Amal Aden

{{Infobox person

|image = Amal-aden-norwegian-author.jpg

|image_size =

|caption =

|birth_date = {{birth year and age|1983}}

|birth_place = Northern Somalia

|citizenship =

|occupation = Author, interpreter, lecturer

|notable_works = Se oss (2008), ABC i integrering (2009), Min drøm om frihet (2009)

|known_for = Author and lecturer

|website = [http://www.amaladen.no/ Amal Aden]

}}

Amal Aden (born 1983) is the pseudonym of a Somali–Norwegian writer. She is an author, lecturer and lesbian activist.{{Cite news|url=https://www.thelocal.no/20130703/death-threats-for-lesbian-somali-norwegian-activist-pride-lgbt-rainbow|title=Death threats for lesbian Somali-Norwegian|last=Törnkvist|first=Ann|date=3 July 2013|work=The Local}} Aden is substitute member of the Norwegian Press Complaints Commission and has been a contributor to the newspaper Dag og Tid since January 2013.

Early and personal life

Aden was born in Somalia, and became an orphan at the age of four. She was illiterate, and immigrated to Norway through family reunification{{cite news|url=http://www.vl.no/magasin/livogsjel/article4631825.ece|title=Norsk nok?|first=Jannie|last=Solset|work=Vårt Land|date=2 October 2009|accessdate=13 September 2010|language=no|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100216202616/http://www.vl.no/magasin/livogsjel/article4631825.ece|archive-date=16 February 2010|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}} as a thirteen-year-old in 1996, after living as a street child for seven years.{{cite web|url=http://www.aschehoug.no/forfattere/alfabetisk/vis?contentItemId=2800407 |title=Aden, Amal |work=Aschehoug |accessdate=31 January 2010 |language=no |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090914220221/http://www.aschehoug.no/forfattere/alfabetisk/vis?contentItemId=2800407 |archive-date=14 September 2009 }} She struggled at first with the meeting of another culture, child protection and other public services which she claims were unable to help her. She ended up in the drug environment in the Oslo city district of Grønland, and lived on the streets of the same city periodically.{{cite web|url=http://www.amaladen.no/|accessdate=31 January 2010|title=Velkommen til min hjemmeside|first=Amal|last=Aden|language=no}}

Today however, she is self-employed and works as an interpreter for the police, schools and other instances, as well as being an advisor and lecturer for municipalities and other instances. She is the mother of two twins and since 2002 she has lived in Hønefoss.

Career

Amal Aden published her first book in 2008{{Cite book|last=Aden, Amal, 1983-|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/351100191|title=Se oss : bekymringsmelding fra en ung norsksomalisk kvinne|date=2008|publisher=H. Aschehoug (W. Nygaard)|isbn=978-82-03-29136-4|edition=2. oppl|location=Oslo|oclc=351100191}} and has published several books since. She has received several awards, first of them Zola-prisen (a Norwegian prize named after the French writer and intellectual Émile Zola) in 2010 for her work with immigration and integration issues.{{Cite web|title=Zola-prisen 2010 – Amal Aden – Zola-prisen|url=http://www.zola-prisen.no/zola-prisen-2010-amal-aden/|access-date=2020-11-30|language=nb-NO|archive-date=5 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605192910/http://www.zola-prisen.no/zola-prisen-2010-amal-aden/|url-status=dead}}

Threats

In 2013, following her participation in the Oslo Pride Parade, Amal Aden says she received 146 threatening messages.{{Cite web|title=Death threats for lesbian Somali-Norwegian|url=https://www.thelocal.no/20130703/death-threats-for-lesbian-somali-norwegian-activist-pride-lgbt-rainbow|access-date=2020-11-30|website=www.thelocal.no|date=3 July 2013 }} Aden is an outspoken Muslim-lesbian activist.

Honours and recognitions

Zola Prize, 2010
The Amnesty Prize of Amnesty International Norway, 2012
Erik Bye's Memorial Prize, 2014
Gina Krog Prize of the Norwegian Association for Women's Rights, 2016[http://kvinnesak.no/amal-aden-tildelt-gina-krog-prisen Amal Aden tildelt Gina Krog-prisen], Norwegian Association for Women's Rights

Bibliography

Aden is the author of several books:

Se oss: bekymringsmelding fra en ung norsksomalisk kvinne. Aschehoug (2008)
ABC i integrering: 111 gode råd om hvordan alle kan bli fullverdige borgere i det norske samfunnet. Aschehoug (2009)
Min drøm om frihet: En selvbiografisk fortelling. Aschehoug (2009)
Det skal merkes at de gråter: Om likestilling blant somaliere i Norge (2011)
Om håpet glipper, er alt tapt (2012)
Jacayl er kjærlighet på somali (2015)