Adheema Davis – selected for Mandela Washington Fellowship

Durban architect, Adheema Davis, is one of a handful of South Africans who along with other promising young leaders from across Sub-Saharan Africa, will be travelling to the United States of America for the Mandela Washington Fellowship later this year. “The fellowship is an initiative funded by the U.S government that seeks to further develop within each of the fellows the skills necessary to make an impact in our home countries”. Adheema made this revelation while appearing on Radio Al-Ansaar’s Friday night talk show, 90 Minutes.

According to the Fellowship’s website, “The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, begun in 2014, is the flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) that empowers young people through academic coursework, leadership training, and networking. In 2018, the Fellowship will provide 700 outstanding young leaders from Sub-Saharan Africa with the opportunity to hone their skills at a U.S. college or university with support for professional development after they return home.

The Fellows, who are between the ages of 25 and 35, have established records of accomplishment in promoting innovation and positive impact in their organizations, institutions, communities, and countries. In 2017, Fellows represented a diverse group of leaders from 48 countries across Sub-Saharan Africa. Fifty-one Fellows identified as having a disability, and 50 percent of Fellows were women.”

While Adheema will be based in Philadelphia, she is also using the opportunity to travel, and visit a number of places across the eastern seaboard of the U.S, “As an architect, I am intrigued by the impact that space and development have on the socio-political realm, and am thrilled by the opportunity to experience difference – and then come back home and hopefully work towards that capacity in my own city”.

In a wide-ranging interview, Adheema spoke about the battle for equal rights by women across the board, and how this manifests in her understanding of both architecture and religion. She commented that this understanding fuelled her practice and further research, and hoped to use the opportunity to put this into play.

In reflection on her humanistic path, she paid tribute to her parents, who exposed her to an inherent respect and value for others, and without whom she would not have the opportunities that she has had; and to the late Mrs. Hafsa Moolla, the founder of Islamic Guidance, who concentrated on the empowerment of women through education and Islam throughout her lifetime.  “Islam instils within us a moral compass, a capacity to equip ourselves and the disenfranchised with the opportunity to live a better, equitable, and meaningful life. Architecture, and its practice in a country like ours – still baring the scars of racial and spatial injustice – has taught me much the same – what can I do to make a difference?”. She said that young people in South Africa were keen to make changes and to develop our society, but that action must be taken in order to provide a sustainable platform where their voices can be heard, their contributions felt, and their leadership encouraged.

Farook Khan – 90 Minutes – Radio Al Ansar – 27th April 2018