– Fatima Ragie, 1 April 2021
Who is Ayesha?
I am sure you are curious about Ayesha Jacub, The Illustrator of ‘Abu Ubaidah Soars!’. Dr Ayesha Jacub is an inspirational artist and our art director at Bushwillow Books. She is a Mother, a Medical Doctor (MBBCh, Wits), a Global Health Policy analyst and a Self-taught Artist currently living in Istanbul, Turkey
I “met” Ayesha on Facebook by befriending her a few years ago. It was a start of digital friendship that grew into productive teamwork. After Muhammad and I saw her art posts, we contacted her to see she if was interested in illustrating for us. And she said “YES!”. Truly, the character of the story and the beauty of the final product grew threw her illustrations. Follow Ayesha on Instagram @ajacub786 or visit her website at (Read below for how Ayesha describes her journey of illustrating ‘Abu Ubaidah Soars!’ and for links to Ayesha’s writing in the news (she truly is multi-talented!).
A word from Ayesha:
“These Bushwillow Books illustrations were based on trust. I hadn’t yet illustrated a book before, and Bushwillow Books were willing to hand the project to me based on my work on architectural watercolour paintings. Through this creative process, I developed an illustration style and formed a relationship with the people at Bushwillow Books.
My creative work started less than a year ago when intense personal upheaval necessitated a constructive outlet. While painting (specifically with the medium of watercolour), thoughts seemed to be suspended and emotional reconfiguration was occurring in the background. In this way hours passed as I painted almost obsessively. What emerged was a love and capacity to illustrate as well as mental clarity. This book has been a journey of discovery in many ways.
These works are dedicated to my boys Ismaeel and Aadil (who provided tons of creative input) as well as to the friends and family who have provided encouragement as I go through this Creative and Life journey. May the Almighty guide us at each step.”
– Dr Ayesha Jacub
Click on the links below to read some of the media articles that Ayesha has written:
- Getting ready for the next pandemic (Al Jazeera, 2 April 2020)
- The coronavirus and Africa: Exposing our vulnerabilities and inequalities (Mail and Guardian, 22 March 2020)
- The narratives that define the coronavirus pandemic will influence its outcome (Mail and Guardian, 16 March 2020)
Intelligent, witty, and always on the move, we are grateful to have Ayesha on our team. May Allah SWT bless her and her loved ones with the honour of always being of His beloved. Aameen.