Tomi Adeyemi
Tomi Adeyemi is a first-generation Nigerian-American who, in fairness, moved from obscurity to worldwide fame, thanks to a big break as an author.
Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone was an instant success in 2017, with Fox 2000 buying rights for a film adaptation.
This made Adeyemi’s 2019 Children of Virtue and Vengeance a heavily-anticipated book. Thankfully, it did not disappoint but serving to prolong her fame beyond 15 minutes, just in case anyone thought that was the case.
Ilwad Elman
Ilwad Elman is a Canadian-Somali peace and development activist who has rolled up her sleeves since 2010, despite being about 20 at the time.
She moved from a fairly comfortable life in Canada to war-ravaged Somalia to help advocate against violence against girls and women.
In 2019, Elman was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, among a list of 300 other candidates. Although she did not win, Elman felt her nomination was enough recognition and publicity for her work.
