Early Years
Lady Rabia Abdul-Hakim was born Tina Dilbert in the Cayman Islands in 1972 on the tiny island of Cayman Brac, one of three islands which make up the Cayman Islands. When her father drowned in a tragic boating accident in 1977, she was raised by her mother and grandparents.
TEEN BEAUTY QUEEN & MARTIAL ARTIST
During her early teens, Lady Rabia was a successful model – garnering three national titles, ultimately becoming Miss Teen Cayman Islands in 1986.
In 1991, she began training in Taekwondo, eventually becoming a member of the first Cayman Islands National Taekwondo Team. Her martial arts achievements climaxed in 1992 when she was awarded Queen Elizabeth’s gold medal as “Cayman Islands 1992 Sportsperson of the Year.” She went on to compete in the 1994 World Cup Taekwondo Games held in the Cayman Islands.
EDUCATION
Lady Rabia’s next few years, were dedicated to her family and education and, 1997 proved to be another momentous year. Already the mother to two small children, she graduated as a Magna Cum Laude honors graduate from the University of Tampa with a Bachelors degree in Economics and was also awarded the "Omicron Delta Epsilon Award" as the "1997 Outstanding Graduate in Economics".
During this time, Lady Rabia also reverted to Islam, becoming the first, native Muslim woman from the Cayman Islands as Rabia Abdul Hakim. After graduating top in her field, Lady Rabia returned to the Cayman Islands to begin a career with the Cayman Islands Government Economics & Statistics Department. However, in 1999, she and her family moved to Houston, Texas where she began to pursue her dream of becoming a writer. It was during this time that she penned the first Kaa Kaa & Tokyo stories, but they would not be published until many years later.
TEEN BEAUTY QUEEN & MARTIAL ARTIST
During her early teens, Lady Rabia was a successful model – garnering three national titles, ultimately becoming Miss Teen Cayman Islands in 1986.
In 1991, she began training in Taekwondo, eventually becoming a member of the first Cayman Islands National Taekwondo Team. Her martial arts achievements climaxed in 1992 when she was awarded Queen Elizabeth’s gold medal as “Cayman Islands 1992 Sportsperson of the Year.” She went on to compete in the 1994 World Cup Taekwondo Games held in the Cayman Islands.
EDUCATION
Lady Rabia’s next few years, were dedicated to her family and education and, 1997 proved to be another momentous year. Already the mother to two small children, she graduated as a Magna Cum Laude honors graduate from the University of Tampa with a Bachelors degree in Economics and was also awarded the "Omicron Delta Epsilon Award" as the "1997 Outstanding Graduate in Economics".
During this time, Lady Rabia also reverted to Islam, becoming the first, native Muslim woman from the Cayman Islands as Rabia Abdul Hakim. After graduating top in her field, Lady Rabia returned to the Cayman Islands to begin a career with the Cayman Islands Government Economics & Statistics Department. However, in 1999, she and her family moved to Houston, Texas where she began to pursue her dream of becoming a writer. It was during this time that she penned the first Kaa Kaa & Tokyo stories, but they would not be published until many years later.
|
|
|
Photographer & Poet
|
|
In 2000, Lady Rabia, ever the adventurer, moved to Saudi Arabia. But it was not until 2004, when Lady Rabia debuted unto the art scene with a stunning, photographic exhibition entitled “Windows to My World”, exhibited by the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands. “Windows” consisted of rich black and white, journalistic photography accompanied by powerful poems. The theme of this stirring exhibit ranged from the Palestinian uprising to the status of women in Islam and was wonderfully received, garnering numerous articles in the local papers and touring the Cayman Islands for three weeks.
“As we read and looked, we both did so in silence. In tandem with each other, we moved weightlessly from one picture/poem to another in awe. Then, we calmly walked back to the truck and just sat together for a while…speechless.” |
Author
That same year Lady Rabia became the published author of over forty-eight short children’s stories and articles for Saudi’s Qkids Magazine, where she went on to become an editor and was responsible for the restructuring of the magazine. She was later also commissioned to edit and rewrite the twenty-book children’s series, The Biography of the Noble Prophet Mohammad.
|
Lady Rabia went on to become a marketing communications consultant and documentary photographer with an impressive array of premium clients such as King Faisal Foundation and Al-Nahda Philanthropic Women’s Society.
Entrepreneur
In 2006, Lady Rabia became the Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of BIG Cause (Arabia), the first specialized cause marketing and communications agency in Saudi Arabia.
However, personal problems caused the business to dissolve and a divorce battle ensued.
However, personal problems caused the business to dissolve and a divorce battle ensued.
Personal Tragedy & Triumph
In 2009, after a horrendous divorce, Lady Rabia’s six children were taken, and wrongfully retained in the Kingdom of Jordan by their American father. When the governments of numerous countries failed to assist in the recovery of her children, Lady Rabia traveled alone to Jordan in September 2010.
Five months later, she single-handedly rescued her six children, recovering them back to the Cayman Islands on January 19, 2011.
Five months later, she single-handedly rescued her six children, recovering them back to the Cayman Islands on January 19, 2011.
Today...Lady Rabia is a much-loved children’s author, illustrator, poet, master storyteller, international speaker and women’s advocate and advocate for BME eye health. The CEO of ContessaBlack Entertainment, she is the creator of Cayman’s first children's media property, Kaa Kaa & Tokyo™. She is a member of the notable Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI) and has numerous books forthcoming. She is also the Patron of the Big Draw KY, which is part of the Global Campaign for Drawing.
A passionate champion of women’s rights, she was the sole representative from the Cayman Islands invited to the 5th UN Women’s Empowerment Principles event in NYC March 2013. In March 2013, her book, Kaa Kaa & Tokyo in One Bad Day, was the winning book chosen for the Rotary’s Literacy to Success program. She was a headline performer at the Cayman Islands’ international storytelling festival Gimistory 2012 and 2013. A master storyteller and performer, she was awarded the Cayman National Cultural Foundation’s (CNCF) highest award for creativity, the Silver Star, on 3 December 2013 for her creative work as an author, storyteller, artist and educator and as the creator of unique culturally-inspired characters. Lady Rabia currently has 19 books forthcoming including a new children’s series, Caymanians in the Kingdom, inspired by her time in Saudi Arabia. The series was just recently acquired for Arabic publication by Jarrous Press Publishers and is set to launch at the 2014 Abu Dhabi International Book Fair. She is also currently working a YA graphic novel series for the Middle Eastern market, two titles in women’s humor and her memoir The Promise, which documents her dramatic rescue of her six children. Committed to her community and causes, she is a member of the University of Wolverhampton's Media Advisory Board, Vision 2020 UK Prevalence Study Project Board, the Saudi-British Society, the UK Society for Storytelling and the Friends of Cayman Core Group Visionary, champion and hero, Lady Rabia is truly a national treasure to her country and women, globally. |
|
