Hayati- comes from the word, Hayat, which means Life in the Arabic
Language; it means My Life.
About- - started
MuslimahConvert on Instagram back in August of 2012, it was meant to be a
resource for new Muslima converts to grow, learn and understand Islam in an
intersectional manner. The first online issue of Hayati launched in November of
the same year, after Fatima Togbe, the founder, decided to go beyond just
Instagram and try something different.
“Hayati Magazine was
founded by and for MUSLIM WOMEN. We seek to influence Muslim women’s whole
lives by helping them be fashion-forward, smart and modern within the limits of
ISLAM. We want to inspire our readers to build not just PERSONAL STYLE but
PERSONAL POWER,” Fatima Togbe, Founder/Editor-In-Chief, Hayati Magazine.
In Nigeria, there are hundreds of Magazines rising with each passing day and attempting to break into the mainstream pan African and
worldwide magazine. It mainstream magazines, there is something that keeps
everyone going, both males and females, and that would be raw representation.
It is becoming rampant to have representation in movies, music videos, shows
and now magazines. Before, nobody really bothered whether or not vogue had
models of colours on their front pages or covers.
Now, it is becoming a phenomenon and something spreading through
the globe like wildfire. In the Nigeria media, it is easy to find
representation but then it is unfortunately to a certain limit as all cultures
and religious faces are not featured or largely promoted in a market as large
as the Nigerian one. I first discovered Hayati Magazine about two years ago and
I didn’t believe it was a Nigerian based magazine, because of the content and
whatnot. As always, I assumed it was an African based abroad doing things over
there and maintaining her ethnicity and religion. I was wrong, but happy.
Hayati is a Nigerian based magazine, primarily targeted at
the Muslim female population but also working as an umbrella for the average
young Nigerian female.
This magazine caters to all in the sense of Fashion,
lifestyle, religion, articles and so much more that needs to be expressed, by
Muslims, for Muslims and applicable to others, who are very interested in know
the common things but from a different perspective.
The reason why I personally appreciate this magazine, would
be the fact it is not strictly religious because it understands how vast and
broad religion is, almost like a spectrum, and how people in the religion can
either be at both ends of the spectrum or just in the middle. It is once again,
applicable to everyone out there but of course, concentrated on its primary
audience.
(Fall Issue for Hayati Magazine)
Now, some people might not cherish the fact that this
magazine is a Muslim magazine, but to be realistic and practical, the Nigerian media
market lacks fluid representation. Just the same way, people of colour complain
about lack of diversity in certain movies, it is the same way I would complain
about lack of diverse magazines in the Nigerian market. If everyone can be
represented, it would not only impact personal views and perspectives, but it
can aid in helping voices to be heard.
Hayati is a foundation, allowing young Nigerian or just
Muslim women in general feel connected, relatable and comfortable with whatever
they are going through; because you have stories, articles and more written by
Muslimas like ourselves and there’s truly nothing like getting something from
someone who connects with you.
A little downside would be the Magazine not having a broad
sense of varieties, which are yet to be included but that can still happen in
the near future. Some spaces lacking in the magazine could be a segment where
readers can send in questions and have them answered by an experienced person. Or
perhaps real life stories sent in and shared by other Muslim women, in order
for readers to relate and learn a few things. That’s about the few things I see
as a downside but it is a personal opinion, so it is very okay to disagree and
suggest something else. There is truly little to nothing lacking in the
magazine but I have to say that, in order to sound realistic and sincere.
Fatima Togbe
Founder & Editor-In-Chief
www.hayatimagazine.com
If you are looking for something that will treat Fashion
recommendations, lifestyle tips, social issues, media topics and religious
treatments, then I would say you should check out Hayati Magazine and decide to
judge it by yourself. Or else, you want me to completely influence you into
checking it out. It is an online magazine that might be a downside, as there is
not Hardcopy for you to carry around and read anywhere you might be going.
