‘Never forget it was a woman that gave birth to you, she had the authority to give you this gift of life…’
– HRH Nadia Harihiri
We interviewed guest of honour HRH Nadia Harihiri, Queen Aya of the Continent of Africa and learnt HRH was crowned Her Royal Majesty Queen Aya of the Continent of Africa on 26th October 2019 in a wonderful ceremony that took place in the Ivory Coast.
This world event acknowledges respected women of the Arab world. Royals, diplomats, business women, poets, singers, artists, and actors are gathered to support women’s rights in peace and security, protection, freedom, and humanitarian action in our globalized and fragmented world.
How do you feel about being here today, what is your opinion?
I am very happy and honoured today. It is the day of the woman, and the woman is queen, and therefore we are here to support the women who are in business, women who are leaders, and women who are mothers.
In fact, I want to add we are fighting for women, this is very important as we are fighting for the equality of women. We should not need to fight for this right because as humans we are all born equal. We are all coming from the same divine source and that is very important. And if the men cannot accept that equality even if we are sometimes superior to them. I just want to remind them to never forget you may be a king of the world or the president but never forget it was a woman that gave birth to you, she had the authority to give you this gift of life.
The message at today’s event was loud and clear: respect your daughter, your sister, your mother, respect life. Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable world.
Harihiri embodies this and has made many contributions in this space but what of her upcoming projects..
There are many projects but there was one in particular that is special to me. 2022 is a defining year for women’s football and I intend to launch a women’s football club with the support of renowned international football players. It will represent that symbol of freedom and equality where women can play football with men.
Beyond HRH’s powerful stance on gender equality she tells us about another project that she holds near and dear too..
At a time of climate change and war we must learn to respect everything that looks at our planet. Because of our lifestyle, climate change is a grave and a mounting threat to our wellbeing and without a healthy planet we leave our children most vulnerable to diseases that will become more widespread because of inaction.
There are solutions. We must correct these imbalances, bring back greenery, plant trees, the millionaires of tomorrow will be the ones who invest in the well- being of the environment. Our actions today will shape how people live tomorrow’.
While our interview was brief, I felt an enormous amount of respect for this unique woman with a clear mission. Physically petite but with a voice that commands the room, HRH Nadia Harihiri is a woman at the forefront of the fight for global female rights and the future of all children.
Text by Suna Ahmed
Photos by Blake
