Today sees the publication of a series of cartoon strips depicting the lives of Somalis living in cities across Europe. Shamso & Family is the true story of one Leicester mother and her children.

“Somalis in European Cities” is a research project by Open Society Foundations which looks at the experiences of Somalis living in Europe, based on interviews over a six-month period in 2013.

The research aims to provide a better understand of the challenges, including integration and discrimination, facing Somalis in Europe.

It looks at positive and negative aspects of the lives of Somalis in seven European cities: Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Leicester, London, Malmo and Oslo, focusing on areas such as education, housing, employment, health, political participation and identity.

To complement the report, Open Society Foundations has produced a series of 14 illustrated stories, entitled Meet the Somalis, which depicts individuals’ stories in different places. The cartoon strip below, Shamso & Family, describes the life of a single Somali mother living in Leicester.

The Open Society Foundations is grant-making body which exists “to build vibrant and tolerant societies whose governments are accountable and open to the participation of all people”. It was founded in 1993 by financier George Soros.







