Shariffa Chelimo Ali is an international creative leader committed to advancing radical change through the power of art and activism.
She works across disciplines directing films, virtual reality experiences, and plays, and moves her audiences to engage with timely issues touching upon Black, Afropolitan, and African-American identities.
Originally from Kenya and raised in South Africa, Shariffa has lectured and directed at NYU, Brooklyn College, Yale University, and Princeton University, productions including Eclipsed, Detroit ’67, Intimate Apparel, and We Are Proud to Present, and an original new musical, We Were Everywhere.
In 2020 Shariffa was named Artist in Residence at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the largest repertory theatre in the United States, where she helmed the world premiere of Karen Zacarías’s The Copper Children earlier this year. Previously she served as assistant director to her mentor Cynthia Nixon for Rasheeda Speaking, Steve (The New Group) and Motherstruck! (Culture Project). Shariffa’s debut virtual reality short ATOMU is part of the official selection at the Sundance Festival 2020.
Honors: New Frontier Fellowship at Sundance Institute & Royal National Theater (UK) (2019); Berlind Playwright in Residence (2019); winner, POV/PBS Spark Grant (2020); winner, OregonMade Film Grant (2020).
Education: BA with honors, Theatre and Performance, University of Cape Town, South Africa.