Meet Aliyatou
Aliyatou Bah-Smith is a debbo Pullo (Fulani woman) with roots in Guinea and Mali. Her mother’s family hails from Labé in the Fouta Djallon region of Guinea, while her father is African American. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., she now resides in Northern Virginia.
A creative at heart, Liyah finds joy in writing poetry, curating cultural experiences, and spending time at Sankofa, a beloved Pan-African bookstore and café. She is the founder of Sisters of the Sahel Sun, a community-driven organization dedicated to fostering sisterhood and preserving the heritage of Sahelian West Africa.
By day, Liyah works as a Stormwater Project Manager for a local municipality’s engineering department, blending her passion for environmental resilience with her technical expertise. At home, she’s a devoted cat mom to Fouta and Miso Soup.
