Xiuhtezcatl
“We make the most change when we move from a place of doing what we love.”
Meet @xiuhtezcatl (Xiuhtezcatl), a Mexican Indigenous musical artist and activist.
“As a young person growing up in the world today, there’s so much terrifying news about what the future of the world might be. The only way we’re going to build a better future is if the young people have an important role in telling the stories of what is possible. Music and art is what makes revolution irresistible. And the most inspiring periods of history where we’ve seen cultural transformation, music has always been a part of that.
My hope for the future is to see land returned to Indigenous people, and for spaces and opportunities like the school to be fostered and cultivated for another generation of young native kids to thrive and grow and shine and be proud of who they are.”
Nouri Flayhan
“I needed to become the person that I needed growing up. I needed to create the art I needed growing up.”
Meet @nouriflayhan (Nourie Flayhan), a Lebanese artist whose mission is to tell the stories of underrepresented women from across the Middle East and North Africa.
“People always look towards this region and imagined or portrayed one kind of woman, and I really wanted to show the diverse wave and blend of women from all over this region.”
Her art depicts the many different representations of women highlighting the importance of seeing yourself represented in the world. “My hope for the future is that women would be seen and heard completely and for us to be approached with more love, more understanding and more compassion.”
David Alabo
“Nobody knows your story better than you do, and only you can tell your story the way it deserves to be told.”
Meet multidisciplinary artist and Afrofuturist @davidalabo (David Alabo).
Born in Italy, David traveled and lived around the world, including in Morocco and Ghana, where his mother and father are from. “I see colors as a visual language. So when I look back on my memories, I vividly remember the colors and the moods were brought by being in all these different places.”
David’s experiences offered him a unique, broad and, in his words, “surreal experience” of what being Black feels like in today’s world.
“As Black people, I believe we have to be more in charge of our own narrative. I don’t subscribe to the idea of Black art being singular. The unique experiences and memories I’ve had have only helped to shape my sense of identity and my sense of self. There is no limit to our imaginations and speculations on the future and the past.”
Maya Ghazal
“I knew I wanted to be a pilot the minute I looked at a plane.”
Meet @ghazalmia (Maya Ghazal), the first-ever female Syrian refugee pilot. In 2015, Maya’s family immigrated to the UK. Despite all the obstacles she’s faced, according to Maya, “being a pilot literally lives up to the sentence that the sky’s the limit.”
“To be able to walk into that cockpit and do what I’m good at is a total win, not just for me, but for Syrians, for women, for refugees and for everyone who ever thought they couldn’t do something.”