HE President Ahmed Mohamed Mahmoud Silanyo’s has today has issued a Presidential decree # JSL/M/XERM/249-2232/012014 the Disability Services Act applied in all public and private buildings.
The Press Release read as follows:-
President: –
1.In accordance with Article 90 of the Constitution of the Republic of Somaliland
2.In accordance with Article 19 of the Constitution of the Republic of Somaliland
3.The need to overcome the hurdles and challenges facing people with disabilities to able to fulfill their tasks independently,
4.In recognizing the difficulties and challenges facing people with disabilities in public places, Health centers, Schools, Water facilities and work sites public or private.
5.In order to overcome this hurdles the government of Somaliland has come to the decision which is to issue the following guidelines so as to ensure that buildings, facilities, and transit vehicles are accessible and usable by people with disabilities.
Article (1)
Building Centers government agencies or private
1.These standards apply to places of public accommodation, commercial facilities, and state and local government facilities including those already standing buildings or those currently under construction be it those of governmental agencies and private businesses; from the rule becomes effective way to build or framework to facilitate people with disabilities to stay and base able to access or to access Public meeting places, spirituality, culture, society, or entertainment, .
2.That all government agencies and private businesses are required to have this facilities in place when the disability law comes in places in a bid to allow more accessible to people with a wide range of disabilities, this means paying attention to more than just ramps and accessible washrooms. It also means looking at e.g. lighting audible alarm systems, signage with high contrast lettering easy-to-find directories, and accessible parking.
§ (2)
Law enforcement
Law enforcement officers, and in partnership with the Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Housing, the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and local governments in municipalities are required to enforce this law.
Article (3)
Effective regulation and enforcement
The rule will come into force from the date it will be signed into a law by the President.
John Drysdale reports on the unrecognized independence of the Republic of Somaliland.
THEIR economy crushed by civil war and their new state unrecognised by the world, the people of the self-declared Republic of Somaliland have hit rock bottom. Paradoxically, it has brought out the best In many of them, a realisation that their future lies in their own hands.
Jama Mohamoud, aged So, is an example. He was wounded in an engagement with the forces of Mohammed Siad Barre, since deposed as President of Somalia. Gangrene set in. His leg was sawn off below the knee in the bush, and Jama waited for it to heal. “That was the painful part,” he said.
He carved a wooden leg and secured it to his trouser belt. Now he walks briskly with only a walking stick, saying: “I’m lucky to be alive.”
On May 16 – four months after Siad Barre was ousted – the people of the northern regions of Somalia forced their political leaders to declare an independent Somaliland. Political leaders in the southern regions have refused to accept the declaration.
War and adversity seem to have heightened pride in the north. Children who forever held out a hand for baksheesh now disdain a tip for helping to carry baggage.
Paid only with rations, absurdly young ex-rebel soldiers carrying Kalashnikovs and wearing bits of uniform patrol the cities and man roadblocks. They generally keep security under control, as evidenced by the 800 miles I travelled without an armed escort.
Along with security has come a revival of private enterprise, long dormant under President Siad Barre who stifled the north’s vital export trade and closed the port of Berbera.
The breakaway attempt has its roots in 100 years of colonial history. The empires of Britain, Italy, France and Ethiopia all ruled the Somalis and it was the prospect of a united people in a Greater Somalia that led to the creation of Somalia in 1960.
The new country comprised the old Italian Somaliland in the south and the British Somaliland Protectorate to the north, but not the Somali-inhabited Haud and Ogaden areas which remained under the Ethiopians.
A military coup d’etat in 1969 replaced the democratically elected government and brought Marxist socialism under President Siad Barre.
But Soviet support switched to Ethiopia, and after a Somali invasion was repulsed by the Ethiopians with Soviet help in 1977, President Siad Barre changed to a course of ethnic nepotism and what amounted to genocide towards the main northern clan group, known as the Isaq. They in turn formed the Somali National Movement (SNM) in 1982 to overthrow the Mogadishu regime.
In May 1988 the two forces joined battle. The SNM held the rural areas and the Siad Barre forces held the depopulated cities, surrounding themselves with minefields, which are still in place today.
With the overthrow of President Siad Barre in January by the forces of the United Somali I Congress (USC) in Mogadishu, and the surrender of his army to the SNM in the north, the war – though not the internecine struggles of the Hawiye clan now ruling in the south – came to an end.
In the notch, a groundswell of opinion began pressing SNM leaders to seize the moment and declare Independence.
Little development aid has ever reached the north from the capital. Net foreign aid donations since 1987 to Somalia amounted to Dollars l.48 billion (Britain contributing $1.9 million). Out of this, the northern regions received 6.4 per cent, though their 3 million people are estimated to be 30-40 per cent of the country’s total.
The minimal economic interdependence of the two parts of the country is matched by a cultural divide, despite Somalia’s status – rare in Africa – as a homogeneous state.
While some northerners have become wealthy in Mogadishu, the dominant “Italian Somalis” of the south are distinct in their practices from the northern “British Somalis”. The only university (in Mogadishu) makes Italian a prerequisite.
The leaders of the new regime in Mogadishu have neither visited the north nor initiated constitutional proposals, such as regional autonomy.
But the priority in the north now is to revive the economy, left without electricity, piped water, postal services and telephones. Street trade has come to life in the shade of roofless, battle-scarred shops. Local engineers and architects are working on electricity, water and building plans.
Exports to the Saudi peninsula, however, are the life-blood of the northern economy camels, sheep and goats. Foreign livestock sales used to bring in 70 90 per cent of Somalia’s export earnings, predominantly from the north. They totalled $182 million in 1981. In the past two months, since the Berbera port reopened, exports have risen from nought to more than 1,000 head a day.
But lack of veterinary drugs and the absence of telecommunications are frustrating expansion; and trade. including the food imports, depends on fuel. A gift from Sharjah has filled up the Berbera fuel tanks but Arab Nur, the unpaid petroleum manager, says this is likely to run out by September.
The new central government has to rely on donations from overseas Somalis and on customs duties. The unpaid customs officer at Berbera, Ahmed Isman, showed me the first entries of duties paid – $42,000. It was a start for a resident people who desperately need outside help but cannot quite see their way to asking for it.
John Drysdale has just completed a three-week independent study of reconstruction needs in Somaliland.
Contrary to the rumored Gar-Adag Accord, aka Burao Accord, Silanyo has decided to run for a second term. The DAM-JADEED Wing of KULMIYE has been in full gear for some time by using WADAAD Trojan horses to derail BIHI’s presidential ambition and, therefore, secure a second term Presidential candidacy for Silanyo.
This shrewd strategy was, and still is, designed to keep the presidency in the hands of Silanyo’s DAMJADEED surrogates. Given his age and ill health, a second term gives Silanyo the constitutional prerogative to resign due to ill health within three years. Article 89, section 1, of our constitution sets forth if any of the conditions for presidency vacancy as stipulated in Article 86 — criminal conviction, death, ill health or resignation — gets parliament consent, then “… the Vice President shall act as a temporary President, and the election of the President shall be held within six months.”
In this Scenario, Sayli’i becomes a caretaker President for six months. Barring any last minute manoeuvre by the BIHI/KAHIN Wing to stop the DAMJADEED plans, a soon-to-be nominated Silanyo’s crony in the forthcoming Erigavo conference will run against the pre-planned weaker candidates of WADDANI and UCID.
The delay tactic of Silanyo is meant to get under BIHI’s skin and, therefore, force the BIHI/KAHIN alliance to forfeit their chance for the ticket by BIHI falling for the proverbial tactic “MUUSE WAA KAA!” The question is: Does the BIHI/KAHIN Wing have what it takes to come up with a DAN-GADIID strategy and beat Silanyo at his own game?
Although all children develop in their own unique fashion, as a direct result of both hereditary and environmental influences, there is a certain pattern of development that applies to nearly all children. It is crucial for today’s teachers and educators to have a thorough understanding of that development. Schools today play an important role in the socialization of children and therefore it is critical that teachers know how to best socialize their students. An understanding of basic human developmental stages can be used to gear the teacher’s lesson plans in order to maximize the success of students in Somaliland both the academic and the social realms of their lives. This understanding can also be used to minimize problems in the classroom In Somaliland where most of the teachers aren’t well-trained and teachers are badly scolding the students and students are abusing their teachers.
Human development is one of the biggest contributing factors to human behavior. As children go through their different stages of life, they approach learning in different ways. When Teacher or an educator has an intricate understanding of human development, he or she can use that understanding to make assessments about the behaviors of children in the classroom. This can be used to prevent problems in the classroom that often result from normal developmental acting out behavior. Such problems may also occur as a result of having a small number of children within the larger classroom who are at a different developmental stage of their lives from the stage of the other students.
Most of Somaliland Teachers do not understand the role of development in the behavior of the classroom and often find that they are frustrated in their working lives. This is because they simply cannot relate to why their approach to teaching the children is not working. As usual happens in Somaliland schools Teacher who fail to gear their lessons and teaching approach to the correct developmental stage will find that they are not reaching the children in their classrooms. This can upset the power balance between student and teacher and creating a chaotic classroom environment.
Additionally, most of the teachers in Somaliland always fail to understand the developmental stages of their students frequently have problems with one or two specific students. These are generally the students who are developing at a slower (or occasionally faster) pace than the larger group, and so they stand out to the teacher. For my experience of teaching without an understanding of why that particular student’s behavior may differ from the behavior of the other students, most teachers in Somaliland may feel that the student is merely a problem student and start to beat him/her. This also leads to a chaotic classroom environment, which is problematic not only for the teacher but also for the individual’s students who may fail to accomplish appropriate development as a result.
It is critical that the adults who are in a child’s life, especially during critical developmental stages, are able to successfully lead these children through completion of each stage and on in to the next developmental stages of their lives. For example, the stage when children go through middle school is a time when they can be heavily influenced by external factors. With the pull of peer pressure in place, teachers may find it difficult to reach their students at this stage of life. However, there are numerous things that middle school teacher/educators can do to positively influence the students in their classrooms, creating a more positive classroom environment and contributing to the development of each individual student.
All in all the importance of Teachers and educators understands of their students’ developmental stages is clear. Teacher/ Educators play a critical role in the socialization of their students. Middle school is a particularly time of great confusion and a time when students are undergoing dramatic changes that will shape who they are for the rest of their lives. By teaching them appropriate socialization and helping them to develop a strong sense of personal identity, teachers in Somaliland can lead the children and overall Somaliland students in to becoming healthy well-developed adults.
Somaliland Minister of Mining and Energy Hon Hussein Abdi Dualeh today received representatives of Ras al Khaimah Gas Company LLC (RAKGAS) lead by Mr. Osama Abdulla Aal and his associate who are currently visiting the country.
Hon Dualeh speaking during today’s press conference said, “The visiting “RAKGAS” officials are in the country in regarding the execution of the production sharing Agreement (PSA) with government of Somaliland, for the exploration of Block SL9 and SL12 respectively and to facilitate the start the of the Explorations & oil extraction operations by the UAE owned company in the country which is due to commence in March 2014.
Mr. Dualeh added that, “We are pleased to continue our partnership with Ras al Khaimah Gas Company LLC (RAKGAS) as we look to develop the oil and gas industry in Somaliland and we are looking forward for future cooperation.”
“This is the fourth oil company to announce it will start oil extraction operation in the country this year,” He stated
Mr. Osama Abdulla Aal leading the visting RAKGas delegation said “, He was pleased to be working with the people and government of Somaliland especially the minister of energy for his hospitality and he hoped the deal will be fruitful to all.
Last year Somaliland Minister of Mining and Energy Hon Hussein Abdi Dualeh announced the execution of an amendment to the production sharing Agreement (PSA) with Ophir Energy plc (Ophir) and Ras al Khaimah Gas Company LLC (RAKGAS), for the exploration of Block SL9 and SL12 respectively.
The Amendment includes the awarding of additional acreage to Ophir and RAKGAS in lieu of signature bonus, the payments of surface rent, a participating interest and an improved work program.
About RAK Gas LLC
Established in 1984 RAK Gas LLC is the state natural gas utility of the Emirate of Ras al Khaimah in the UAE.
Ophir Energy plc was founded in 2004 in the UK and is the incorporated holding company of a group of companies with oil and gas exploration assets in a number of African states.
For the first time since U.S. troops were pulled out of Somalia following the “Black Hawk Down” incident in 1993, the U.S. military has quietly sent “a small number of trainers and advisers..to the war-ravaged country,” The Washington Post reports.
According to the newspaper, a group of U.S. military personnel has been in the Somali capital of Mogadishu since October, with orders to “advise and coordinate operations with African troops fighting to wrest control of the country from the al-Shabab militia.”
Army Col. Thomas Davis, a spokesman for the Africa Command, confirmed the deployment on Friday, saying the military cell “is now fully operational.”
A U.S. presence has not been absent from the country by any means, as the “CIA has quietly operated a base in Somalia for years and finances Somali security forces, but largely keeps its activities there under wraps,” the Washington Post notes. And the U.S. has conducted numerous drone strikes in the country in the last decade.
However, the move to place active military personnel there marks a new shift in the U.S.’s approach in the region, The Washington Post reports:
The previously undisclosed deployment — of fewer than two dozen troops — reverses two decades of U.S. policy that effectively prohibited military “boots on the ground” in Somalia. Even as Somali pirates and terrorists emerged as the top security threat in the region, successive presidential administrations and the Pentagon shied away from sending troops there for fear of a repeat of the Black Hawk Down debacle.
In recent years, the Obama administration has slowly and cautiously become more directly involved in Somalia.[…]
U.S. intentions to become more involved militarily became apparent last summer, when Gen. David Rodriguez, the commander of U.S. forces in Africa, visited Mogadishu.
Source: Common Dreams
Mr. Abdiweli Ali Gaas was the only presidential candidate that went to the Sanaag Region of Somaliland, when he was campaigning for election. He visited the city of Badhan in December 2013; he openly announced the district of Badhan as part of Puntland state of Somalia. He was clearly campaigning in Sanaag Region of Somaliland without fear or hesitation. Other candidates did not go to any dispute cites, neither Sool nor Sanaag. The only candidate that tried to create provocation was Mr. Abdiweli. When he was in Badhan, he made a speech and he vowed that if he wins the election he would strive to establish his administration in Sanaag region particularly in Badhan city.
No one understands the reason behind Mr. Gas going to that district of Badhan. The election would not be one man one vote and everybody knows the handpicked members would vote for them. It really looks a litmus test. He tried to see how the Somaliland government would react. He will bring a military battalion in Sanaag region as soon as he transferred the power off to Puntland. Is this what the Somaliland government planned for?Did they welcome this again?
The Somaliland people are peaceful people and would not like to hear cynical words, whether it comes from the elected leaders of Puntland or other federal leaders in Somalia
The president of Somaliland also welcomes and congratulations the elected leader of Puntland. Not only does the president welcome him, but his ministries also welcome him as well. Particularly the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of State, the question are they really oblivious to what this man has done to the autonomy of Somaliland or do they not care about the sovereignty of the country.
This elected man (Mr. Gas) does not respect the nation of Somaliland and does not believed the existence of the country, therefore, he did not deserve what he has got form the leaders of the Somaliland. They must have condemned the violation that he committed when he was campaigning.
This is not the first time that Mr. Gas has violated the existence of the Somaliland, but he also did when he was the Prime Minister of Somalia. He had denounced Somaliland’s existence. He has claimed that Somaliland is a part of Somalia. He knows the Somaliland people had withdrew the union after they voted in 2001.
I don’t understand the reason behind the congratulations. He is not worthy of welcome and passing on good wishes to. Shame on you those who welcome him. He is supposed to refrain and stay away from the east regions of Somaliland as they did to his opponents like Abdurrahman Sheikh Faroole.
It is the first time more than two decades, one of the world’s leading newspaper, the Economist, based on her country’s foreign policy perhaps, a country many Somalilanders consider unfailing friend— and sometimes Somali false unionist call Somaliland’s “avuncular”wrotedeadpan commentary starting with eulogy as Somaliland had already died and ending with where we are today—directionless and miscalculated—the news article, how timely maybe, is bad as it could because at the least it divine the doomed fate of Somaliland unless we carry out overall reforms in foreign policy and take pragmatic steps not just we wait as the Economist advisably concludes. Despite the Economist absolutely error-free but if you just carefully read the title it is solecism because it has two negative words, and as rule, if I am not mistaken, if two negative goes together they turn positive. But the Economist intentionally did so for emphasis perhaps but the reason is enigma to me at the least. However; the Economist depicted the total foreign policy fiasco and how the damage is irreversible. I will recapitulate putting in my own terms, not theirs or yours, to spoonfeed the delusional mass readers who think we are on the right track.
Let us quote the Economist by verbatim, Bihi said ‘it (the recognition) will happen soon” the Economist added “his optimism is overblown” in other words his expectations are overinflated beyond the reality of the global cruel diplomacy. And the crew writers of the Economists lists many national, regional, and international factors including Somalia’s reluctance to accept reality on the ground negatively affect our chance of gain recognition —you read the original article to see all if you like.
The commentary repeatedly uses the word claim whenever Bihi, Somaliland foreign minister says something, “it will happen soon” or “how best disengage from each other” He claims. This word, among others with negative connotations, is deliberately used by the authors to tell readers that Somaliland foreign minister argues something without substantiation and of just in his own imagination! Enough insult.
Unlike our tabloids and blogs, foreign newspapers like the Economists and New York Times directly or indirectly guided by their countries’ foreign policies. So this one-sided story clearly without any iota of doubt summarizes the sudden shift of the UK government’s position in regard to Somaliland independence from ally to hostile. Last month or so, her Majesty on behalf of the UK government, the Queen warmly received and dined with Somalia ambassador recently nominated by Damal jadeed of Isah-installed president of Somalia,heavy blow to Somaliland foreign policy and gesture that the UK backed off our cause altogether!
However, the UK is free to recognize whomever he wishes and to pursue UK national interests anywhere in the world regardless of sensibility of foreigners. But this news article is the rude awakening to many of us who think Britain would be with us forever rather than with Mogadishu.
I don’t mean Bihi or other individual has to be blamed on this but I am asking what happened for the last two years? It was, in fact, diplomatic mess. Does the president “as fit as fiddle” as his cohorts always claim, read the Economist newspaper not for refuting and denial as usual but trying to adjust his policies accordingly? This reminds me of another big overriding issue written by the Indian Ocean Newsletter about the president’s health status: minor stroke hit the president; Ukuse took him to the Hargiesa Municipality and filmed walking. But the authenticity was in question.
If you read it deeply you see their portrayal of the solitary confinement we endure without any hint of redeemer but the conclusion of the Economist “Hargiesa will wait”! Is bitter and inconclusive .How long shall we wait: another decade or another quarter century?
But the excuses that Somaliland nationhood would be catalyst for balkanization of Africa or the Horn are funny and lame: South Sudan case makes Somaliland recognition more unlikely is ridiculous. It is your fault. The western prematurely granted South Sudan without educating people of the modern state is.This cliché, however, is repeatedly used against us to discredit our just cause. But it was much better to tell us that we failed to market our country for what Somaliland means for the major countries of the world in the terms of geopolitics, economy, and global security before Somalia’s foreign ministry revives. We can understand that.
The US recognized Mogadishu’s Damal jadeed led government, radical team cell more dangerous than Morsi of Egypt for reasons they know because Sheikh Hassan and his Islamists are more or less gave up abstract ideas of restoring caliphates and willed to work with Washington much like Arabia by keeping religion in Mosques and co-fulfilling US project in the Horn. Somewhat more civilized than ours who see the world through lens of? But things may improve.
The Economist News article especially the disappointing title has given us the break of fool’s paradise that we have been living in for two decades and alerted us to change the course “ politics of is the art of possibilities” once Dr Ismail Bubaa said. But fools in power might think the article is the work of the opposition parties of Jamal or Erro , especially Engineer Faysal Ali Warabe whom they deprived of the right of participating in the national overriding issues such as Turkey Talks.
There is only one positive element in the analysis that we do not need permission from Mogadishu to be recognized. Western governments says “… the first move should come out of Africa”, a continent unfamiliar with such bold moves. This demand is like catch-22, to have recognition is to go t the continental body, and to go to the AU is to have recognition!“The chance happening looking slim” however, the Economist whether in favor or against us, has unreservedly told us that Somaliland’s foreign policy is malfunctioning by talking to the chief policymaker of Somaliland Mr. Bihi Yonis. He didn’t elaborate what ways he would walk on to tackle the problem but just mere assertion “it will happen soon” but how? what is the pathway to it? He failed to mention clearly defined pathway to the recognition, a needle in haystack as well as mania of 3.5 million people.
Unfortunately, I’ve no recommendation or panacea in order to exit the state of limbo. But in my humble opinion, the matter needs the unity of all walks of life, not just Kulmiye or others but the unity itself eroded by bipartisan and tribal dirty politics where Faysal of UCID party called to enter negotiations with Somalia because the government does represent Garadag and small Gabilay businesses’ interests not his constituency or the nation as whole! Ministers in the government insist on that they went to Turkey to see Othman empire and ask additional Madrasas, not hospitals, to crowd out Saudi ones and meet business leaders to have joint ventures back in Somaliland with the ministers.No recognition talks at the all. And that is why the national opposition was left behind not to know what is deals are about.
Unity, however, is must to overcome the real challenges listed by the Economists. Let us be realistic and find out solutions to the problem without entertaining dead policy of the placement stones and false inauguration of false projects to rob the last penny our citizenry could donate to genuine charity. This will finally harm our unity. If Somaliland’s existence is quite uncertain by using Economist’s word “ slim” which means something can happen once out of trillions times! Check the meanings of probable, possible, slim, unlikely and etc to compare. However, Somaliland is at the stake now, so does Kulmiye convention matter? Does Wadani’s rhetoric matter? Does fundraising lavish feast for a country that does not exist internationally matter? Or simply we are more loyal to clannish bogus campaigns rather real issues that affect our lives?According to the Economist, we held elections amazingly and blown Western minds away! But that did not make us win recognition nor brought us any good.
The entire country’s is in mayhem, not just the foreign policy alone, and that is exactly the message of Economist newspaper conveyed to Bihi and us as well. Not too bad, and not too late, there is plenty of space and time to reshuffle, readjust to set the record straight. To acknowledge that one is failing is to acknowledge he or she is failing. That is the initial step towards tackling the problem. And we are far from it : Hirsi accompanies by Silanyo co-open Madrasa Yemeni or Kabul or Paki poetry center, theyco-throw stone for turban factory establishment in Eastern Buroa to manufacture militant uniform for heaven! What has that to do with our country’s diplomacy?Sad drama is played out and unfolded in the wrong place.
If the genuine democracy of peaceful transfer of power and security cooperation with free world during Kahin’s reign didn’t work and brought no recognition, nothing will unless Somaliland diplomacy is restored to original context. Because the current government leader encounters nightmares— Akh iyo Uf was his worst haunted ghost —and often forgets by borrowing ex-minister Saed Sulub’ s euphemism for dementiaand thus unaware of anything and nothing under his control.
Hirsi, though unelected and ex-chief cashier and fundraiser for Garadag dirty clannish hatred convention that triggered the re-emergence of tribalism and disintegration of Somaliland, usurped the authority of the bedridden, aged president Silanyo who was his uncle, Hirsi followed him from the gathering from day one. Needless to prove it, just turn on the government TV or others, you hear Hirsi delivered speech in parliament covering all issues from health to foreign affairs or he goes to r*stroom. What nepotism! Utter mayhem.
I wish Kulmiye to be sincere in Somaliland’s well-being and keen to avoid existential threats to their poor masses those were in state of limbo and uncertainty for over a quarter century now without single complaining, will take the necessary steps to address the listed challenges of the Economist newspaper.
If Silanyo regime listens to President Riyale Kahin’ well-meaning farewell of “I left country united and functioning… do not let this country to destroy by your hands…” all these could be avoided.
In nutshell, picturing how all options are shut, the Economist newspaper concluded that we to have to wait but never mentioned what exactly we are waiting for: union or split from the rest of Somalia creating another uncertainty. Uncertainty severely pains us all. Like dwindling Evangelists who expect Jesus will return to Palestine in their lifetime and kill or convert all Jews, waiting and waiting again and again will only demoralize the few honest people who cling to the Somaliland will one day join the family of nations, who knows maybe that is not distant. Somaliland will never go to the dustbin of history as doomsayers always tell us to break our heart, never; it won’t, because God forbid that.
Abdi Yussuf Abobaker has died on 2nd of January 2013 in London. Abdi born 1944 in Yemen. His biography written by his English friend, Mr Gerry Harrison is detailed below. The same will be published in English newspaper, the guardian. Below is what is written by Mr. Gerry Harrison.
Quote.
The actor ‘Abi’, or Abdi Gouhad, a good friend of many, died recently at the age of 65 swiftly but also peacefully in the Marie Curie Hospice in Belsize Park. He was a very private, almost secretive, man, with a life that he tended to reserve in separate compartments, but over the years he allowed more and more of it to be known.
He was the best-known if not the only Somali actor in Britain, whose achievements were an inspiration to his own people. In later years committed himself to improving the circumstances of Somali immigrants in London. In this context he liked to remember the words of W.H. Auden, who is lamenting the plight of Jews, in ‘Refugee Blues’: “Stood on a great plain in the falling snow/Ten thousand soldiers marched to and fro/Looking for you and me, my dear, looking for you and me.”
I first met Abi on a football field on Hampstead Heath, in one of many seasons of Sunday morning ‘kickabouts’ among players of all ages known as Dartmouth Park United. Abi was a skilful mid-field player, with nimble footwork and brilliantly accurate passing.
Born in Yemen, the son of a Sheikh from the noble tribe of Isaaq in Somaliland, as it then was, Abi spent his childhood in the Crown colony of Aden. When a small boy, his father’s home was adjacent to an open air cinema, and every summer night as the family slept on the roof of their house, he heard the sound-track of the movies being screened next door. He has since described this treat as “a bed-time story every night”. At school he took part in plays as diverse as the ‘Caucasian Chalk Circle’ and ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’.
After college, Abi joined the Somali army and as a young officer cadet was selected by the government to train at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst. After he had graduated in 1961, he returned to Somalia where there had been a change in the structure of of government when the British and Italian parts of Somaliland become independent, in order to merge together into the United Republic of Somalia. Seeing the effects of autocratic rule by President Aden Abdullah Osman Daar, he participated in an unsuccessful coup against this government, and was arrested. He was quickly sentenced to death, but was himself spared because of his youth. The experience had a profound influence on him throughout the rest of his life, but he rarely mentioned it.
With an interest in the theatre since childhood, Abi returned to England in order to make a career as an actor. He has described the huge ship, towering above the dockside, onto which he ventured. He was the first black actor to train at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, after which he worked regularly in theatre companies that included the improvisational company ‘Common Stock’ where he was a founder member, the influential ‘Shared Experience’ which believed in actors as story tellers, and was a core member of ‘Theatre Melange’, which cast actors from different ethnic groups, from its formation in 1996. He remained an associate artist and advisor of this company for many years.
Although his colour never deterred Abi in his choice of roles, those for East Africans were scarce, so he also played West Indians, a ‘hired hand’ in Tennessee Williams’ play ‘Baby Doll’ at the Royal National Theatre (2000) and ‘King Idris’ in ‘Gaddafi, A Living Myth’ at the English National Opera (2006). His knowledge of Arabic and north African culture was of great benefit during its rehearsal, but in a mess of a production he was one of the very few to receive a decent review.
In 1971 he married a Somali woman, Saharah or Sarah, in London, and they had a son. Unfortunately the marriage did not last. The precariousness of a career in the theatre contributed to this, and inevitably affected an actor of Abi’s ability. For a period he ran a fitness programme in a gym in Muswell Hill, which he termed ‘Dismal Hill’, in North London, but never failed to turn up for the Sunday morning footer. He was also a regular swimmer and a cyclist.
SALISBURY FOR ‘A TASTE OF HONEY’ (1973) AND ‘THE MASSACRE’ (1979) AT BURY ST. EDMUNDS. PLAY AT YOUNG VIC.
He was soon working in television and film; indeed one of his first performances after drama school was in ‘Rollerball’, directed by Norman Jewison. Other films included for ‘I’ll Sleep when I’m Dead’ for director Mike Hodges (2003) and Stephen Frears’ ‘Dirty Pretty Things’ (2003). In television he appeared in such predictable series and serials as ‘The Bill’ (1984), ‘Casualty’ (1989) and ‘Waking the Dead’ (2007), but he also worked abroad, in Austria where he had to speak in German for ‘Welcome Home’ (2004), in Denmark for ‘Borgen’ (2011), and in South Africa in the series ‘Strike Back’ (2012). The episode of ‘Casualty’, which in those days was less of a soap opera, dealt with the practice of female genital mutilation; Abi’s knowledge of this was of invaluable help to myself, as the director, and the rest of the cast.
In his work, Abi was always looking something new and even dangerous, and was keen to encourage young talent. One example is the short film, ‘Forgive’ (2008), a stylish two-hander from newcomer Majinder Virk, in which he gives a powerful performance. In later years he returned to the theatre, and was at the Royal Court Theatre in ‘The Pain and the Itch’ in 2007. More recently he undertook a creative writing course, and this same theatre now has his play ‘Hiatt’ – a woman’s name in Arabic – under consideration. Confident that he would beat the cancer, he was passionate about this play and looked forward to its staging. He even wrote a part in it for himself. In his last weeks he was reading scripts, accepting and declining offers, and confident that he would survive.
During his acting career, Abi used the stage name Gouhad and reverted his first name to its original Abdi and he is survived by his wife Sarah, his son Adan and a daughter, Muna, in the United States. Adan is from Somali mother and Muna is from Indian mother.
Interview with Minister of Education Zamzam Abdi and President of the United World College Selection Committee for Somaliland, Jonathan Starr
Jonathan, tell us a bit about the United World Colleges.
The United World Colleges (UWCs) are a collection of 14 related 2-year colleges around the world that offer the well-respected International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma. UWC is connected to the Davis Foundation, which provides scholarship funds for UWC graduates to attend great universities, including the most famous universities in America. While the UWC graduate still must apply and be accepted to these universities, their chances of gaining admissions are greater due to the respect given to UWC graduates, and to universities being more willing to accept students who are coming with this Davis Foundation funding. Far more information is available at the website – www.uwc.org
Madam Minister, please tell us how Somaliland students will benefit from this opportunity.
I am extremely pleased that Somaliland students will have 4 full scholarships this year to gain their International Baccalaureate at world-renowned 2-year colleges. If our students excel then they can easily leverage this to 4 more years of university study in the US. This is a wonderful opportunity for Somaliland secondary school students.
Madam Minister, how did this opportunity come about and what is the role of the Ministry of Education?
Jonathan developed the initial connection to UWC over the past year. When it reached the point of being official, he brought it to me and I immediately put the Ministry of Education’s support behind this great initiative. In the time since we’ve developed an independent selection committee comprised of some of the most well respected people in the country.
Jonathan, which students will be eligible to apply?
Following the guidelines of the United World Colleges, this opportunity is limited to Somaliland secondary school students who were born between 10 January 1996 and 10 January 1998. Students proving they meet these criteria are eligible to apply.
Madam Minister, what can you tell us about the committee that selects the students?
The committee consists of 8 members, 1 from each of the 6 regions plus 2 non-Somalis. This will help us spread word in all the regions while also keeping fairness. With excellent individuals such as the ones listed here, this committee has been designed to assure integrity and success.
Abdi Hassan Gaas – Maroodi Jeex
Abdisalan Yasin Mohamed – Toghdeer
Ahmed Hassan Ali – Sool (Treasurer)
Layla Omer Kahin – Awdal
Jonathan Starr – Independent (President)
Saad Haji Ali Shire – Saxiil
Sadia Musa Ahmed – Sanaag (Vice President)
Thomas Kraemer – Independent (Secretary)
Jonathan, as you are from Abaarso School, are you worried people will say that Abaarso students have been favored?
Since I have worked in Somaliland for 5-years without receiving any financial compensation, I hope people are starting to understand that I’m just looking for what is best for the children. People will always assume bad things, but we have setup this committee to make sure that there are no biases at all. In fact, even though I am the one who brought this opportunity to Somaliland, I am not going to have any vote in the selection process. In addition, the Somaliland people should assume that the excellent people who are on the committee would not allow any favoritism. I expect Abaarso students to be competitive because Abaarso students are strong, but Abaarso students will have no unfair advantages or disadvantages vs. other students. We will run a fair process which could yield 0 Abaarso students or all 4.
How do students apply for this opportunity and is there any cost?
To apply students need to first go to http://www.uwc.org/how_to_apply/find_your_national_committee/somalia/somaliland.aspx where they can download the application and fill it out electronically. This is just our way of getting your information so we can contact you about the next steps. At the end of January an examination will be held for all students who properly filled out the form. To take part in this examination there will be a $20 fee. Following the examination the top 15 scorers will be brought in for essays that will be judged by the committee so as to reach 8 finalists. The 8 finalists will then be interviewed by the selection committee.
Yes, they should download the application, fill it out properly, and email it to somalilanduwc@gmail.com. We must receive all applications by 25 January, so students will have approximately 2 weeks to get this done. After 25 January it will be too late to submit.
Madam Minister, do you have any last words?
I want all our top Somaliland students to know that this is a great opportunity for them to get a top international education. Becoming Somaliland’s first ambassadors to the United World Colleges is both a great honor and a great responsibility. I look forward to meeting those students who get selected to represent our country.
