Lula Saleh is a creative storyteller with backgrounds in journalism, poetry, singing-songwriting, performance, diaspora organizing and migrant-refugee human rights. She has worked in held the media arts, creative placemaking, poetry and arts-organizing with African, Arab and Muslim communities.
She founded the East African Diaspora Artists Initiative in 2017. Lula has created platforms for peace and understanding among diverse diasporas. She was a trainee-fellow with the African-Middle East Leadership Project (AMEL) for human rights, KARAMAH Muslim women’s leadership training, an inaugural alum of the Intercultural Leadership Institute, and alum of the IMAN (Inner-city Muslim Action Network Chicago) Artist Roster. Lula has also received fellowships and awards for her storytelling, music and poetry, and using arts as a tool for human rights.
With ancestral roots in Ethiopia, Eritrea and MENA, Lula is a cultural bridge-builder passionate about diaspora and migration issues. Lula has spoken at, performed for, or collaborated with: Amnesty International, So Far Sounds, TEDxMinneapolis, Yale University’s Africa Salon, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Pollen Midwest, The Loft Literary Center, Button Poetry, Intermedia Arts, Pangea World Theater, Green Card Voices, the Cedar Cultural Center, and more.
