Leila Ali Elmi made history by becoming the first East African woman to be elected to the Swedish parliament. She recently took up her seat in parliament for the first time. Leila is an ethnic Somali born in Ethiopia, who left for Sweden when she was a young child. She's a member of the Green Party, which is presently in government together with the Social Democratic Party. Leila has been telling Newsdays's Karnie Sharp why she decided to become a politician.

Photo: Leila Ali Elmi (Credit: Fredrik Hjerling)