Obìnrin kan.
Ọ̀nà púpọ̀.
Two names. One woman. Many threads of Radiant Expression.
Zahra Zakariya Abdulkareem
Founder · Strategist · Connector
The founder and strategic mind behind The Zahra Zakariya Collective.
Zahra Abímbọ́lá Àṣàbì
Writer · Artist · Advocate
The creative and literary voice through which art, storytelling, heritage and lived experience take form.
My story & journey so far
Many seasons. Many threads.
…and a lifelong quest for meaning, authenticity and wholehearted living.
There are many ways to introduce myself. I am Zahra Zakariya Abdulkareem. I am a daughter, wife, mother, sister, writer, strategist, creative and lifelong student of what it means to live a meaningful life.
And there is another name through which another part of me speaks: Zahra Abímbọ́lá Àṣàbì, the name I carry into my creative work. The part of me that listens for stories, that remembers, that creates, that asks the tough questions.
For many years, I thought these parts of me needed to be kept separate…
- The woman who thinks strategically
- The woman who dreams
- The woman who builds
- The woman who writes
- The woman who feels deeply
- The woman led by faith
- The woman who cares about women, wealth & legacy
- The woman inspired by seasons & heritage
Over time, I began to understand that they were never separate to begin with. They were simply different threads of the same life. The same vision, the same dream, the same quest for something whole, meaningful and true.
Threads, in moments.
The communities nurtured, the conversations cultivated and the work birthed along the way.
The home. The heart. The hearth.
The life I am interested in is warm, holistic and deeply rooted. It holds the stories we inherit, and the stories we choose to leave behind.
Woven into the tapestry
