FATMA MIRZA

Musician

Fatma Mirza is a musician and the co-founder of Women Manifesto, which recently released its visual album ‘Melanin’.

“As an artist and a woman of colour in the Middle East, I feel like I have a duty to speak up about what we face on a daily basis. I've always loved music and creating things from scratch, and I felt that a project produced and directed by Omani youth, discussing the empowerment of women, was long overdue. So my team, Women Manifesto, and I aimed to spread the message of female empowerment to as many people as possible, women and men alike. We want to educate the youth on what feminism really means, one project at a time, to hopefully one day achieve equality. As a musician I feel, despite the powerful effect of music alone, blending visuals, audio and a strong message can go a long way, which is part of what made the making of Melanin such an exciting journey. But this is only the beginning of what we plan to do and create. Whether its to express, inspire or both, I feel determined to spark conversations on topics that relate to equality and being true to yourself. Although these issues require a lot of time and perseverance, it's important to spark discussions about them to reach some kind of resolution. I have several topics that I aim to spread awareness on, including empowering women, supporting the youth in expressing themselves, and helping develop the local music scene.”