Hodan Nalayeh

Hodan Nalayeh
هوذن نلايا
Hodan Nalayeh in Somalia in 2015
Hodan Nalayeh in Somalia in 2015
Born1976 (1976)
Las Anod, Somali Democratic Republic (now Somalia)
DiedJuly 12, 2019(2019-07-12) (aged 42–43)
Kismayo, Somalia
NationalityCanadian
Alma materUniversity of Windsor
Seneca College
Occupation(s)Media executive, marketing consultant, activist, entrepreneur, journalist
TitlePresident of the Cultural Integration Agency

Hodan Nalayeh (Somali: Hodan Naaleeye; Arabic: هوذن نلايا; 1976 – July 12, 2019) was a Somali-Canadian media executive, marketing consultant, social activist and entrepreneur. She was president of the Cultural Integration Agency and vice president of Sales & Programming Development of Cameraworks Productions International.

Early life

Nalayeh was born in 1976 in Somalia[1] She was raised in a large family, with four brothers and seven sisters. She hails from the Naleye Ahmed sub-clan of the Dhulbahante tribe. Her sister Dega Nalayeh is a senior vice president private client advisor with U.S. Trust.[2]

Along with her parents and siblings, an eight-year-old Nalayeh later emigrated to Canada in 1984. They initially settled in Edmonton, Alberta, before eventually moving to Toronto in 1992.[3]

Nalayeh attended the West Humber Collegiate Institute, a high school in Etobicoke. For her post-secondary education, she studied at the University of Windsor, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Communications. Additionally, she earned a postgraduate certificate in broadcast journalism from Seneca College.[3]

Career

Nalayeh was involved in client management, sales and production in radio and television for over 13 years. She served as a producer on a number of TV shows, including American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance.[4] Additionally, Nalayeh provided marketing and writing consultancy to burgeoning companies. Her work in this area was centered on video marketing combined with online branding.[4]

In September 2013, Nalayeh was appointed Vice President of Sales & Programming Development of Cameraworks Productions International's Canadian operation based in Vaughan, Ontario. The company is a global, full-service and comprehensively-equipped video and television production facility focusing on pre- to post-production of business-to-business video assets.[4]

Nalayeh served as the President of the Cultural Integration Agency, a full-service media firm specializing in the development, production, marketing and distribution of multicultural programs. In February 2014, the company partnered with Cameraworks Productions International to produce a new television format for cultural community programming. To this end, on March 1 Nalayeh began hosting the half-hour Somali community show Integration: Building a New Cultural Identity, which airs Saturday nights on Citytv. She also served as an Executive Producer on the weekly Toronto program.[1]

Besides media production and consultancy, Nalayeh was involved in voluntary and advocacy work for the Somali community.[4] She founded the Somali Refugee Awareness Project, which in 2011 presented the veteran Somali artist Saado Ali Warsame with a Lifetime Achievement Award.[5] In this capacity, Nalayeh also worked closely with a number of non-profit organizations.[4]

Death

Further information: Asasey Hotel attack

Hodan Nalayeh and her husband Farid Juma Suleiman were killed during a terrorist attack at Hotel Asasey in Kismayo, Somalia, on July 12, 2019.[6][7][8][9] The attack involved a car bombing and gunfire. The jihadist radical group al-Shabaab, based in Southern Somalia, claimed responsibility for the attack.[10][7] Nalayeh and Suleiman married in November 2018 in Nairobi, Kenya, according to Nalayeh's sister.[11] Nalayeh was the mother of two sons and was pregnant.[3][8]

Legacy

In March 2021, a secondary school in Vaughan was officially renamed to Hodan Nalayeh Secondary School.[12]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "New Television Show Uplifts the Image of Somali-Canadians in Mainstream Media!". Hiiraan Online. February 26, 2014. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
  2. ^ Brooks, Brandon; Miller, Kenneth; Bihm, Jennifer (December 19, 2013). "Somalia native right at home with U.S. Trust". Los Angeles Sentinel. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
  3. ^ a b c Reason, Cynthia (June 14, 2014). "TV host Hodan Nalayeh shines a light on Somali life in Toronto". The Etobicoke Guardian. Metroland. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
  4. ^ a b c d e "International Award-Winning, Cameraworks Productions, Introduces VP, Sales & Programming Development" (Press release). Cameraworks Productions International. September 24, 2013. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  5. ^ "Somali singer, composer, poet, Saado Ali Warsame, to receive Lifetime Achievement Award-". All Boocame Online. Archived from the original on March 19, 2014. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
  6. ^ O'Grady, Siobhán (July 13, 2019). "A Somali-Canadian journalist returned to Somalia to tell 'uplifting' stories. Then terrorists killed her". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  7. ^ a b "Kismayo attack: At least 26 dead as gunmen storm Somali hotel". BBC News. July 14, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  8. ^ a b "Hodan Nalayeh: Somalia's 'inspirational' journalist, killed in Kismayo". BBC News. July 13, 2019. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  9. ^ Radio Dalsan [@DalsanFM] (July 12, 2019). "BREAKING Intergration [sic] TV's Hodan Naaleye and husband Farid confirmed dead in the #Kismayo Alshabaab attack. Hodan established the first diaspora english online TV covering life of Somalis in diaspora and in Somalia. She was expectant at the time of her death #Somaliapic.twitter.com/eidSTjwDLj" (Tweet). Retrieved July 12, 2019 – via Twitter.
  10. ^ "Several killed in bomb, gun attack on Somalia hotel: officials". Al Jazeera. July 12, 2019. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  11. ^ Schachar, Natalie; Lindeman, Tracey (July 14, 2019). "Slain Canadian-Somali journalist Nalayeh a trailblazer". Associated Press News. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  12. ^ Bowden, Olivia (March 2, 2021). "A Vaughan high school will be renamed Hodan Nalayeh Secondary School after months of controversy". Toronto Star. Retrieved March 2, 2021.