Under the blue domed ceilings of the former Tesco building at 2 Royal Avenue, Rym Akhonzada is behind the counter at the newly opened Yallaa café. The goods on sale range from local favourites fifteens to Arab specialities like manakeesh. Originally from Tunisia, Rym is a linguist and the founder of Yallaa, a social enterprise with the aim of promoting Arab culture here in the North. ‘Yallaa’ means ‘let’s go’ or ‘let’s do it’ in Arabic. “It is probably the most spoken word in the Arabic language and throughout the Arab world,” she explains. “So that’s why I’ve chosen the name, something that’s easy to pronounce for non-Arabic speakers, but then it has a meaning to it as well.” The positive, energetic connotation of the word is reflective of the work the organisation does. Yallaa started in 2016 in Lisburn to support Syrian refugees with their integration and social needs. To date, hundreds of people benefited from the activities and services offered. With the amount of projects going o...
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