a jack of all trades with the goal of evolving in the field of visual production and art direction. Formerly a visual content creator for Sayaspora, now a freelancer, she is back on the board to put her knowledge of the media world to good use.
MICHELLE CAMARA AdministratorMichelle Camara graduated in International Studies and Business Administration. She is a Talent management specialist, Mom and Co-founder of the Invicta Network drawing inspiration from her own journey to encourage ethnic woman professionals in Montreal to develop their careers and thrive in their work. In 2019, Michelle is part of Concertation Montréal's Group of 30 Diversity Ambassadors. Since 2021, she seats on the Board of Directors of Sayaspora.
SONIA STAALI President, Media DevelopmentSonia has a passion for writing, which is what led her to continue her studies in communications at the Université de Montréal. In parallel, she collaborated with blogs to refine and develop her writing style. The effervescence of the entrepreneurial ecosystem has led her to work with various startups. She finds that these business models allow her to learn a lot and she finds her experiences very rewarding. Through her experience, she launched her first project, Boutique Binetna, an online store that aimed to promote North African crafts. Sonia is a project manager at the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. She is also involved in various projects, notably within Sayaspora, to promote the African diaspora.
Making your way Up
The project Making Your Way Up , funded by Canadian Heritage, runs from September 2, 2021 to March 31, 2023, and addresses the barriers to employment and career mobility faced by marginalized and systematically underrepresented young women aged 18-30 in the African diaspora (including communities in the Maghreb, Sub-Saharan Africa, Southern and Eastern Africa and the Caribbean).
The project proposes a two-pronged response, offering tools to negotiate entry into key employment sectors while developing an awareness campaign to help employers and the public better understand the various issues arising from systematic racism and how it operates in the workplace.