Alem Derege
Alem Derege is a London-based freelance illustrator and artist. She was born in Bristol to Ethiopian parents and was raised in a Christian household. She holds an MA in Migration and Diaspora Studies from SOAS and a BA in Architecture from the University of Sheffield. Both her academic research and her creative work is heavily inspired by her East African heritage. As part of her practice, she hosts beginner-friendly gouache painting workshops in South East London.
Opinion‘I was targeted by a cult, and they got in touch via LinkedIn.’
Writer and illustrator Alem Derege reflects on two unsettling encounters with the secretive religious group Shincheonji, experiences that unfolded in the most ordinary of settings—LinkedIn and a London train. She shares a personal warning about spiritual manipulation, online recruitment tactics, and the importance of discernment.
