Toronto, 22 June 2009 — Mustafa is in Grade 7 at Nelson Mandela Park Public School in Regent Park. This poem, “A Single Rose,” earned him a standing ovation at the Hot Docs film festival.
Mustafa is a Somali kid from Toronto.
Video Randy Risling, Tara Walton. (June 5, 2009)
Hargeisa, 22 June 2009 – Emily will be writing about her experience in Somaliland and will be offering tips to anyone who may want to visit the unrecognized republic along the way – discover Somaliland from a Non-Somali perspective. This is the Third article – It is a great privilege to be here in Hargeisa.
To Read her second part, Click Here
To Read her First Part, Click Here
Dear readers,
Here are some pictures as promised. I’ve decided to set up this article as a photo narration to give you an idea of what you are looking at.
First, I thought you might enjoy seeing for yourselves what the plane looked like which brought me safely from Addis to Hargeisa, as I described in the last article.
Next, I couldn’t resist including an image of the famous traffic lights which the Somaliland government and others proudly advertise. I had been eagerly looking for them since I arrived, and finally counted a total of 3 traffic lights in Hargeisa, none of which function or ever seemed to have for that matter.
Yesterday I drank fresh camel milk from the market, and despite numerous warnings I am proud to say it did not make me sick and was rather tasty. It had a sort of smoky flavor and when you buy it at the market it is poured into a plastic bag so you can take it to go, or you can drink it on site in a ceramic cup.
Camels such as those in the picture below can be spotted throughout the city’s periphery, whereas in the city itself you find more goats than camels. I have had many conversations about goats and camels since I’ve been here, and learned about the great respect Somalis have for their camels. The never ride the camels because the animals are very well respected , and instead keep them as their companions and investments which can be used to pay dowry, to buy and sell for cash, and also for milk. Goats have a similar purpose, and you can find them wandering the streets by day, and in the evening they return faithfully to their owners.
One gentleman I met here told me that he accidentally hit a goat once while driving, and has been paying the owner of the goat for three years. When I asked why he couldn’t simply replace the goat with another, he said “if your brother is killed and you are given a new man in his place, can this man replace your brother?” It is the same with goats, for that goat was his goat, and it was different than any other goat.
A few nights ago I went out with some friends to a new, local restaurant called “Obama Restaurant and Café.” I ate with the owner, a funny and interesting man who was very hospitable. He told me that there was a big party when the restaurant opened on inauguration day, and it was reported in many local newspapers. I couldn’t resist including this picture of Hargeisa’s tribute to Obama.
To give you an idea of the landscape and architecture here, I’ve included this picture of a part of the city which in English means “camel camp”. Each part of the city has its own police station and mosque. As you can see, Hargeisa is surrounded by shallow mountains and many houses are made of different colored stones and bricks. To protect the houses from intruders, whereas in the U.S. you can find barbed wires and fencing, in Hargeisa many homes place shards of colored glass atop of their walls, fences or gates. I’ve included a picture of one of these. It is a lot more attractive to look at than barbed wire, and serves the same purpose.
Finally, a photo entry would not be complete without at least one picture of the active marketplace. Here you can find a young man pushing a wheelbarrow which contains a special tree whose branches are used as a toothbrush. The leafy part is discarded and you can find lots of people chewing on the branches to clean their teeth or to pass the time.
I will soon be visiting other parts of Somaliland and I hope to have more pictures and stories to share upon my return.
Warm wishes and thanks for reading,
Emily
Source: Somalilandpress
Hargeisa, 22 June 2009 – The spokesman of Al shabaab, Sh. Hassan Yaqoub threatened threatened to carry out suicide attacks on Nairobi should they send military intervention in Somalia. Speaking to the media in the coastal town of Kismayo, Mr. Yaqoub said Kenya will pay the price if they respond to the government’s quest for military intervention.
The spokesman accused the aid agencies for spying for the Americans and their allies in the region. He said the agencies have been fueling the civil war for the past 18 years.
Kenya witnessed one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in 1998 when the American embassies in Nairobi and neighbouring Dar es Salaam were bombed by a suicide attack, 224 people were killed, mostly Africans. In 2002 an Israeli-owned hotel and a plane belonging to an Israeli airline was attacked in Mombasa – many were killed.
The Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health chair by Congressman Donald M. Payne has invited Somaliland’s Foreign Minister his excellency Abdillahi Mohamed Dualeh, along with Puntland President Dr. Abdirahman Farole, Dr. Crispus Kiyonga Minster of Defense from Uganda and Somali’s Foreign Minister Mohamed Omar.
These leaders were invited to attend an open briefing and hearing of the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health with regards to Somalia’s prospects for lasting peace and a unified response to extremism and terrorism.
This is the first time that such an inventation has been extended to the east African countries. For more information you can check out the website of the Committee. http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=1093
Source: SomalilandPress
I have read Mr zakaria Farah’s article on hiiraanonline.com and I can’t help responding to it.
Before I proceed any further, I would like to say that Zakaria is entitled to express his opinion on how Somalia should be and whether it, according to his words, should be further geographically divided or not. One thing he needs to bear in mind, though, is that the people of Somaliland are also equally entitled to have their say as to how their future is shaped.
He puts a lot of emphasis on how the union between the British and Italian Somali territories was achieved and who was behind it. It may well be true that people in the British Somaliland Protectorate as well as those in the South wanted to unite and bring the rest of the Somali speaking people under one Somali state. That may have been a noble idea but the truth of the matter is that that dream never came true and the union achieved between the North and the South has failed miserably and resulted in the suffering of the entire Somali people. The people in Somaliland, in particular, have experienced atrocities and genocide committed by the government that was supposed to protect them. This is how the United Nations described the situation in Somaliland then.
In real life, whether it is personal level or state level, we do not normally repeat mistakes that we have made in the past. My question to Zakaria is why should someone in his own mind repeat an act that he knows will result in tragedy? Why should the people of Somaliland go back to a union that they know will fail and why should they allow history to repeat itself? If anything, we should learn from our mistakes and history and move on.
As for the point of whether the union is revocable or not, I would like to remind Zakaria that Somaliland was once an independent country, albeit for a few days, and that there is no legal impediment to its withdrawal from the union with Italian Somalia.
In his article he argues that the fact that we all speak Somali language and we are all Muslims should be ingredient to unite us. As far as I am concerned that argument is a non-starter. If language and religion were a uniting factor then the entire Arab world should be one country. I am currently based in the Gulf and here you will find that countries that form Gulf Co-operation Council are so close to each other that literally there is no cultural, religious and language difference between, say, Saudi Arabia and the State of Qatar. And yet they are two different countries.
Little does Mr. Farah know that the entire South America continent, apart from Brazil, the Guyanas and Belize, speaks Spanish language and that they are all Christians and yet there are so many countries in that continent each pursuing their own way of developing their country.
This tells you that countries are formed not by languages and religion but destiny and the desire of their people.
In the middle of his article Mr farah trespasses into an unchartered territory and shoots himself in the foot when he suggests that political mistrust and maladies in Somalia predates and postdates Siad Bare. Here the author is making a serious mistake. Throughout our history there have been clashes between clans and sub-clans but never had there been wars of the scale and magnitude of that Siad Bare waged against his own people.
Furthermore, the civilian governments who were in power for the nine years prior to the coup that brought Siad Barre to power never singled out a Somali clan and massacred them as Siad Barre did. So, to say that problems that are facing Somali people today predate Siad Barre, is either a blatant falsification of history or absolute lack of knowledge of Somali history and culture. One also needs to understand that what is happening today in Somalia is the legacy that he [Siad barre] and his regime left behind.
Lastly, Zakaria also talks down the democracy in Somaliland. It is true that the democracy in Somaliland is not yet fully fledged as in the western world but the truth is there peace and there have elections that have described as relatively free and fair by international observers. He mentions that there is no freedom of speech for individuals as well as groups of all different political aspirations. Strictly speaking that is not true either as we all know that there is free press and independent television stations in the country. We also know that there are groups as well as individuals who pose a serious threat on the security of Somaliland and the safety of it citizens.
A very important role of any state is to safeguard the security and safety of its citizens and If certain groups are regularly trying to destabilize the country, like the suicide bombings last year, then the government has every right to stop them doing so. For those of us who live in the west we know that the same principle applies in the western world too. So why should Somaliland be any different.
To conclude, unless he is one of the Somaliweyn supporters who like hiding their heads in the sand, here are some facts that he may consider next time before you embarks on another unsuccessful advocacy of that failed union:
The average age of between 65 – 75% of the population of Somaliland is under 30 years. This huge group of the population lived for the past 18 years in an independent Somaliland. Prior to the independence they were probably either in refugee camps in Ethiopia or they were internally displaced within their own country. It is also important to note that the only remembrance that they have of Somali Republic is the destruction and the harrowing experience of their towns being bombed and their relatives being mass murdered.
Now, assuming that the war in Somalia stops this year, which I doubt, it will take another 20 years for Somalia to get to where Somaliland is today. By that time Somaliland will have enjoyed 38 years of independence and a lot will be accomplished in terms of democracy and development of the country. Also after 38 years of independence almost the entire population of Somaliland will have no recollection of Somalia. All they will know will be the Mig fighter monument in central Hargeisa and the history that is associated with it.
Without being disrespectful, my advice to people like Zakaria is get your priorities right and put your efforts where it matters most – stopping the suffering of the people of Somalia – and stop being obsessed with Somaliland.
Guul iyo gobannimo!
Ahmed Yussuf
E-mail: yussufa918@yahoo.com
Views expressed in the opinion articles are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the editorial
Mogadishu, 21 June 2009 (Somalilandcurrent) – One of the website owned by Somali’s Islamists extremist revealed the name and the photos of the suicide bomber who killed Somalia’s National Security Minister last week in Beletwein. Al-shabab an extremist Islamic group known to have links with Al-Qaida said they will continue carrying out more suicide attacks until Somalia becomes an Islamic state ruled under Shariah. National Security Minister Omar Hashi Aden was staying in afortified hotel in Beletwein when a suicider attacked the hotel killing the minister and a few dozen people.
In a press release Al-shabab group said the Security Minister was the main target of the attack after they decided to eradicate the most important government figures in the country. Al-shabab said their usage of a suicide bombing was the most effective way to execute government officials.
Durning the press release Al-Shabaab spokesman said Mohamed Derow Sh. Adam (Zubeir) carried out the suicide attack that took place last week. Derow was a member of Al-shabab and have been fighting along their lines since the beginning of the movement. They praised Derow as a young, energetic and loyal member of the group, who was strong enough to carry out the attack.
Al-Shabaab spoken praised that around six Ethiopian military commanders were also killed during the attack along with a numbers of government officers that have been trained in Ethiopia recently.
Somalilandpress.com
Berbera, 21 June 2009 (Somalilandpress) – The president of Somaliland, Dahir Rayaale Kahin arrived Berbera airport today after he has been on an official trip to Kuwait. Traveling with the president was the Minister of Education, the personal secretary and the first lady.
There is no official statement from the government about the trip and the arrival of the government yet.
The president left for Kuwait last week after he received an official invitation from the Kuwait Royal family. During his stay in Kuwait, he met with Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al Jabir Al Sabah to discuss various issues concerning the two countries.
The president is expected to reach Hargeisa, the capital city in the coming 48 hours.
Reported from Berbera:
Mr. Mohamed Musa Inji
Hargeisa, 21 June 2009 – Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health
Donald M. Payne (D-NJ), Chairman
Somalia:
Prospects for Lasting Peace and a Unified Response to Extremism and Terrorism
You are respectfully requested to attend the following open briefing and hearing of the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health to be held in Room 2172 of the Rayburn House Office Building.
Date Thursday, June 25, 2009
Time 2:00 PM
Location Room 2172 of the Rayburn House Office Building
briefers & witnesses WITNESS:
Mr. Ted Dagne
Specialist
African Affairs
Congressional Research Service
BRIEFERS:
His Excellency Abdillahi Mohamed Dualeh
Foreign Minister
Republic of Somaliland
His Excellency Dr. Abdirahman Mohamed Mohamud (Farole)
President
Puntland State of Somalia
His Excellency Dr. Crispus Kiyonga
Minister of Defense
Republic of Uganda
Kampala, Uganda
His Excellency Mohamed Omaar
Foreign Minister
Republic of Somalia
Note Witnesses may be added.
Hargeisa, 21 June 2009 – I heard the Somalia Ambassador Abdikrin Farah in Addis Ababa saying, this past week, Mogadishu has never been quiet in the last ten days compared with the last sixteen years of violence and anarchy.
The Ambassador went on and said that the counter offensive launched few days ago by the Somali government and its Ethiopian backers crushed the remnants of ICU and secured peace which will pave the way for the national reconciliation conference expected this month.
Of course there will be a “national” reconciliation which is going to exclude major actors including ICU and the Hawiye clan which is at present on a precarious ceasefire with Melse’s forces in Mogadishu.
Ambassador Farah victory speech today is premature andthe Somalia situation will not be tackled by stage-managed conferences which excludes those which have amajor role to play for national reconciliation.
The worst is that The TFG is influenced and backed bya regime in Ethiopia which is known for excluding its opponents and preparing self serving conferences which have not solved the Ethiopian political problems for the last sixteen years.
The statement made by Ambassador Farah remind me the day I met him in September 2006 while we protest infront of UN in New York City on the going killing and human right abuses by Melese Zenawi.
After he received a flyer I hand it to him and see the pictures of the jailed opposition leaders displayedhe told me that I will be shocked if I go to Addis andwitnessed a booming economy and infrastructure build up in the last ten years.
I argue with him that the infrastructure build up and the “booming economy” should not be equated with the rule of law and we have seen the booming economy in China with no human rights and the oil driven booming economy in Karthum did not stop the genocide in Darfur.
I heard the good Ambassador declaring a success in Mogadishu today and I was not surprised by his judgment.
Tedla Asfaw
tedla.asfaw@gmail.com
Hargeisa, 21 June 2009 – New Somali book ‘War and Peace: an anthology of Somali literature’ edited by Rashiid Sheekh Cabdillaahi, with English translation by Martin Orwin.
It is a great pleasure for Ponte Invisibile and Progressio to announce the new publication “War and Peace: an anthology of Somali literature”. This unique and rare collection brings together for the first time classic Somali poems and stories which deal with matters that are of great concern to Somali people; conflict and conflict mediation – in other words WAR AND PEACE.
This valuable work has been collected by Ismaaciil Aw Aadan and Axmed Aw Geeddi, both poets of great calibre, who have enormous understanding of Somali classical poets, their poetry and the historical context of their literature which extents over a period of two hundred years. The book has been introduced and edited by Rashiid Sheekh Cabdillaahi “Gadhwayne”, one of the leading Somali scholars on this topic. Rashiid’s intensive knowledge of Somali pastoral nomadic
society and his expertise as a sociologist of social developments will give the reader a good understanding of a culture which otherwise could easily be considered too complex to interpret or to understand.
This work would not have been complete without the translation into English by Dr. Martin Orwin with the help of Mohamed Hassan “alto”. Dr. Orwin is a Senior Lecturer in Somali and Amharic at Faculty of Languages and Cultures, School of Oriental and African Studies in London.
This publication will not only explain the structure of pastoral nomadic communities and what brought them into conflicts but will also address the question at the centre of this book which is about the role that literature played, and perhaps can play, in matters of peace, mediation of conflict and peace-keeping. It is an important recording of culture where dignity was at the heart of peace and war, and literature was a tool for both. The book will also provide Somali and non-Somali readers with a fascinating insight into the history of a creative community which may have otherwise been lost.
The book will be launched at the Mooge Festival and Hargeysa International Book Fair, 22-27 July, Hargeysa, Somaliland, where there will be a discussion about this work under the heading “the poetry and creativity of yesterday” with some of the most prominent Somali poets and scholars and those who where involved with the publication.
The book can now be ordered on-line by following this link:
http://www.redsea-online.com/books.
Order now “War and Peace: an anthology of Somali literature”.
War and Peace: an anthology of Somali literature /Suugaanta Nabadda iyo Colaadda
Edited by Rashiid Sheekh Cabdillaahi (Gadhwayne),
ISBN: 978-1-85287-329-5 / 978-88-88934-09-9,
Progressio / Ponte Invisibile Ed., London, 2009.
Soft cover, 218 pp. 25,00USD, Now available online.
