The Somali Question
I am here in my home enjoying a weetabix and milky coffee breakfast. As I sit here I am contemplating what it means to be a Somali.This might sound strange but I have not a clue. Am I a Somali only because my parents are? Or my grandmother is? I mean I visited a friend of mine on Saturday and she has always been the same as me in that she hated the Somali community and with a passion.
I hate the community itself because it is not a good community in my eyes. They have the whole tribe thing going on, they are intrusive and want to know everything, every minute of the day. They are the people that just gossip and do nothing else. I spent a year working in the community and although I found some amazing individuals who want to make a change and better their community I found the rest to be scroungers!!!
That may sound harsh but that’s how I saw it and still do to an extent. I still only have a handful of friends from my birth place of Somalia.
I say all this because my friend recently got married to a nice Somali guy (apparently they exist in hidden places) and settle down and now she has a beautiful baby girl. I know all children are cute but this one, MashaAllah, is an exceptionally good looking Somali niece…
So back to my friend who has settle down now. She tells me that the community is “AMAZING” this from the girl who I used to tell off for rants against the community. The community is not only amazing in my friend’s perception but a wonderfully able community, which has dished out advice(good and sound apparently) by the bucket load.
She has had so many visitors and well wishers who would not normally take the time to even say Salam if they passed us on the street!!!
What I would like to know is why the sudden change of heart? Is it because my friend married a Somali guy or even that she has now added to the number of Somalis in the world??? I have asked her this and her only explanation is that the community (men and women) always think of us as been children till we get married. Does not matter that I am 25 and holding down a job, they will still call my mother to say ridiculous stuff like “Fatima I saw your eldest walking on such and such a road at 10pm” Thank God my mum always turns around to them and says “it’s because she is finishing work or a meeting or she was seeing such and such a friend”
I mean I am a Somali by birth and no way I can change that (not that I would even want to), I speak the language to an extent (I have a southerner accent apparently and I say words like abowe and macaantay!!), I like the food and can make a few dishes if I really need to. I love our way of doing things like weddings and the 7th day party the bride gets with all the halwa and hilib and timir. It’s all just lovely. We also obviously have the Islamic practices which we sometimes mix with culture and it’s all very good but there must be more to being Somali than what I have listed.
What does it mean to be a Somali?
posted by Ever The Idealist at
9:57 am
8 Comments:
warya warya naaaaayaaah naaaayaaaah
egg egg egg egg
skawram
ok thats the end of my somalisim
each community has the same issues, and being a member of a certain community means we notice the faults more, especially when we have been at the brunt end of it.
your generation and the next can ensure a brighter future inshallah, it just means working at it
You know WA, there is so much WEIGHT in your last statement.
A lot depends on our generation, regardless of race, to ensure a brighter future for all of us; Muslims or people of other faiths.
May Allah make our task easy and successful. AMEEN.
Are you serious, H thinks the community is wonderfuld?!! am reserving judgement, what does it mean to be somali, ethnicity is all relative, it means what you want it to mean it helps if your genetic heritage matchs but hey.
to be somali for means to have an incredible since of humour, other then periodically killing each other we are easy going (comes from all the bananas)secretly a matriarchal society...somali woman are tough. Oh and i love the fact that somali parents are so liberal incomparison to some ethnicities i am after all writing this from a different continent.
To sum up i too think we are a rather cool community, as long as community means i don't actually spend anytime with them :)
besides the 3 somali families that i actually know are great will keep it that way so as not to become disallution (learning arabic means i am forgeting my english look at the state of my spelling...:(
WA and GF you are both so right it's scary. I hope we can make the changes that are neccesary for our communities to move forward and better themselves.I hope I don't pass on my hate to the next generation.
NM glad to hear you are not towing the same line as H and I am so glad you thought the picture of her baby adorable. You have to see her in person. I know what you mean about the 3 Somali familes though because that is probably the number of families that I know and like but saying that there was a time when there were none that I liked. Times change I suppose...
I talked to Maano about this and he thinks its cool to be a Somali as it made him diffrent at school and college. He thinks the Somali are very secretive people but altogether good!!!
Secretive really, don't they call for the world? :)
give maano my salam
Well being a Somali is a plus non doupt about it, but growing up in a western society amongst other commuties made eyes open and overall made us a better Muslim and undoubtly a better Somali so is about time we embrace our comminuty instead of shunning them and slowly correct the flaws that is there ... not saying we have no fualts our own.
hey...Somali ppl r the same everywhere. .whether its the GULF.EUROP..((.noisy, ,gosspiy..ecttt..))but guess what i wouldn't trade my ppl for the world..trust me..when you look around and feel like a complete stranger,,y'll no what i mean...:( and like the person above me said..it is our responsibility to try to change that..7ata law shway
Hey,
I've just come across this blog searching for the meaning of the word of 'abowe' lol. now I'm not Somalian but have a lot of friends who are Somalian and love their nation and culture with a passion.
in my opinion, Somalia is a country full of courageous and outspoken individuals, Somalia is the land of the poet, Somalia is the country where love and respect plays a big role in the society. I mean I understand where ur coming from when u state someone will contact your family member if they see you in public at a certain hour or if u get seen with the opposite sex or u get caught smoking etc but the same thing happens to young people from other ethnic backgrounds. Its just a culture thing..... one thing I have realised though is that Somalian have each others back (good and bad), now how many white, asian people do u see do that??
Enjoy the fact that your Somalian but most importantly appreciate it, one day you'll meet someone who will be able to teach you the history of Somalia and why the elders and youngsters are the way they are today... I never thought I would ever get along with somalianss because of what others use to 'state' but honestly, I think Somalian people are the greatest people to be walking on this earth, just goes to show never judge a person by their appearances :)
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