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161. State and Politics in Ethiopia's Somali Region since 1991

Author:
Tobias Hagmann and Mohamud H. Khalif
Publication Date:
07-2006
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies
Institution:
Macalester College
Abstract:
When asked by an interviewer whether he felt more Somali or more Ethiopian, Sultan Korfa Garane Ahmed, a federal member of parliament representing part of Ethiopia's Somali Region, diplomatically responded: “I am an Ethiopian-Somali.” The MP's self-description as an Ethiopian-Somali highlights two crucial implications for the analysis of contemporary politics in what was formerly known as the Ogaden and is today referred to as the Somali Regional State or simply Region 5. For the first time in the history of the Ethiopian empire-state or, more precisely, since the forced incorporation of the Somali inhabited Ogaden into Ethiopia at the end of the 19th century, the Somalis are officially recognized as one of the country's “nations, nationalities and peoples.” Since the accession to power of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) in May 1991, attempts to forge a distinct “Ethiopian-Somali” or “Somali-Ethiopian” identity have superseded the former regimes' patronizing attitudes toward the country's “subject nationalities.”
Political Geography:
Ethiopia and Somalia

162. Short Story: A Foreign Language is Such a Nuisance!

Author:
Samatar Soyaan
Publication Date:
07-2006
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies
Institution:
Macalester College
Abstract:
Once he had put his glasses securely in front of his eyes opened wide in surprise, Farah quietly asked his wife Kaltuun, “How do you spell the word 'heart'? Is it with a double consonant and two r's or with a long vowel and double a?” Distorting her mouth in a sneer, pulling up one side of her light cotton caftan with one hand and throwing the other, fingers pointed, at her husband, she answered, “Listen, that you must ask our child. What do I know about this foreign language? I hate it!.”

163. The Internet and the Somali Diaspora: The Web as a Means of Expression

Author:
Abdisalam M. Issa-Salwe
Publication Date:
07-2006
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies
Institution:
Macalester College
Abstract:
The disappearance of the Somali state from the international scene in 1991 is seen as a unique phenomenon in this nation-state era. This experience was expected to leave Somalia “out of the loop” of new global technologies, markets, politics, and cultures. Contrary to this expectation, Somalis have not been so excluded. In fact, with the impact of globalization during the close of the 1990s, the World Wide Web presented an opportunity for the Somali diaspora to communicate, regroup, share views, help their groups at home, and organize activities (e.g., development projects).
Political Geography:
Somalia

164. Resettled Somali Women in Georgia and Changing Gender Roles

Author:
Dorian B. Crosby
Publication Date:
07-2006
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies
Institution:
Macalester College
Abstract:
“Women and men experience conflict, displacement, and post-conflict settings directly because of the culturally determined gender division of roles and responsibilities.” As a result, women face different challenges than men in the aftermath of war. Since women comprise the majority of refugees, they tend to be the majority of asylum seekers. According to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), approximately 80 percent of refugee women are responsible for themselves and children. Many female refugees are from patriarchal societies where men tend to dominate the political, economic, and social decision-making processes. Consequently, men tend to provide the dominant economic support for the family. However, when men are killed or go missing during war, women must become their own providers and protectors. This makes them heads of their households. For most, this is a new responsibility.

165. Poem: The Poet's Death is His Life

Author:
Mahamud Siad Togane
Publication Date:
07-2006
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies
Institution:
Macalester College
Abstract:
So it is with great sadness that I share with you the distressing news of the death of Abwaan Ahmed Ismail Diirye, better known to the world as “Qaasim,” who distinguished himself and made us all proud in his compositions of unforgettable lyrical poesy in our own mother tongue.

166. New Collection of Somali Folktales

Author:
Suzanne Lilius
Publication Date:
07-2006
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies
Institution:
Macalester College
Abstract:
Human beings, graced with the capacity to speak, use oral language (in addition to body language) for all sorts of communication: disseminating information, giving orders, paying respect. But mostly we love telling stories. Storytelling constitutes an integral part of a living oral tradition. When such a tradition gains access to a written language, among the first things people write down are folktales that are then spread further, in various ways. One form of dissemination is through schoolbooks; another is the reading material produced for literacy campaigns. For people who are not accustomed to reading, the reading process is facilitated if they recognize the content. Many of the folktales are not only well known but also much loved. Even if the stories in themselves are not familiar, at least the form is understood. This awakens the joy of discovery. Reading becomes more attractive and the effort pays off. A parallel movement of writing down folktales takes place when people collect and translate stories, making them available to people of other cultures. Folktales, more than any other stories, are implicitly seen as offering keys to the culture where they originated.

167. Table of Contents

Publication Date:
07-2005
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies
Institution:
Macalester College
Abstract:
No abstract is available.

168. Dedication

Publication Date:
07-2005
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies
Institution:
Macalester College
Abstract:
In the scales of concentrated sadness, the sudden loss of an exceptional compatriot is one of the most acute. In the early morning of July 11, 2005, Mr. Abdulkadir Yahya Ali was assassinated at his residence in Mogadishu, and in front of his wife. Activists come in a variable quality; Abdulkadir was sterling—that is, he was a tireless, courageous, reasoned, and optimistic devotee of national reconciliation and peace, and a founding member of the National Civic Forum. He joins the unsung heroes whose lives have been cut short by murderers antithetical to the return of national solidarity and justice to Somali time. We pray that Allah will reward him for his noble earthly deeds on behalf of the Somali people.
Political Geography:
Somalia

169. Editor's Note

Publication Date:
07-2005
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies
Institution:
Macalester College
Abstract:
Volume five of Bildhaan is a tad different than earlier issues. First, we are pleased to offer, in print, pieces that appeared, though updated, on electronic sites that cater to readers on Somali affairs. Second, we are formalizing a section that, in the future, will record documents, no matter how controversial, that we deem to be of critical value for constructive debates on the nature and directions of the Somali people and society. Third, Abdi and Ahmed Samatar's writings are overrepresented. Though we promise not to make this a habit, we feel the pertinence and timeliness of all three pieces to be compelling enough. Fourth, Bildhaan, as we promised in the inaugural volume in 2001, is open to both scholarly and artistic contributions. Fifth, in the spirit of the editorial essay in this volume, we plan to occasionally publish opinion pieces—including responses to the editorial included here—that reflect on contemporary and substantive issues. Consequently, we invite our readers to submit well-written and carefully reasoned pieces (around 3,000 words) for consideration.
Political Geography:
Somalia

170. Transition and Leadership: An Editorial

Author:
Ahmed I. Samatar and Abdi Ismail Samatar
Publication Date:
07-2005
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies
Institution:
Macalester College
Abstract:
Let's begin with one fundamental assertion: We both feel deeply for Somalia and its people—our people. In the heat of this moment, some might dismiss such a sentiment as rather anachronistic. But even if there is some grain of truth to that judgment, we hold firmly that the instinct is a viable and deliberate mistiming commensurate with the imperatives of the long durée. Our loyalty, therefore, is to no individual or political group. On the contrary, we define ourselves as civic scholars whose sole interest is to make whatever small contribution our modest talents will allow to the revival of Somali national identity, dignity, and purpose. This brief essay's central concern, then, is the direction of the country in the wake of the recent announcements of a new leadership and political institutions. We offer these thoughts, though somewhat melancholic in word and tone, with the hope that our compatriots will use the new tidings as a potentially valuable development (albeit not a tabula rasa as one would have wished for); that is, a fleeting opportunity to be used to move out of the current morass and positively forge ahead towards an authentic renewal.
Political Geography:
Somalia