Did you ever feel what you learned in high school was not challenging enough and that you wanted to look elsewhere for an opportunity to develop the skills you needed or acquire the knowledge you so much craved for? If you answered yes, then you are not alone.
Check out the link posted below (video from CNN) to find out what i'm talking about: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2011/05/27/dnt.boy.finishes.college.kero?hpt=C2
Saturday, May 28, 2011
MARRIAGE ON THE END OF A PHONE LINE
I read Zamzam Abdi's article "Marriage over the phone thrives among Somali community." The article presupposes that the main reason why young women in Africa marry their suitors from abroad, say from London, Toronto or Minneapolis is purely economic. I think that is a very simplistic explanation. It does not take into account the separation that happened to people who were in each other’s lives before the man moved overseas nor does it take into consideration that it costs almost the same raising a family in Africa while the man lives abroad since he has to support himself and also his wife and kids. You can call this double-spending. May be it will even cost less if the man had married and lived abroad with his family.
How about when a young woman returns from the West to marry her prince charming in Africa? Is she doing it for economic reasons? I think, not.
Societies often transition in time and space and cultures thus become dynamic. Social norms change to reflect a society’s new realities. The case of over-the-phone-marriage, though a recent phenomenon among Somalis, also occurs in other non-Somali communities but what is your reflection on this topic?
How about when a young woman returns from the West to marry her prince charming in Africa? Is she doing it for economic reasons? I think, not.
Societies often transition in time and space and cultures thus become dynamic. Social norms change to reflect a society’s new realities. The case of over-the-phone-marriage, though a recent phenomenon among Somalis, also occurs in other non-Somali communities but what is your reflection on this topic?
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Uncovering the Truth: Government Lies and Media Duplicity on War
War Made Easy is a 2007 hour-long documentary film that analysis U.S foreign policy particularly its involvement in military combats from the 1960's Vietnam to the Iraq war of 2003.
The film features Norman Solomon, an American media critic and is narrated by the American actor Sean Penn. It exposes how successive presidents used effective public relations to start, escalate and sustain wars.
The film features Norman Solomon, an American media critic and is narrated by the American actor Sean Penn. It exposes how successive presidents used effective public relations to start, escalate and sustain wars.
MANUFACTURING CHANGE FOR A NEW SOMALI AGE
The Somali state collapsed in 1991 primarily in the hands of its own people. It’s reeling from destruction as its sons continue to shoot at each other ever since. Enormous devastation of public infrastructure and robbery of private property still persists with unrelenting proportions. Our collective failure to foresee and tackle internal differences makes addressing external intervention almost impossible.
As a matter of fact, Somali nationals already know enough of what happened more than I can inform in this article. So, inventing solutions to the nation’s turmoil are thus in order. The pressing issues must first be addressed in piecemeal. One such issue is to understand the Somali governance system and another is to, as a result, increase civic engagement. Both these matters are necessary precursors to resolving other more substantive political, economic and social issues.
First, the Somali people need to understand the structure and the workings of the Somali political system. We’ve experimented with every governance system there is, whether it’s democracy, autocracy, scientific socialism, Sharia-based but as it appears none has worked effectively and the average Somali has thus lost enough capacity to grasp the fast-changing systems. And for the last 20 years, the several interim governments born out of reconciliation conferences held outside the country all died before any could deliver effective results on Somali soil. To add fuel to the fire, the current transitional federal government has 550 extremely underperforming parliamentarians who unfortunately neither enacted laws nor pursued active public reconciliation during their term. As would be expected of informed citizens, no roaring protest, in words and deeds, has ever been organized against the bloated legislature probably because we don’t understand the inner working of the system.
Interestingly, Somalia has more parliamentarians than the 535-member bicameral congress of the United States yet again the U.S. has 34 times more population than Somalia. This is strangely an absurd number of lawmakers for a country, which depends on foreign aid for its national budget and has no control over its territorial land, sea and space.
Additionally, Somalia has unusually high premier and presidential turnover. Power wrangling has seemingly become an acceptable culture at the top with three presidents moving in and out of Villa Somalia the last ten years alone, and with each hiring a minimum of two prime ministers and firing when they disagreed on policy matters. Executive power struggles affect public service delivery but most of all threatens the political stability and civic understanding of the direction the country is headed.
So to understand politicians for who they are –politicians- is essential. Somali parliamentarians have proved, time and time again, that they care more about their positions and their power, much less about what the common man thinks and needs. We are aware that Somalia’s .SO domain name, a crucial internet infrastructure, has been auctioned off to a Japanese company, embassy buildings around the world sold to foreign investors and the nation’s airspace is, since 1991, run by U.N from offices in Nairobi. These are just but a few gross misappropriation of national resources. And this very much makes Somalis as people who abdicated their national responsibilities to monitor power. Inside knowledge of what happens between our politicians and other stakeholders are critical in order to hold them accountable for their acts, omissions and the wrongs they do commit.
To correct this botched system, educated Somalis must willingly come forward and with unyielding dedication to serve their country. They must come up with a system that works, inject fresh ideas into that political system and must also replace the old guards. This is the right moment. It’s the most opportune time to rise and answer the call of the bleeding homeland. There’s no shortage of a new blood save for structural disorganization. There must be overwhelming willingness to fulfill our duties toward our nation. The public must stand united behind leaders who serve the interest of the Somali people without regard to what region one hails from. In order to achieve this, we must unconditionally respect each other, disavow violence by all means and use clan differences as an opportunity to unite our countrymen and thus bring consensus to our political system.
Second, it’s essential to initiate civic campaign to inform the minds and engage the hearts of the young people. Warring factions have used the youth as a force for destruction for the past 20 years. We must now use them as a force for social change by first making them understand the real consequences of their actions. The youth must realize that, in society, no one is just a single person and should therefore learn to care about the impact of their actions. An individual’s acts can set a precedent (good or bad), reinforce a quality or undermine what others wanted to improve. So they must learn to avoid setting a bad precedent or emphasizing a negative activity that affects society unconstructively.
Besides, it’s important for Somalis to understand that social reform doesn’t just happen. Young Somalis need to learn how to manufacture change for a new Somali age. It takes one person to make a lot of difference. It takes the small example of a few and the deeds of the rest following the pattern to cause a significant transformation in the attitude and behavior of society. Of course, young people are more open to change but they need a directing, patient leadership to guide them to where they necessarily have to be. So those who have the opportunity should not just wait for someone else to create civic engagement and consequently, social change.
In the end, increased public understanding of the Somali political system and a more organized civic society can engineer an effective battle against the culture of political corruption, impunity and can certainly improve human rights and bring a lasting peace to Somalia.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
A NEW VISION FOR SOMALIA!
I have read Ms. Sindiya Darman’s article “Somali First or Somali Only?” about the issue of clan identity and how one responds to it. It reminds me of my own challenges as a Somali and the past encounters I have had.
I must say that clan identity is real among the Somali people even in the 21st century and comes up in most discussions especially among men at cafes, business points and other places where people meet. How people respond to it depends on their level of education, age, lifestyle among other factors.
I was a late comer to the city I now live in. I mean there were significant numbers of Somalis present when I moved there. However, I realized that they were not organized and they faced socio-cultural and legal challenges including education, immigration and security. So I decided to make a difference in my community and thus joined a group of seven who were already trying to form a community organization.
Two of the group members came to me at my apartment one late spring day in April and they explained to me how they wanted to form a community-based organization and that they needed me on their team. As if I knew this was going to come up, I accepted their invitation but on the condition that they won’t discriminate among themselves and among the members of the Somali community who we wanted to serve, in accessing services and employment opportunities. And they all agreed with me. So I joined the team. I must have been naïve then. As I would learn later, the team of seven had one Hawiye, one Rahan weyn, one Isaaq and four Darod clan members.
The work began and we registered an organization with the appropriate state agencies and the effort to build it from the ground took off with a smooth start. As the process materialized, two people, one darod and one Isaaq refused to show up for assignments much less bring ideas and money to the table. This however was out of poor performance and poor organization of their priorities rather than anything else. They may probably and, erroneously so, have believed they could still be part of the organization because they belonged to clans that ‘would have to’ be represented at the table no matter what. Not really.
We were down to five. Four months later, the Rahan Weyn brother exited because he believed in his own words “the Darod and Hawiye who swallowed his clan -caused his clan so much havoc- in Somalia wanted to be his president in America and that he couldn’t allow to happen.” I was shocked to hear this because it’s the one condition they promised me will never occur. I tried to persuade him otherwise but he would remain adamant and has thus quit the organization. It’s true and it saddens me as a Somali that the Rahan Weyn community suffered so much in the early 1990s that Baidoa was declared the city of death but how long can we be trapped in the past.
So, four of us remained on the fast moving train. The president and vice president, both darod, began to fight over the replacement of the Rahan Weyn brother, until their rift became irreconcilable. Each wanted to bring someone from their sub-clan on the board. I felt betrayed. I felt that I was on the wrong team and decided to quit. The president and VP each tried to win my loyalty but I knew it was over and never entertained to be treated to such low level politics. I wanted to bring people together and wanted to build a united, stronger Somali community but I realized that I didn’t have the right players on my team. So it was time to call for an end to the game. We timed out. And the organization collapsed with my departure.
Several months later, the Somali residents in my city called for a general meeting and I was invited to participate and was in the end elected to an 11-member team commissioned to build an organization for the community. It took us three months to put up all the structures necessary to build the organization. I then became a founder and the Secretary General of the organization out of a consensus.
When the organization opened an office center, it took many people by a surprise that a young man unknown to most long-time residents of the city was now an executive secretary. Word went around and people started tracing my clan origin. Those who couldn’t find out and of course they were over 98% of them decided to call me that I was from their clan just to give themselves credit or take pride in me while many others also began to call me mean things or clan names just to demean what I stood for: a Somali vision where ideas, education, merit and strong character matter without any need for clan allegiance.
I realized that some people were not interested in the beautiful ideas I had, in the colleges I attended, in the degrees I earned, or in the direction I wanted to take them to and where I wanted them to be in 10, 50 or 100 years, much less what legacy they wanted to leave their kids. Nonetheless, Two years later, the organization we founded is fully operational, providing services for all and sundry.
My decision not to honor clan allegiances comes from my parents. They always told me to make the world my family. To treat other people including those who come from a different clan, faith group etc, like they were my mom and dad if they were senior to me or like a sibling if we were age sets. This is more profound than anything I could learn from anywhere else. Then came my schooling with people from all the nations of the world, all faith groups, varying walks of life or skin color, you name it and we coexisted without stepping on each others’ toes; much more even helping each other when necessary.
As I learned in my working relationship with Somalis, clan divides. People trust you more when they know you don’t have allegiance to your clan because then they know you can dispense justice squarely. It’s up to the young Somalis to envision new pathways for our society and to inspire the change we want to see to happen. I also think that the young, educated and the wealthy are less clannish than others who are neither. One thing i certainly know is that liking and standing up for my clan over others gets me nowhere further than if i treated everyone equally and made everyone a player in my team. Actually, bringing every Somali on my team opens me up for more ideas and more opportunities than if i just stuck with my clan-mates. It's time we begun thinking outside the box especially those who hope to change the direction of Somali politics. And like Ms. Darman, I hope my wife will come from a different clan than mine when that moment finally arrives.
Author's contact: ahmednajaah@hotmail.com
I must say that clan identity is real among the Somali people even in the 21st century and comes up in most discussions especially among men at cafes, business points and other places where people meet. How people respond to it depends on their level of education, age, lifestyle among other factors.
I was a late comer to the city I now live in. I mean there were significant numbers of Somalis present when I moved there. However, I realized that they were not organized and they faced socio-cultural and legal challenges including education, immigration and security. So I decided to make a difference in my community and thus joined a group of seven who were already trying to form a community organization.
Two of the group members came to me at my apartment one late spring day in April and they explained to me how they wanted to form a community-based organization and that they needed me on their team. As if I knew this was going to come up, I accepted their invitation but on the condition that they won’t discriminate among themselves and among the members of the Somali community who we wanted to serve, in accessing services and employment opportunities. And they all agreed with me. So I joined the team. I must have been naïve then. As I would learn later, the team of seven had one Hawiye, one Rahan weyn, one Isaaq and four Darod clan members.
The work began and we registered an organization with the appropriate state agencies and the effort to build it from the ground took off with a smooth start. As the process materialized, two people, one darod and one Isaaq refused to show up for assignments much less bring ideas and money to the table. This however was out of poor performance and poor organization of their priorities rather than anything else. They may probably and, erroneously so, have believed they could still be part of the organization because they belonged to clans that ‘would have to’ be represented at the table no matter what. Not really.
We were down to five. Four months later, the Rahan Weyn brother exited because he believed in his own words “the Darod and Hawiye who swallowed his clan -caused his clan so much havoc- in Somalia wanted to be his president in America and that he couldn’t allow to happen.” I was shocked to hear this because it’s the one condition they promised me will never occur. I tried to persuade him otherwise but he would remain adamant and has thus quit the organization. It’s true and it saddens me as a Somali that the Rahan Weyn community suffered so much in the early 1990s that Baidoa was declared the city of death but how long can we be trapped in the past.
So, four of us remained on the fast moving train. The president and vice president, both darod, began to fight over the replacement of the Rahan Weyn brother, until their rift became irreconcilable. Each wanted to bring someone from their sub-clan on the board. I felt betrayed. I felt that I was on the wrong team and decided to quit. The president and VP each tried to win my loyalty but I knew it was over and never entertained to be treated to such low level politics. I wanted to bring people together and wanted to build a united, stronger Somali community but I realized that I didn’t have the right players on my team. So it was time to call for an end to the game. We timed out. And the organization collapsed with my departure.
Several months later, the Somali residents in my city called for a general meeting and I was invited to participate and was in the end elected to an 11-member team commissioned to build an organization for the community. It took us three months to put up all the structures necessary to build the organization. I then became a founder and the Secretary General of the organization out of a consensus.
When the organization opened an office center, it took many people by a surprise that a young man unknown to most long-time residents of the city was now an executive secretary. Word went around and people started tracing my clan origin. Those who couldn’t find out and of course they were over 98% of them decided to call me that I was from their clan just to give themselves credit or take pride in me while many others also began to call me mean things or clan names just to demean what I stood for: a Somali vision where ideas, education, merit and strong character matter without any need for clan allegiance.
I realized that some people were not interested in the beautiful ideas I had, in the colleges I attended, in the degrees I earned, or in the direction I wanted to take them to and where I wanted them to be in 10, 50 or 100 years, much less what legacy they wanted to leave their kids. Nonetheless, Two years later, the organization we founded is fully operational, providing services for all and sundry.
My decision not to honor clan allegiances comes from my parents. They always told me to make the world my family. To treat other people including those who come from a different clan, faith group etc, like they were my mom and dad if they were senior to me or like a sibling if we were age sets. This is more profound than anything I could learn from anywhere else. Then came my schooling with people from all the nations of the world, all faith groups, varying walks of life or skin color, you name it and we coexisted without stepping on each others’ toes; much more even helping each other when necessary.
As I learned in my working relationship with Somalis, clan divides. People trust you more when they know you don’t have allegiance to your clan because then they know you can dispense justice squarely. It’s up to the young Somalis to envision new pathways for our society and to inspire the change we want to see to happen. I also think that the young, educated and the wealthy are less clannish than others who are neither. One thing i certainly know is that liking and standing up for my clan over others gets me nowhere further than if i treated everyone equally and made everyone a player in my team. Actually, bringing every Somali on my team opens me up for more ideas and more opportunities than if i just stuck with my clan-mates. It's time we begun thinking outside the box especially those who hope to change the direction of Somali politics. And like Ms. Darman, I hope my wife will come from a different clan than mine when that moment finally arrives.
Author's contact: ahmednajaah@hotmail.com
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