By Goth Mohamed Goth
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Dr. Saad Ali Shire said, “I would like use this opportunity on behalf of the Somaliland government welcome to all of you the guests and participants you have traveled thousands of miles from home the 9th Hargeysa International Book Fair.
Dr. Saad Ali Shire said, “During the course of this year book fair we shall discuss issue a very important issue that the “Leadership and Creativity” we are defined by the quality of our leadership, as much as we, as a society, develop the leaders in our community.
Dr. Hussein Mohamed Adam , a highly reputed Somali scholar and one of the principal founding members of Somali Studies who is attending the Hargeysa Book fair for the first time since its inception briefed the participants on the Developing International Academic Leadership.
The reputed Somali scholar further added, “Leadership may be grouped into two main categories: state orientated leadership, and civil society focused leadership styles. An aspect of civil society leadership is cultural and academic leadership.
Mr. Mohamed Yassin Colaad speaking during the event introduced the theme of the year, which mainly focused on business leadership. The qualities and characteristics of effective leadership, culture and its impact on leadership, the challenges of Somali culture and traditional ways and how to develop these and align them with effective leadership to achieve success.
Mohamed Ahmed Yassin Colaad speaking during the opening ceremony said, “Our culture doesn’t clearly define a structured form of leadership, and since tradition is largely based in rural areas , and our people solving the problem comes tradition leadership , and most important to be a leader in successful system culture to fully know the skills of speech and speech ” .
The principles of leadership, the image and expectations we have of our leaders and the courage and ability that makes a good leader will be discussed with local and international artists, writers, playwrights, musicians, and scholars. Globally, there are many examples of bad leadership, the consequences of which we have seen recently, particularly in Africa and the Middle East.
Ms. Cat Evans, The deputy UK Ambassador to Ethiopia and head of Somaliland desk was among the invited guest, speaking at the function said, “First and fore most I would to laud the efforts the organizers of the prestigious event, secondly the envoy elaborated on the importance of this year’s Theme “Leadership and Creativity” by saying, “Through Leadership and Creativity, our society can be progressed and developed.
HIBF PROGRAM BRIEF
At this crucial time in ourhistory, as we celebrate our Jubilee (25th) anniversary, we are defined by the quality of our leadership,as much as we, as a society, develop the leaders in our community. The relationship between leadersand the community they serve, is one that transcends time, space and fields of work. Using art, culture,and creativity, can we imagine a more transparent, value-based leaders-community relationship thatcan make our aspirations more concrete, and less emotional?
The principles of leadership, the image and expectations we have of our leaders and the courage andb ability that makes a good leader will be discussed with local and international artists, writers,playwrights, musicians, and scholars. Globally, there are many examples of bad leadership, the consequences of which we have seen recently, particularly in Africa and the Middle East. Can arts andculture offer us an opportunity not only to imagine a different future, but also to articulate new idealsand ideas of good leadership? Alongside artists from Ghana—our guest country this year—we will
explore different forms of leadership, political, social, religious, and entrepreneurial, unravelling past
and present forms of leadership as well as our hopes for future leaders.
In this year’s program, we are pleased to have a diverse set of speakers who will reflect on their own
leadership, and the qualities of good leadership in other inspirational Somalis. We are honoured to have
with us, for the first time Dr. Hussein Mohamed Adam, a highly reputed Somali scholar and one of the
principal founding members of Somali Studies. We will spend time considering the life and works of
Musa I Galaal, another Somali literary champion whose role in the preservation and promotion of
Somali literature and culture is recognised worldwide. Sheikh Adam Siiro will reflect on the leadership
of Sheekh Ibraahin Sheekh Yuusuf Sheekh Madar, one of the most respected elders of Somaliland, a
judicious mediator at times of conflict, the first Speaker of the House of Elders (Golaha Guurtida) –
one of the main pillars on which Somaliland’s democracy and future progress depends. We are
delighted to welcome insight on the concept of leadership from Dr. Edna Adan, a most caring doctor,
social reformer, astute politician, long-time supporter of HIBF, and brilliant advocate for Somaliland’s
cause in the international arena.
Launched Day: Saturday 23rd July 2016
08.30-10.00 Opening session: On Leadership and Creativity
Quman Jibril: Why HIBF and why on Leadership – on behalf of the Organization
Opening address: Dr. Hussein M. Aden – Developing International Academic Leadership.
Leadership may be grouped into two main categories: state orientated leadership, and civil society
focused leadership styles. An aspect of civil society leadership is cultural and academic leadership. Dr.
Hussein M Adam will take as an example the formation of the academic leadership organization, the
Somali Studies International Association (SSIA), founded in 1978.
Mr. Maxamed Yaasiin Colaad will introduce the theme of the year and will focus on business
leadership. The qualities and characteristics of effective leadership, culture and its impact on
leadership, the challenges of Somali culture and traditional ways and how to develop these and align
them with effective leadership to achieve success.
Somaliland Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Dr. Saad Ali Shire will
deliver the welcome address and officially open the Book Fair on behalf of the Somaliland
Government after greeting honorary guests.
10.00-11.00. Panel discussion – Leadership, Youth, Creativity and Transformation
Said Salah Ahmed, teacher, author and playwright will his presenting reflections on “Leadership in
Somali traditional culture. Fathima Mohamed Ismail (senior medical student) and Abdirashid Jeeni
(youth activist) will discuss the theme of this year’s festival from various angles informed by their own
personal experiences and their academic and professional experiences.
11.00-12.00 Book display, meeting with the media – open conversation.
Coffee served, international and prominent Somaliland guests will meet the media. In a parallel
session, traditional dancers will entertain the public outside of the books venue.
12.00-13.00 Photography, art, design: touring in display.
The HIBF showcases works of different visual artists, including photographers and painters.
Participants include: Patrick, Amira and other artists
Lunch for guests at Guleid Hotel
16.00-16.50 Books Presentation (Somali session)
16.00-16:20 Muna Axmed Cumar with Xaawa Jaamaca Cabdi, presents her second book
“Gaaraabidhaan”, 2016
16:20- 16:35 Sacad Xaddi will present his first book “Kaydka Xikmadda Soomaalida”, 2016.
16.40- 16:55 Axmed C. Ismaaciil (Axmed Jeesto) Tabaha Akhriska
17.00-18.30 Plenary speech by Professor Karikari followed by a panel discussion on Media &
Leadership
Panel: Fin Rasmussen (MSI), Conrad Heine (Somaliland Focus UK and journalist), Hussein Cali Nuur
(Senior Journalist), Maxamuud Cabdi Jaamac (Director of SOLJA).
In collaboration with Media Support International (MSI) and the Somaliland Journalists Association
(SOLJA), the media panel aims to bring together local media and political leaders and international
observers in order to move beyond the impasse and to strengthen media networks as Somaliland
continues to develop its democratic project, and to encourage political leadership to work with the
media to build a truly independent media environment which is fit for purpose and respected in the
eyes of the world.
Professor Kwame Karikari is the former Executive Director of the MFWA. He has for several years
been a professor in journalism and mass communication at the School of Communication Studies at the
University of Ghana. He has also been involved in training journalists in several African countries
over the years. Educated at the City College of New York and Columbia University in New York,
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Professor Karikari previously practised as a journalist, including serving as the Director General of the
public Ghana Broadcasting Corporation in the early 1980s. He has also been an activist pursuing social
justice and human rights causes in Africa, including democratic reforms in Ghana. He serves on the
boards of a number of African and international rights organisations and on the editorial boards of
academic publications.
19.30-20.30 Traditional dancing, music and poetry session
Day2 – Sunday 24th July 2016
8.30 – 10.00 Panel Discussion: Building blocks of a Nation: Political Leadership and Somaliland
Foreign Policy
This year, the 9th Hargeysa International Book Fair will dedicate a session to the building blocks of the
nation, with a session on political leadership and Somaliland foreign policy led by the Foreign Minister
of Somaliland Dr. Saad Ali Shire. Dr. Saad will be focusing on Somaliland’s political transition and its
new foreign policy strategy. Dr. Saad is the former Minister of Planning, his brainchild project,
Somaliland National Planning, shaped the national policy for development. Dr. Saad made key
contributions to Somaliland including the establishment of universities (Hargeysa, Burao and Berbera),
developing the National Development Plan, pursuing, with the international community, the
establishment of the “Somaliland Special Arrangement” and developing regional plans in Somaliland.
As Foreign Minister his achievements include community engagement, diplomacy for Somaliland
recognition committees, economic diplomacy including leading on the DP World negotiations and
overseeing trade and transit agreements with Ethiopia.
This panel will also feature Dr. Iqbal Jhazbhay, South Africa’s current Ambassador to the State of
Eritrea, formerly Professor at the University of South Africa and the previous Director of the Unisa
Centre for Arabic and Islamic Studies. Dr. Jhazbhay’s research interests include Islam in Somaliland
and Somalia, South African Islam, Sufism, Political Islam, South African foreign policy towards North
Africa and the Middle East, international relations and Islam. He has authored the book Somaliland: An
African Struggle for Nationhood and International Recognition, some twenty-two academic articles
and chapters on Islamic thought, Somaliland and South African foreign policy. For the purpose of this
discussion, Dr. Jhazbhay will be focusing on Somaliland and the international context, with a specific
emphasis on the makings of good leaders, ambassadors and political activists to advance the
Somaliland cause more strategically.
Chair: Quman Jibril, currently of the Max Planck Foundation for International Peace and the Rule of
Law. Quman Akli is a Dutch Somali lawyer with research experience in justice, governance, and
human rights.
10.30 – 12.00 Panel discussion: Women and leadership
The magnitude of challenges facing women in Somaliland and the stagnation of women in leadership
positions both in concept and in practice calls for a deeper analysis of our past, our current society and
looking ahead to the future.
Panellists will include: Edna Adan; Zahra; Sucad Carmiye. They will focus on a group of Somaliland
businesswomen who have set up a business association in Hargeysa and will consider the challenges
and opportunities of working in Somaliland. Zahra Jibril will present the life and work of Edna Adan.
In the panel we will be exploring what it means to be a successful woman in Somaliland, drawing on
the panellists’ business leadership and their own experiences. What can male and female leaders do in
our society to encourage the development of women leaders? What are some of the successful
initiatives that we can pursue to support women into leadership positions? This will be followed by a
question and answer session with the audience.
Chair: Muna Ahmed Cumar attended the Somali literature and creative writing training. In February
2016 she attended President Obama’s Young African Leadership Initiatives Program ‘YALI’. Muna
published her first book Baadidoon in July 2014 and is working on her second book.
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16.00-17.00 Children Panel
Muse Isse (Muuse Dalmar), editor of Carruurteenna, a Somali children’s magazine published by
Somali Nordic Culture (a not-for-profit organisation comprising students, writers, storytellers,
librarians, journalists and artists); Matilda Wallin of the Swedish International Library and a member
of Somali Nordic Culture; Amira Hersi, Director of Asdiga Al Azhra Reading Club and Zainab Dahir,
storyteller, entertainer and educator based in the UK who is an activist and promoter of the Somali
language among Somali children raised in the UK. Zainab is founder of Galool, a source of material for
education of Somali language and culture. Farduus Maxamed Axmed (Dheere) will be presenting her
first book, a collection of stories for children “Dhallan Kobciye”.
Chair: Farah Hassan, Founder of Somaliland professionals, interested in Education, Youth and the
environment/deforestation/climate change.
17.00-18.00 Poetess in conversation: Beverley Nambozo Nsengiyunva
Beverley Nambozo Nsengiyunva is from Uganda and a poet, editor, actress, leadership trainer, events
manager and children’s facilitator and a long-distance swimmer. Leading scholars around the world
have described her 2016 poetry collection, Dress Me In Disobedience, as raw and rare. Beverley holds
a Distinction in Creative Writing from Lancaster University, which she received in 2012. Her other
creative works have appeared in Wasafiri, Drumvoices Revue, Postcolonial Journal, Lawino Magazine,
Short Story Day Africa, The Kalahari Review, Prairie Schooner, KUT Journal, New Black Magazine,
Expound Magazine, Femrite, EVENT Magazine and others. She is the founder of the Babishai Niwe
(BN) Poetry Foundation, which coordinates annual poetry competitions for Africans, trains children in
poetry of all forms and publishes poetry. The Foundation also organizes the annual Babishai Poetry
Festival, hosting leading global voices in poetry and verse. Beverley is also a certified leadership
trainer through the highly acclaimed Haggai International Institute and she is a public speaker, having
led motivational talks and training worldwide in England, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda,
Tanzania and Egypt for leaders, journalists, academics and organisations. Beverley was Uganda’s 2014
BBC Commonwealth Games poet. Her desire is to travel to every country in the world before she turns
70.
Chair: Hamda Yusuf – a young spoken-word poet has just graduated from University of Washington.
She grew up listening to stories from her parents who saw stories as a means for preserving their
Somali culture. This led her to discover spoken-word poetry and her voice. While chairing she will also
read her poem ‘Just another towelhead’, one of her poems.
18:00-18:30 The publishing industry in Somaliland
Rooble Mohamed, a Somaliland journalist will host a discussion with the different publishers
and printers in Somaliland to discuss some of the challenges and opportunities.
18.30-19.00 Book launches in Somali [Conflict and peace]
18:40- 18:50: Axmed Maxamed Diiriye, Measuring Peace, a Quantitative Study on the
Absence of Violence in Africa,
18.50-19.00 Maxamuud Ducaale Saleebaan. Dhiiggii Geesiga, Taariikhda Halgankii Dib U
Xoraynta JSL,
19:00-19:10 Muna Bile Hirsi will present her book Poverty Eradication through Zakat Mechanism
19.30-20.30: On Muuse Galaal – Book launch and panel discussion (in Somali)
Malkadii Muuse Gaalaal is a new book written by Mohamoud Hagi Ibrahim Mohamoud on the life and
academic legacy of the late Muuse Hagi Ismail Galaal. The panel will consider the life and works of
the scholar, a Somali literary champion whose role in the preservation and promotion of Somali
literature and culture is recognised by Somalis all over. Personalities who knew Musa Galaal, including
Dr. Hussein M Adam, scholar and founder of Somali Studies International Association; Said Salah
Ahmed, playwright; Dr. Martin Orwin, linguist; Rashid Sheekh Abdillahi, historian and writer. The
Minister of Culture and National Guidance will host this session.
20.30-21.00 Traditional Dances
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Third Day – Monday 25thJuly 2016
8.30 – 10.00 Panel discussion: Somaliland Justice Sector
There has been much focus in recent years on reform of the formal justice sector institutions in
Somaliland. The sector has been improving people’s confidence in the formal judicial system and
improving the quality and independence of the system. There has been investment in the capacity of
judiciary personnel, expansion of the reach of the courts beyond the urban centres, improvement of
access to the formal courts, and active engagement in addressing the underlying perceived and actual
barriers to justice such as impunity and corruption within the system. There have been great strides, but
work still remains to be done.
Adam Haji Ali Ahmed is the President of Somaliland’s Supreme Court, Constitutional Court & the
High Judicial Council, appointed to his current post in May 2015. He will be sharing with us the
changes undertaken by the justice sector under his leadership and the future plans for the Somaliland
Justice Sector. He will also be fundraising for some of the initiatives currently underway in the
different regions of Somaliland.
Chair: Zahra Jibril has extensive experience in institutional capacity building, organisational
development and private sector expansion in frontier markets. Since 2011, Zahra has been living in
Somaliland working as a consultant on numerous institutional capacity-building projects across
Somaliland in the health, justice and security sectors.
10.30 – 12.00 Guest Country Ghana
This year’s partnership with Ghana represents our continued and shared commitment to fostering
tolerance through cooperation in the continent and across the world. We respond culturally, if not
politically, to the calls for African unity uttered in Ghana’s revolutionary throes and persisting through
its cultural production. Consistent with our belief that political, social, and economic developments go
hand in hand with cultural development, we see our collaboration with Ghanaian writers, poets,
musicians, journalists, activists, and scholars as a catalyst for local, regional, and global progress. This
exchange, spanning the latitude of the continent, will allow us to learn from Ghana’s example while
also strengthening the ties of our collective aspirations for open and tolerant societies.
Panellists: Professor Kwame Karikari is the former Executive Director of the MFWA. He has been for
several years a professor in journalism and mass communication at the School of Communication
Studies at the University of Ghana; Professor Atukwei Okai, a poet, academic, cultural activist, and
Secretary-General of the Pan-African Writers’ Association, whose poetry has been published and
translated into six languages and merited inclusion in a variety of international anthologies; Amma
Darko, novelist and author of Beyond The Horizon; Esther Armah, an award nominated tri-media
freelance journalist, whose work spans print, radio and television; and Joe Addo, an architect from
Accra, trained at the Architectural Association in London, who has worked in Finland, the UK, and the
US.
Chair: Chuma Nwokolo Jr. – Nigerian lawyer, poet, writer and the publisher of African Writing
magazine.
16.00-16.40 In conversation with the author: Chuma Nwokolo
Chuma Nwokolo, Jr. is a Nigerian lawyer, poet, writer and the publisher of African Writing magazine.
He is author of the poetry collections Memories of Stone and The Final Testament of a Minor God. His
novels include One More Tale for the Road and Diaries of a Dead African, an extract from which was
published in La Internazionale as one of the three best stories worldwide in 2001. His novels for young
adults include The Extortionist and Dangerous Inheritance. His short story anthologies include The
Ghost of Sani Abacha, a witty and satirical collection of twenty-six stories mostly set in Nigeria. Other
anthologies include his latest, one of the commemorative volumes to mark the centenary of Nigeria’s
amalgamation, How to Spell Naija in 100 Short Stories. He has been writer-in-residence at the
Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.
Chair: Beverley Nambozo Nsengiyunva is a Ugandan poet, editor, actress, leadership trainer, events
manager and children’s facilitator.
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16.40-17.20 Mahamed Barud Ali: The Mourning Tree (Revised edition)
This prison memoir will not only give first-hand information of the experience of the brutalities of
Siyad Barre’s Somalia but also of the life of a nomad child who is brought to the city to live with his
aunt because there was no work for him due to the fact that his father did not own any camels to be
looked after. In the city while growing up, hunger was never far away. That motivated Mahamed to
perform well at school which gave him the opportunity to go to the United Kingdom. After he earned
his university degree, he went back to his home town Hargeysa where he met young professionals’ like
him. They decided to volunteer for their community, what became to be known by the international
community as Hargeysa Self-help group and locally as UFFO. For their noble acts, Mahamed and his
colleagues were imprisoned and what followed were eight long lonely years, where the studying of
insects was the main entertainment of the day. The reasons why they were freed, while at the same time
the rest of their community had been destroyed, were as strange and surprising as the reasons why they
were jailed in the first place were bizarre. There was no time in Mohamed’s life to get depressed or
discouraged when he and his group were freed as the reconstruction of the country had to start
immediately.
Chair: Ahmed Muxumed Madar was a member of UFFO. He is the Chairman of the Anti-corruption
and Good Governance Committee.
17.20-18.00 Panel – Joe Addo: Leadership in Architecture
Joe Addo is an architect from Accra. Trained at the Architectural Association in London, he has
worked in Finland, the UK, and the US. He opened his own practice in 1991 in Los Angeles, where he
also cofounded the A + D Museum before returning to Ghana in 2004. He is currently the CEO of
Constructs R + D and Chairman of the ArchiAfrika Foundation, which works to integrate sociocultural
design into the discourse on African architecture and development. Joe participated in the
HIBF 2015, facilitating a discussion among Somaliland architects on the physical spaces of African
cities and the current transformation of Somaliland’s cities. This year, he will share their approach for
development in the historic Jamestown, Accra, where leadership and creativity is needed to avert the
catastrophe of gentrification and overdevelopment.
Chair: Mohamed Elmi is an East Africa-based consultant with extensive experience in fund
management, financial planning, management consulting and project management. He is the founding
member of Synergy Africa, a Somali think tank based in Dubai, Somaliland, Dijbouti and Kenya.
19.30 – 21.30 Special event – Community Cohesion Dinner
Venue: Hargeysa Cultural Centre
Host: Hargeysa Cultural Centre & Somaliland Immigration Department
HCC is pleased to host a community-building dinner. We have invited members of the diverse
communities living and working in Somaliland to a wonderful evening of food, Somali culture and
celebration. We hope this dinner will bring people together and help us build on our shared values to
achieve a common vision and a sense of belonging for all communities. In Somaliland the diversity of
backgrounds and circumstances is appreciated and positively valued. We hope to celebrate this
diversity and hope this leads to strong and positive relationships between people from different
backgrounds in the workplace, in the schools and within neighbourhoods.
Traditional Dance; Live music (Cabdinasir Macallin Caydiid and his band); Poetry in translation
(Martin Orwin, linguist and scholar and Ahmed Aw Geedi and Hassan Dahir Ismail “Weedhsame”).
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Fourth Day: Tuesday 26th July 2016
8.30 – 10.30 Panel on Language
This panel is set to discuss current developments in research and knowledge production of Somali
language. It is an extension of the first Somali language and linguistics workshop held here in
Hargeysa, Somaliland in December 2015 and will present what was done then, what is being done now
and initial plans for the language and linguistics panel, which will be part of the SSIA conference to be
held in Hargeysa in 2018. The panel will briefly present the work of the following scholars, all of them
attending the 9th HIBF for special side meetings and events: Dr. Martin Orwin, Senior Lecturer in
Somali and Amharic from SOAS, University of London in the Department of the Languages and
Cultures of Africa.; Dr. Jama Musse Jama, an ethno-mathematician and author who has a PhD in
African Studies specializing in Computational Linguistics of African Languages; Dr. Morgan Nilsson,
a linguist from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, who is working on Somali language; Mr. Said
Salah Ahmed, poet, playwright and literary critic; Mr. Mohamed H. Raabi, an independent scholar
from Somaliland who has published several Somali language and literature books with a main focus on
the grammatical aspects of the language; he is also one of the founders of ACALAN; Mr. Moubarek
Ahmed, a PhD candidate from Institute of Languages at the Center of Studies and Research (CERD) in
Djibouti; Dr. Abdirashid Ismail, a senior lecturer at the University of Djibouti; Mr. Abdirahman Farah
‘Guri Barwaaqo’ is a connoisseur of the Somali language, an art critic, currently the Head of
Department of Culture and Language at Hargeysa University; Ms. Saynab Aadan Sharci, the founder of
Galool, and author of Somali education and resources as well as of Somali-English learning resources
for young Somalis in the Diaspora; Dr. Mohamed Diriye Abdillahi, independent scholar and linguist;
Mr. Sied Muhumed Jibril, Associate Professor and Vice President for Academic and Research at
University of Hargeysa; Miss Tirsit Yetbarek is a PhD student In the Department of Linguistics and
Philology of the Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia; Mr. Mustafa Abdullahi Feiruz is a linguist and
the editor-in-chief of Somali Studies a peer reviewed academic journal published by the Institute for
Somali Studies in Moqadisho Somalia; Mr Khainga O’Okwemba is a broadcaster at the KBC English
Service in Kenya; Mr. Mohamud Mohammed Abdillah, Director of the Institute of Somali Language
and Literature Studies of Jigjiga University in Ethiopian Somali Regional State; Dr. Hussien M. Adam
is the Founder of the Somali Studies International association .
10.30 – 10:50 Remembering Cabbaas Idiriis (ex- John Drysdale) by Said Jama Hussein, Dr.
Martin Orwin and Edna Aden.
The late Cabbaas Idiriis, a.k.a. John Drysdale, a former British army officer, arrived in Somaliland in
1943 in his teens and served alongside Somaliland soldiers during WWII in Burma and Singapore.
During his long career as a career officer, diplomat, businessman, historian and publisher, Drysdale
turned into a prolific writer and analyst of political events in Somaliland, Somalia, East Africa and
Southeast Asia. The late Cabbaas Idiriis shall be remembered for his dedication and diligence in the
development of Somali speakers and as the first foreigner to acquire Somaliland citizenship and vote in
Somaliland elections. Hargeysa International Book Fair is paying homage to a great British-
Somalilander who passed away this month in his adopted hometown.
11.00 – 13.00 Panel: Sooyaal – major classical poetry and music session (Somali)
Every year, HIBF dedicates this panel to prominent poets, dramatists, actors and singers and musicians.
This year the session will be dedicated to older generation artists.
16:00-17:00 Books – Self Help (Somali event)
16:00 – 16:10 Hebaq Bubal, Xusuusqor Dhakhtar
16:10 – 16:20 Farax Macallin, La hadal naftaada
16:20 – 16:30 Abdirizak Mohamoud Osman, Mathematics: Home Study Guide Series
16:30 – 17:00 Leadership during difficult times by Mohamed Ali Bile
Mohamed Ali Bile has three decades of experience in planning and leading development programs
with the United Nations, especially in conflict-affected and fragile zones and brings in-depth expertise
on Middle Eastern and East African socio-political affairs. Skilful in negotiations and dealing with
difficult government partners, he has worked with governments, UNESCO, UNICEF, the World Bank
and USAID funded programs. He trained at California State University, University of London, Harvard
University, UNESCO IIEP (Paris), IIE Matei Urbino (Italy), Maastricht University and the Somali
National University and is fluent in English, Arabic and Somali with some knowledge of Italian. In this
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session, he will share his views on good leadership and what it is to take hard decisions.
17.00-17.40 Meet the author: in conversation with Amma Darko
Author Amma Darko was born in 1956 in Koforidua – Ghana. A graduate of the Kwame Nkrumah
University of Science and Technology in Industrial Art, Amma worked for a year with the Technology
Consultancy Center. While living in Germany during the early eighties, she wrote her first novel:
Beyond The Horizon, written in English but translated from the manuscript into German and published
first in that language. Her second novel The Housemaid was published by Heinemann. Subsequent
novels published by Sub-Saharan (Ghana) are Faceless (now a West Africa Examination Council
Literature book); Not Without Flowers (won 2008 Ghana Book Award); and, just published, Between
Two Worlds. She also contributed a short story “Color of Poverty” to the Amnesty International –
Germany, collection. Her work is translated into German, French, Spanish, Turkish and Slovenian.
Chair: Mohamed Ali Bile has three decades of experience in planning and leading development
programs with the United Nations, especially in conflict-affected and fragile zones. He brings in-depth
expertise on Middle Eastern and East African socio-political affairs.
17.40-18.20 Meet the author: in conversation with Maxamed Xagi Ingiriis
Author of The Rise and Fall of the Siad Barre Regime, 1969–1991, Mohamed Haji Ingiriis is a Somali
scholar specializing in the field of African Studies. He is now completing his doctorate at the
University of Oxford. This book is a critical repositioning of the study of military regimes in Africa.
Documenting and delving deep into the reign and rule of General Mohamed Siad Barre in Somalia
from 1969 to 1991, the book puts emphasis on African agencies—ostensibly shaped by external
beneficiaries and patrons—over what went wrong with Africa after the much-awaited post-colonial
period. It does so by critically engaging with the wider theoretical and conceptual frameworks in
African Studies, which more often than not tend to attribute the post-colonial African state ruptures to
colonialism.
Chair: Safia Aidid is a Somali-Canadian doctoral candidate in African History at Harvard University.
Her research focuses on Ethiopia and the Somali region.
18;45-19;30: Spoken word in Somali
Mohamud Sh. Ahmed Dalmar will share Irdho, his first book-length satirical work. The book
consist of a poem of almost 900 verses, about an imaginary fictionalised story about the
Somali language, travelling to Europe, and seeking asylum in the UK.
Farah Ahmed Cali is a writer and poet, and will share new insights into the use of particular
words in particular written form of mixed prose and poetry in his book Rasmi. Gamuute has
spent many years researching the metrical structure of Somali poetry, and his work will
provide further insight into the complexity of this art form.
Chair: Rashid Sh. Abdillaahi “Gadhwayne”, literary critic and historian, author of Adduun iyo Taladii.
19:30-20:00 Book signing and traditional dance.
Fifth Day: Wednesday 27thJuly 2016
8:30- 9:20: In conversation with Michaela Maria Muller
Michaela Maria Mueller was born in Dachau, Germany in 1974, where she grew up on a dairy farm.
She worked as a bookseller in New York and Munich. She studied history and politics at Humboldt
University, Berlin. Since 2006 she has been working as a journalist for German newspapers
(Sueddeutsche Zeitung and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung). She will present her new book just
published in German Auf See – Die Geschichte von Ayan und Samir, but she also contributed to
research in archives of the German Foreign Ministry about what happened in the years after the release
of the passenger machine “Landshut” in Mogadishu in October 1977. The German government made
contracts with the Siad Barre regime, and the chancellor Helmut Schmidt in 1978 went to Egypt to
meet him. Somalia needed weapons for the Ogaden war, so Germany was in a predicament. In the end
they did not send weapons, but only because a German politician of the opposition got hold of the
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contracts before they were signed. But until the mid 1980s Germany gave lots of money to the Siad
Barre regime. Maria will speak on hidden aspects of this story.
9:30 – 10.30 Meet the author: in conversation with Esther Armah
Esther A. Armah is a Ghanaian international award winning journalist across print, radio, television.
She is a playwright, writer and journalism lecturer. Esther has worked in the media across Africa in
Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Lesotho; in the US in New York, Washington DC, Philadelphia and in
Europe – in London.
As a writer, Esther’s first book was a non-fiction essay collection exploring identity across
media ‘Can I Be Me?’, she is working on her first novel ‘The Sweet Promise of Bullshit’ and a second
non-fiction book: ‘Emotional Justice’. Esther created ‘emotional justice’ to engage and explore how
untold stories of hidden emotionality shape relationships, culture, society and policy. Armah has
written four plays, all of which have been published in New York and Chicago. The plays are: ‘Can I
Be Me?’, ‘Forgive Me?’. ‘Entitled!’, and SAVIOUR? Her essays and articles have been published in
New York and London, in publications The Guardian, AlterNet, Salon.com, Ebony.com, Essence,
AlterNet, Gawker.”
Chair: Cadnaan Hagoog is the information and communication officer at the European Union
Delegation for Somaliland. He is a member of the Hargeysa Cultural Centre and a volunteer at
Hargeysa International Book Fair.
11.00 – 12.30: Leadership in the Somali Society
The Psychology of Leadership by Dr. Hussein A. Bulhan
Leadership is a topic of paramount significance wherever people live, interact, and work together. It
plays a critical role in all walks of life including family life, community relations, businesses, religious
organizations, and of course politics. Indeed nations rise or fall in part because of the quality of the
leaders they have, in part also because of the characteristics of their people and the type of leaders they
choose. This presentation first reviews the literature on the psychology of leadership, subsequently
focuses on the psychology of leaders in Somali society. It compares leadership in traditional and
contemporary societies, identifying changes over the decades to identify how crises of society and
politics in pre- and post-independence eras derived from a crisis of leadership.
Leadership: In memory of Sheekh Ibraahin Sheekh Yuusuf Sheekh Madar,
Sheikh Adam Siiro will reflect on the leadership of Sheekh Ibraahin Sheekh Yuusuf Sheekh ,, one of
the most respected elders of Somaliland, a judicious mediator at times of conflict, the first Speaker of
the House of Elders (Golaha Guurtida) – one of the main pillars on which Somaliland’s democracy and
future progress depends. The latest book on the life of Sheekh Ibrahim, Go’aan iyo Geesinnimo written
by Cali Cabdi Coomey will be presented.
16:00-18:00 Books, poetry and stories from Djibouti
One of the major contributions from the Djibouti guests is the launch of Cilmi Boodheri iyo Jacaylkii
Taamaka Ahaa, a book about the most renowned love story in the Somali context; it is co-authored by
Dr. Abdirascid Ismail and Dr. Idris Youssouf Elmi. This is followed by an account of the history of the
city of Djibouti through pictures by Abdalla Hagi and in conclusion with poetry reading by Anab
Guleid and traditional dance.
Idris Youssouf Elmi, a Djibouti national is an expert in the dynamics of language and situation
(attitudes, feelings and representations). He has also studied the phenomena of migration in the Horn of
Africa. He has taught French language and culture and education for many years at the University of
Djibouti. Idris is currently the UNESCO Program Coordinator at Djibouti. Idris has published
extensively and is the author of, among others, La Galaxie de l’Absurde, (Editions de l’Harmattan,
Paris 1997), a prize winner of the Académie d’outre-mer (1998) and the poetry collection Nostalgies ou
le Joug du verbe (1998). He has also written plays, poems and articles in French and in Somali.
Dr. Abdirashid Ismail is a senior lecturer at the University of Djibouti where he teaches general
linguistics and Somali linguistics. He was a president of the committee which laid the foundation of the
Intergovernmental Academy of Somali Language in which he now serves as vice president. He is Coeditor
of Afmaal 1 among the other linguistics works and his latest book is on Cilmi Boodheri, which
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will be launched at this years’ Hargeysa International Book Fair.
Cabdalla Xaaji (Djibouti) is the author of Xeer Ciise, a detailed reference book on one of the strictest
indigenous rules comparable to the modern contemporary laws. He is a TV program officer and he
manages the archive department of Djibouti National TV. Cabdalla is the author of Qalin ma koobaan,
an anthology of the poetry of Ali Mooge. Ali Mooge was a contemporary poet who died prematurely in
his early 30s but left an extraordinary production of poems. Abdalla will talk about the history of City
of Djibouti.
Anab Guleid is one of the few Somali women renowned for reciting the gabay. Anab breaks the
boundaries placed upon women’s artistic freedom, opening doors for the younger generations. As an
advocate for the preservation of culture and the environment, her poems often carry the theme of social
justice.
Chair: Zainab Aadan is a storyteller, entertainer and educator based in the UK. Zainab is an activist
and promoter of the Somali language among Somali children raised in the UK.
18.00-18.20 Traditional Dance
18:30-21:30 Book launch: Abdisalam Hereri, Cabdiraxmaan Faarax “Guri Barwaaqo”
18:30-19:10 Far Tasowday, Cabdiraxmaan C Faarax “Guri-barwaaqo”
Mr. Abdirahman Farah ‘Guri Barwaaqo’ is a connoisseur of the Somali language, he’s
currently the Head of Department of Culture and Language at Hargeysa University. Among
his books are Magac Bilaash u Ma Baxo (Nicknames Don’t Lie), Mahaadhooyinkii Gaarriye
(a biography of Gaarriye) and Hal-bixinta Ereyada Kumbuyutarka (a book on Somali
terminologies for technical items). Abdirahman’s latest book is Far Tasowday (the neglected
alphabet) in which he describes the alphabet proposed for the Somali language by Mohamed
Abdi Makaahiil.
19:10-19:40 Feedh Qalloocan, Nuuraddiin Faarax, translated by Cabdisalaam Hereri.
Abdisalam Hereri, renowned TV and Radio program producer, translated From a Crooked
Rib by Nuruddin Farah. This is the first time Nuruddin Farah is translated into Somali, and
HIBF is proud to celebrate this fist time epic literary work.
Chair: Fardus Saeed Diri, activist and founder of Ayeeyo, a Somaliland based NGO focused
on working with young girls.
19.45-20.30 The role of leadership in Islam: As epitomised by the prophet Mohammed
(PBUH)
As the only man in history who has succeeded in both secular and religious levels and was the force
behind the Arab conquest of the 7th-8th century, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) could be described as the
greatest political leader in history. There are numerous quotes defining Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh)
status as the supreme incomparable leader in human history and even the greatest leader of all time.
The concept of leadership in Islam is the practical manifestation of the management of the trust given
by God to man (Adam) in running the affairs of earth according to the will and wish of the Almighty.
The embodiment of this concept is the practice of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). The panel will be
opened by his excellence Sheikh Khalil Abdullahi Ahmed, the Minister of Endowment and Religious
Affairs of Somaliland, followed by discussion of the theme by Sheikh Almis Yahya Ibrahim and
Sheikh Mohamud Sheikh Dalmar.
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Sixth Day: Thursday 28thJuly 2016
08.00 – 11.00: Readers Club Presentation
The reader’s clubs together with The Somaliland Life Makers (Somaliland youth organisation) and
other youth lead Somaliland organization will be discussing how to augment the Somaliland readership
and to escalate future campaigns in this regards. This year they will be combing the preservation and
promotion of Somali traditional dance.
Chairs: Sahra Maxamed Cali, Ayanle Abdirahman and Caydaruus Sange.
11.00–12.30: Book Display and Traditional Board Games (“Shax”, “Layligoobalay”)
and their pedagogic role
Authors, who have dedicated themselves to Shax and Layligoobalay in the past two years, will be
available to meet the audience. This session will also organise the first Somaliland Shax Game
tournament, a popular traditional Somali game. The winner will be named the “Shax Master of the
Year”.
15.00 – 16.30: HIBF for juniors: The Somaliland Circus and Children’s play
In the final event of the programme, Hargeysa International Book Fair, in collaboration with
Havoyoco, presents the Somaliland Circus, an entertainment hugely enjoyed by the public at large. We
will introduce a new edition of Riyaaq (a book written by Ahmed Aw Geeddi and Hassan Abdi Madar)
with Somali traditional songs employed in the modern Circus plays. Hargeysa Cultural Centre presents
their special children’s play Bakeyle Ciideed.
16.30 – 17.30: Summing Up and Conclusion – The Way Forward
HIBF concludes the six-day program of events with a summary of the main points from the various
panels and lectures followed by a discussion on the theme and plans for 2017, the 10th Anniversary of
this festival.
19.30 – 21.00: Closing Gala including entertainment (by invitation)Delegates from #Djibouti, #Ghana, #Nigeria, #Ethiopia, #Kenya, #SouthAfrica, #USA, #UK, #Scandanevian countries among other African, American and Asian countries are attending #HIBF2016.
