When the online vitriol directed at him escalates, Mohamed Semra, a young, African-born, Muslim mayor, often finds solace in a lesson learned years ago on the back of a donkey in Sudan. At just 10 years old, a city kid from Melbourne on his first visit to his mother’s homeland, Mohamed was tasked with a daunting mission. His family needed water, and his uncle entrusted him with a donkey laden with barrels, sending him alone to a well two hours away.
His uncle’s advice was stark: “Do not get off the donkey until you are safely back at the village with the water, because the beast could get spooked and spill the water.” The journey through the desert was arduous. As he neared home, the donkey veered sharply towards a tree with low-hanging branches laden with sharp thorns. Mohamed faced a critical choice: dismount, ensuring his own safety but risking the precious water, or cling tightly to the donkey and hope for the best.
“I made the decision that I was going to go through the tree,” Mohamed, now 27, recounted. “Obviously, I had a lot of scratches on my face, but the water made it home. It taught me that sometimes… sacrifices need to be made in the service of others. And while I had a few scratches on my face, my family could enjoy water that day.”
This philosophy of sacrifice for the greater good is one Mohamed carries with him as the Mayor of the City of Maribyrnong, located in Melbourne’s inner west. His tenure, which began last year, has brought its own set of metaphorical scratches. Since stepping into the mayoral robes, he has endured a barrage of online abuse and racist remarks. However, experiencing racism is not a new phenomenon for Mohamed. An incident at a local Apple Store when he was 15 garnered international attention and ultimately led to significant changes within the global company. This experience has steeled him to endure current challenges in his role as mayor, seeing it as a necessary step to advance the community that has supported his growth.
“There are people out there that are not comfortable with a Black man, a Muslim, in the position I’m in today,” Mohamed stated. “And it’s my job to make them more comfortable. As mayor, I see my role as representing the entire community… I have lived in the community for 20 years. I wouldn’t have put my hand up if I didn’t love this community and didn’t believe that I can add value.”
Mohamed holds the distinction of being the first person from sub-Saharan Africa elected as a mayor in Australia. He represents a vibrant and diverse community, home to people from over 80 different countries. He acknowledges the inherent difficulties of being a pioneer. “But if my mum can travel all the way from Sudan, move to a whole new country, not knowing how any of it was going to turn out, then I could put my hand up for local government.”
Finding His Voice
Responsibility has been a driving force for Mohamed from a young age. His older sister, Engi, fondly describes him as a “big nerd” who always aspired to be a role model. While his siblings gravitated towards cartoons, Mohamed preferred news broadcasts and historical documentaries, often leading to playful squabbles over the remote control.
Leadership appears to be in his genes. Mohamed’s father is a tribal elder in Sudan’s eastern desert. In 2002, his father was among those arrested without charge by the government in an attempt to quell unrest among Indigenous groups. This imprisonment prompted Mohamed’s mother, Samira, to flee with her children to seek refuge. His father has since been released but remains in Sudan.
Mohamed always desired a voice in decision-making but was initially hindered by a severe stutter. “My head would rock and my tongue would come out, and it halted me from doing a lot of the things that I wanted to do,” he explained. This frustration sometimes led to acting out, with Mohamed admitting to being “a bit of a troublemaker” in his early teens.
However, Leah White, his English teacher and student wellbeing coordinator at Maribyrnong College, recognised his potential despite his “lively” nature, noting his talent in his written work. She encouraged him to enrol in an intensive speech therapy course at La Trobe University, an opportunity Mohamed “grabbed with both hands.” He credits this intervention by a dedicated teacher with “giving me back my voice.”
Soon after, he joined the debating team, marking the beginning of his leadership journey. In Year 11, when he expressed his intention to run for school captain to a classmate, he was met with laughter and the dismissive comment, “That’s a white thing.” This remark profoundly impacted Mohamed, prompting him to question when leadership became associated with a particular race. Undeterred, he stood for the role and won.
The Apple Store Incident: A Catalyst for Change
Perhaps his schoolmates’ initial doubts about his leadership material were already being dispelled by his earlier encounter with fame at the age of 15. At a local Apple Store, Mohamed and five African friends were met with immediate suspicion and followed by security upon entering, eager to explore the new iPhone. While racial profiling was a familiar experience, this instance felt particularly uncomfortable, prompting them to decide to leave.
As they exited, Mohamed felt a strong conviction: “If we let this go, it’s going to happen to so many other people that have done nothing wrong.” They turned back, with a friend recording on their phone. Store security and the manager intervened, asking the group to leave, citing concerns that they “might steal something.” The video, uploaded by Mohamed’s friend, went viral. Mohamed found himself speaking to international media outlets, and Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, issued an apology and committed to retraining all staff on inclusion and customer engagement.
“I stepped into it because I understood the weight of the moment,” Mohamed reflected. “That was a huge win for us… it reminded us that our contribution is valuable and that people want to hear what we have to say. And our stories are important.”
A Pandemic-Stricken Political Campaign
Politics was not initially on Mohamed’s radar until June 2020, when the Victorian government imposed a strict lockdown on public housing towers in Flemington and North Melbourne due to a COVID-19 surge. Already passionate about volunteering, Mohamed had deferred his commerce and international relations degree to work with multicultural and youth organisations.
When residents of the towers – many of whom were refugees and migrants, including Mohamed’s friends – were forbidden from leaving their homes, he immediately offered his support. While the government provided food, it was often not halal or culturally appropriate. “I saw that happening, and it hit me that we need more people on the decision-making table that represented and reflected the makeup of the community,” Mohamed stated. “I was volunteering, doing a lot of grassroots advocacy and activism, but I never considered what it would look like for me to be on that table, making some of those decisions.”
With council elections approaching later that year, he decided to enter the political arena. It was an unconventional campaign, with no public gatherings or doorknocking permitted due to the pandemic. The 22-year-old’s initial bid was unsuccessful, an experience he found “embarrassing” and “not easy the first time you put yourself out there and things don’t go your way.”
He initially resolved to abandon politics, channelling his advocacy into establishing Endeavour Youth Australia, a social enterprise focused on working with diverse youth in schools and hosting an annual multicultural youth leadership conference. However, a pivotal moment came in 2023 when he attended a keynote speech by former US President Barack Obama. He had only known Obama’s triumphs, but hearing him speak about losing his first congressional race and his reluctance to try again resonated deeply with Mohamed. “I saw a lot of similarities in my own story and… it felt like there was still a lot of work to be done. The aim, the mission, hadn’t changed.”
In 2024, he ran again as an independent councillor for Maribyrnong. His mother, Samira, with whom he still resides, noted the mixed reactions during his campaign, ranging from “very racist” to “very nice.” While many of his campaign signs were defaced, his strong social media presence allowed him to connect with many of the area’s young people.
The news of his election, Mohamed described, was an “overwhelming feeling.” “I can’t even put it into words. I started jumping up and down and celebrating. But [I also felt] the weight of the responsibility… now the work starts.”
‘He’s Got Thick Skin’: Mohamed’s Trials
Mayor Mohamed Semra is currently on the dance floor, grooving with the Filipino community at a local 100th birthday celebration. He’s known for his willingness to join in at community events, and the women present are clearly enjoying his company, eager for a dance with the mayor. “It means a lot to them that I’m here as the mayor… it shows them that the city of Maribyrnong cares, that we are here, that we are listening, and that we’re accessible,” Mohamed explained. “It’s so much fun, right? I’m gonna have energy for the rest of my day.”
However, his role also involves making difficult decisions about the area’s future, decisions that often face strong opposition. A significant challenge for Mohamed will be the implementation of a previous council’s decision to construct an indoor stadium, intended to provide young people with a much-needed space for basketball – a sport he credits with keeping him out of trouble as a child.
Some residents have campaigned against the stadium, citing concerns about it occupying green space in a local reserve. Mohamed counters that the venue’s footprint will constitute only 3.3 per cent of the reserve and that the facility is crucial to reduce waiting lists for community sports. He will need all his leadership acumen to address protesters’ concerns and to secure the necessary $60 million in funding from the Victorian and federal governments. “If we don’t get this done, it’s only going to pass the buck onto the next council and the next council after that,” Mohamed stated.
His friend and fellow African activist, Tigist Kebede, believes that Mohamed, who was a nominee for Victoria’s Young Australian of the Year in 2023, possesses the resilience to navigate such challenges. “There’s discipline there, he’s got very thick skin,” she commented. “I think the experience of the speech impediment, Apple, just being a Black boy in Australia has created a lot of resilience in him. I definitely think there’s an intense pressure and also more eyes on him. He’s the first, the only, the different, and that means there’s a lot of hopes riding on his back.”
Mohamed’s rising profile has already attracted the attention of political parties. Katie Hall, the local Labor member for Footscray, has revealed that Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan finds him impressive. The question that inevitably arises for a rising councillor is whether they will seek higher office. Mohamed is not ruling out future state or federal aspirations.
Recently, he was among three Victorian mayors who travelled to Canberra to represent local government, an experience he described as “a big moment.” He understands that many others like him – Africans, Muslims, young people – see his mayoral position as a significant role model, someone they can aspire to emulate. He also notes the absence of people of African descent in the federal parliament.
“It would make a huge difference to see someone from an African heritage background in federal parliament,” he asserted. “The more we get representation in decision-making spaces, the more we are able to change the narrative where African-Australians are concerned. The more opportunities for good work to be shared and good stories to be out there, I think can make a long-lasting impact.”
For the moment, Mohamed Semra is content serving as Maribyrnong’s mayor, dedicated to his local community and honing his skills in politics, leadership, and compromise. Yet, standing outside Parliament House, the centre of national decision-making, Mohamed admits, “The thought does creep in, ‘Is this a ceiling I can break?’”
