On Somalis in the new Kenyan cabinet

What issues are dominating the Somali blogosphere? Let's take a quick tour: Kenya-Somali writes about the new Kenyan cabinet and the Somali representation in it:

It's good to see many Somalis who are serving in the Grand Coalition. Mr. Yussuf Haji as Defence Minister, Elmi as Minister for Northern Kenya & Arid Lands, Aden Sugow Assistant Minister of Public Works while Farah Maalim serves as a deputy Speaker. A Mr. Mohamud of Mandera also serves as an Assistant Minister.

Royal Somali comments on a Youtube video showing a brave, young Somali girl speaking out against generalizations about Muslims:

Somali young Girl talks at the Melbourne Speakers Forum about people generalizing about Muslims, the twin towers, and the concept of Jihad, the greater struggle with the "NAFS" or the SELF. Melbourne speakers Forums is just similar to speakers corner in Hyde Park London, Vancouver speaker's corner.

Native Female attends the wedding of fello belogger White African, she writes:

Highlight of the week was going to White African’s wedding party. It was beautiful…..mashaAllah. I enjoyed myself immensely and the bride looked gorgeous……mashaAllah. It was a chance for me to meet the gang. It has been a while since we were all under the same roof at the same time. Made some new friends. Picked up some new dance moves. And all this while looking hot (hey….I gotta stroke the ego….I need it lol)

East African Philosopher considers cities to study a semester in:

I have been thinking about spending a semester in Cairo, Egypt for a while now, not because I have romantic ideas about Egypt but rather it is a place that I can relate to a “little” bit in terms of culture and closeness to my native home. It also helps that I have friends and distant family members living there. Plus I’m learning Arabic and what place is better than that? Yes, Damascus is also an excellent choice too.
But back to Cairo. The other day I read this article in the New York TImes that talks about a recent scientific study of “noisiest” cities in the world and Cairo was the unparalleled champion of the noisiest city in the world at 85 decimals on an average day – that is, as the study suggests, a jackhammer at full power running 3 feet away from a human being from 7am to 10pm at night. Seriously. Yet this is only an “average” day. I wonder what an above average day sounds like in Cairo. Perhaps two jackhammers?

Somali poems have many forms, Shafi describes one form performed as part of wedding ceremonies called Gaaf (usually performed in the 7th day after the actual wedding):

Once the drumming starts and the Gaaf is initiated, silence fills the air. Every ear is tuned towards the person reciting the poetry or singing, in order to assess and judge the worth of his/her words. Addressing everyone present, the young girl starts the ceremony with these lines:

Hoobe hobaala hoobala hoobalow

Ee hoobe hobaala hoobalayey hadaba

Salaamu calaykum safiya iyo daahirow

Salaama calaykum safkan meesha joogayow

Salaama calaykum soomaaliyey dhamaan

Hoobe hobaala hoobala hoobalow

Ee hoobe hobaala hoobalayey hadaba

Peace be upon you O’ Safiya and Daahir

Peace be upon you O’ who have assembled here

Peace be upon you Somalis in your entirety

6 comments

  • The Muslim girl has a lot of guts….she was clearly not in a very welcoming crowd.
    I think it should be pretty clear that a lot of the Western hatred that’s directed at religions, not just Islam, there is a lot directed at Christianity in Australia, for example. It should be pretty clear that a lot of it is clearly being done IN SPITE of the teachings of these religions.
    To a lot of Westerners, Christianity is simply an uptight religion that is against homosexual people and fornication whereas anyone who has studied the bible knows that there are only 2 major commandments….to Love God and to Love your fellow man AS MUCH as you love yourself.
    The same thing can be said of Islam (which I understand means “peace”). I think once and for all we should decide as a global community that we will not equate the actions of people who claim to do something in the name of a religion with the religion itself.
    Almost all religions are centered around love…you don’t have to look too far to see that in the “War against terrorism” people are violating the principles of their alleged religion by slaughtering each other.

    My two cents

  • The kidnappers of Pakistani man who was working for Canadian Oil Company have demanded up to $25 million to release the man.
    The spokesman of the group that is to say Osman Abdullahi told Shabelle that would allow bargain on the release of the Pakistani man but he added that if Puntland troops try to rescue they would kill the hostage.
    “if they attempt to rescue him by force we will kill him” Abdullahi said.
    Like hijackings at sea, kidnappings of foreigners onshore have become increasingly common this year in Somalia, including in the northern region of Puntland which has escaped the worst of a two-year insurgency in the south.
    “A Pakistani man working for African Oil Corp. was kidnapped by two of his bodyguards between Daroor and Ufayn, about 80 km (50 miles) to the south of Bosasso,” Hassan Osman Alore, mineral minister for Puntland, told Shabelle..
    “He was doing surveys when they kidnapped him.”
    Alore said soldiers had rushed to the area to try to surround the kidnappers. “We have confidence that the Pakistani will be saved,” he said.
    Hostages taken in Somalia are mostly freed unharmed for ransom payments after a few weeks, though in Puntland local security services have managed to release some in raids.
    Somali officials have in the past occasionally made mistakes identifying nationalities and organisations of foreigners kidnapped. There was no immediate confirmation of Wednesday’s case from Vancouver-based Africa Oil.

  • Two Somali soldiers one of them security officer have been shot dead in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Wednesday noon, according to eyewitnesses.
    Sniper fire from three masked armed men killed the two soldiers while they were having tea at café shot at Tripiano area in Mogadishu.
    “Eight rounds of bullets were hit on the head of the officer” eyewitness Mohamed Yusuf said.
    The groups also killed a bodyguard with the officer at the spot.
    Elsewhere unknown armed men have killed an officer of the presidential palace bodyguards.
    The officer was killed while he was driving small car in Waberi neighborhood in Mogadishu by three armed men with pistols.
    The culprits eluded and the government forces have started trucking down them although no tangible progress they have made was reported.
    It’s not the first time such killings occurred in the matching district that experienced in the last days different killings were attributed to the anti-Government troops.

  • Thousands of mourners in the city of Beledwqeyne have attended the burial of Peace elder Da,ar Hersi Hoshow who was killed in Beledweyne town on Tuesday.

  • war &conflict

    A UN delegation has visited refugees in Elasha biyaha area outside Mogadishu on Thursday.
    Delegation leader Denise Brown that is the deputy director of WFP Somalia described the IDPs lives as “desolate” and promised its inhabitants a better life.
    Thousands of IDPs those fled from the violence in Mogadishu camped there.
    Large numbers of the IDPs have been homeless since they fled from the city those living in harsh life.
    Mrs. Denise brown has told the reporters that would consider the livelihood of the IDPs.
    “I assured them (the IDPS) that when we came here, we will try to provide them the hope of a better future,” she said.
    The delegates were reported to have to flown back to Nairobi after of their visit.

  • Abdo

    That young Somali girl in Melbourne (speakers corner) was very brave,articulate and clever. Shame on those who were trying to disrupt her, they were so full of hatred, at least they should have given a chance to complete her speech, after all she was a very young girl…but brave.
    Well done walalo

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