Minna Salami

Photo Courtesy Of Minna Salami

WHERE ARE YOU RIGHT NOW AND HAVE YOU ALWAYS LIVED THERE?
I’m in Hackney in East London. I’ve lived in London since 2005. Before coming here I've lived in Lagos, Malmö, Valencia and New York.

WHERE WERE YOU BORN AND RAISED?
I was born in Finland and raised in Lagos.

WHAT'S THE BEST THING ABOUT YOUR CITY OR HOMETOWN?
My city is London and my hometown is Lagos. Of the many things that I love about London, perhaps what I enjoy most, is that it’s a great place to do intellectual work. There are so many institutions here that support the thinking, researching and writing that intellectual work requires. There's libraries, museums, historical sites, talks, publishing houses, academic institutions, you name it.

WHAT WERE YOUR ASPIRATIONS GROWING UP?
This might sound odd, but all I ever wanted as a child was to be a grown up, liberated woman living a guilt-freely independent life.

WHY JOURNALIST?
It's exciting to put my finger on things that people may not have noticed or at least not from the perspective that I see it.

WHAT IS YOUR EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND?
I hold a BA in Political Science from University of Lund, and an MA in Gender Studies from SOAS, School of Oriental and African Studies.

WHAT ISSUES DO YOU COVER?
Everything that I cover is ultimately about one thing, shaking the foundation of two of the most oppressive ruling structures in the world - patriarchy and white supremacy.

WHAT TOPICS DO YOU FEEL ARE NEGLECTED OR GO UNDERREPORTED?
The problem of our times of mass information is not so much that certain topics are neglected, but that so much reporting lacks depth, creativity, complexity and beauty. Those are the qualities that can actually create change.

WHAT OR WHO HAS HAD THE BIGGEST INFLUENCE ON YOU?
My dear mama. She fed me anti-racist and socialist feminism through her breastmilk.

WHAT INTERESTS DO YOU HAVE OUTSIDE OF WORK?
I'm a yoga student and have a daily practice although not necessarily asana every day. I love yoga because it fosters a relationship between the mind, body and spirit.

WHERE DO YOU SHOP?
In Malmö primarily because it’s such a beautiful and quiet city to shop in, and there I shop predominantly at flee markets and second hand shops.

WHAT BEAUTY ROUTINE DO YOU SWEAR BY?
The pursuit of knowledge routine. A woman’s greatest beauty asset is her mind. But also, a good night's sleep truly does make a difference. As I get older, I can't get away with not sleeping enough as I could before.

HOW DO YOU UNWIND?
Walks at Spitalfields Market on a Sunday, with a soft ice cream cone in hand during summer, and a hot coffee in hand during winter.