SHORT BIOGRAPHY
Igiaba Scego is an Italian writer, journalist, and activist of Somali descent. Her work explores the intersections of Italian and Somali histories and identities, addressing colonial memory, migration, racism, and (un)belonging, while drawing on autobiographical elements and the experiences of the African diaspora in Italy.
Born in 1974 in Rome to a Somali family, her father, Ali Omar Scego, was a prominent Somali political figure who held several high-ranking governmental and diplomatic positions, including governor of Mogadishu and ambassador. Raised in Rome within a diasporic family, Scego studied Foreign Languages and Literatures at Sapienza University of Rome and later obtained a PhD in Pedagogy from Roma Tre University.
She made her literary debut in 2003 with La nomade che amava Alfred Hitchcock. Her subsequent publications include novels, memoirs, essays, and edited volumes. Scego also collaborates with major Italian newspapers and cultural magazines and has edited several anthologies devoted to migration and Afro-Italian writing.
Selected honours and awards
- 2020 – Premio Napoli (Narrative), for La linea del colore
- 2011 – Premio Mondello, for La mia casa è dove sono
- 2003 – Eks&Tra Prize for Migrant Writing, for the short story Salsicce
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Scego, Igiaba. Adua. Giunti, 2015.
—. Adua. Translated by Jamie Richards, New Vessel Press, 2017.
—. Beyond Babylon. Translated by Aaron Robertson, Two Lines Press, 2019.
—. Caetano Veloso. Camminando controvento. Add Editore, 2016.
(Caetano Veloso. Walking Against the Wind)
—. Cassandra a Mogadiscio. Bompiani, 2023.
(Cassandra in Mogadishu)
—. “Dismatria” and “Salsicce.” Pecore nere: Racconti, Laterza, 2005.
(Dismatria and Sausages)
—. “Ethiopian Volunteers Register Here!” Cronache dalla polvere, edited by Jadel Andreetto, Bompiani, 2019.
—. Figli dello stesso cielo: Il razzismo e il colonialismo raccontati ai ragazzi. Piemme, 2021.
(Children of the Same Sky: Racism and Colonialism Told to Young People)
—. “Identità.” Amori bicolori, Laterza, 2007.
(Identity)
—. “L’albero.” Nessuna pietà, Salani, 2009.
(The Tree)
—. La linea del colore. Bompiani, 2020.
(The Line of Color)
—. La mia casa è dove sono. Rizzoli, 2010.
(My Home Is Where I Am)
—. La nomade che amava Alfred Hitchcock. Sinnos, 2003.
(The Nomad Who Loved Alfred Hitchcock)
—. Oltre Babilonia. Donzelli, 2008.
(Beyond Babylon)
—. Prestami le ali. Storia di Clara la rinoceronte. Rrose Sélavy, 2017.
(Lend Me Your Wings: The Story of Clara the Rhinoceros)
—. Rhoda. Sinnos, 2004.
—. The Color Line. Translated by John Cullen and Gregory Conti, Other Press LLC, 2022.
Scego, Igiaba, editor. Anche Superman era un rifugiato: Storie vere di coraggio per un mondo migliore. Piemme, 2018.
(Even Superman Was a Refugee: True Stories of Courage for a Better World)
—. Italiani per vocazione. Cadmo, 2005.
(Italians by Vocation)
—. Future. Il domani narrato dalle voci di oggi. Effequ, 2019.
(Future: Tomorrow Told by Today's Voices)
Scego, Igiaba, and Chiara Piaggio, editors. Africana: Raccontare il continente al di là degli stereotipi. Feltrinelli, 2021.
(Africana: Telling the Continent Beyond Stereotypes)
Scego, Igiaba, and Ingy Mubiayi, editors. Quando nasci è una roulette: Giovani figli di migranti si raccontano. Terre di Mezzo, 2007.
(When You Are Born It’s a Roulette: Young Children of Migrants Tell Their Stories)
Scego, Igiaba, and Rino Bianchi. Roma negata: Percorsi postcoloniali nella città. Ediesse, 2014.
(Denied Rome: Postcolonial Paths in the City)
