At the London Somali Youth Festival last night, 300 people turned up at Hampstead Town Hall for therapy. Along with the 299 other attendees I was told that the Somali community in London apparently suffer from a lack of confidence; the current status of its members can be improved by a dose of self-pride. It was that simple, all the ills associated with the Somali community in the nation's capital could be put right through a celebration of poetry, song and dance.
I sat back and let the wave of optimism and hope, that the organisers worked so hard to create, wash over me. I looked around as most of the people in my vicinity nodded in approval of the night's event, clapping intermittently and showing their support for the evening's festivities. Kids dressed in traditional clothes danced to songs sang by their elders about the old country. Various personalities, Somali and non-Somali, got on stage and voiced their support for this cause. Only through these kinds of events could integration be achieved. Kids needed to sing and dance, engage in sports related activities and generally be brought close to the bosom of their culture for them to realise that they were British and Somali.
Then I looked a little closer. I looked around me and noticed that the majority of these people knew each other. The festivals organisers were in effect preaching to the converted. Friends, family members and associates came out to show their support for the hard work of the organising committee. If you looked hard enough you could see that the committee was largely comprised of the same people behind Kasmo newspaper. Reading the newspaper before I attended the festival, I already understood their agenda. Whilst one could see that they had some good intentions behind their endeavours, the message they wanted to get across was loud and clear. The message was thus; Somalia has had problems since the government was overthrown in 1991 and the chaos that ensued has pushed the country into the abyss. The Diaspora community, in London through cultural awareness, Somalis can play a role in bringing back the good old days.
This ahistorical take on Somalia is the sole reason why it will never return to the good old days. For example, the veneration of the old flag of Somalia and the national anthem is an indication of support for the old Barre regime. But there are millions of Somalis who hate the flag and national anthem that represents the rule of the former dictator. See Somalia has not been a failed state for 20 years, it has been a failed state since the General Mohammed Siyaad Barre and his cohorts overthrew the elected government in 1969. The lack of appreciation for the facts and historical analysis will forever be a barrier towards progress for a vast number of the Somali community. We walk blindly towards oblivion; the arrogance of ignorance masks our ability to engage in rigorous self-analysis.
The recent emphasis of being British and Somali typifies the stupidity that is evident within the most prominent personalities in the community. Your Britishness is never in question; there is no test that one needs to pass to prove one's loyalty to Queen and country. The revisionist strain that runs through some Somalis, that because their forefathers shed blood for the Empire in the past they qualify to be considered as British as their fellow citizens, is total bullshit. Citizens are bound by the social contract [their rights and responsibilities] within the state they reside. By default, when one is in the UK one is a citizen and this is only brought into question by their social contract. All of this debate about Britishness is a red herring. People should consider the relevance of having a social contract when they have no place in mainstream society. Here is where things get tricky, are you a citizen of a state when you have no place in society?
The people that I know and come across on a regular basis on the whole are the disenfranchised. The balance between their rights and responsibilities has destabilised. This has manifested itself in the way they behave and how they live. The arrested development of the Somali community is down to this particular dynamic. You only sense an appreciation of this from the non-conformists. Those individuals who do not benefit from a relationship with the state; these people are often the most critical of a system that has failed to serve the wider community. But these people are not considered as part of the narrative and no time is taken to consider their plight.
The festival lasted three hours, celebrating all that is wrong with a significant number of the Somali community. This group, who have the backing of those who hold sway in the corridors of power, are myopic in their assessment of their community. Whether this is deliberate or not you would have to ask them, but if unchecked their work will get us nowhere.
I sat back and let the wave of optimism and hope, that the organisers worked so hard to create, wash over me. I looked around as most of the people in my vicinity nodded in approval of the night's event, clapping intermittently and showing their support for the evening's festivities. Kids dressed in traditional clothes danced to songs sang by their elders about the old country. Various personalities, Somali and non-Somali, got on stage and voiced their support for this cause. Only through these kinds of events could integration be achieved. Kids needed to sing and dance, engage in sports related activities and generally be brought close to the bosom of their culture for them to realise that they were British and Somali.
Then I looked a little closer. I looked around me and noticed that the majority of these people knew each other. The festivals organisers were in effect preaching to the converted. Friends, family members and associates came out to show their support for the hard work of the organising committee. If you looked hard enough you could see that the committee was largely comprised of the same people behind Kasmo newspaper. Reading the newspaper before I attended the festival, I already understood their agenda. Whilst one could see that they had some good intentions behind their endeavours, the message they wanted to get across was loud and clear. The message was thus; Somalia has had problems since the government was overthrown in 1991 and the chaos that ensued has pushed the country into the abyss. The Diaspora community, in London through cultural awareness, Somalis can play a role in bringing back the good old days.
This ahistorical take on Somalia is the sole reason why it will never return to the good old days. For example, the veneration of the old flag of Somalia and the national anthem is an indication of support for the old Barre regime. But there are millions of Somalis who hate the flag and national anthem that represents the rule of the former dictator. See Somalia has not been a failed state for 20 years, it has been a failed state since the General Mohammed Siyaad Barre and his cohorts overthrew the elected government in 1969. The lack of appreciation for the facts and historical analysis will forever be a barrier towards progress for a vast number of the Somali community. We walk blindly towards oblivion; the arrogance of ignorance masks our ability to engage in rigorous self-analysis.
The recent emphasis of being British and Somali typifies the stupidity that is evident within the most prominent personalities in the community. Your Britishness is never in question; there is no test that one needs to pass to prove one's loyalty to Queen and country. The revisionist strain that runs through some Somalis, that because their forefathers shed blood for the Empire in the past they qualify to be considered as British as their fellow citizens, is total bullshit. Citizens are bound by the social contract [their rights and responsibilities] within the state they reside. By default, when one is in the UK one is a citizen and this is only brought into question by their social contract. All of this debate about Britishness is a red herring. People should consider the relevance of having a social contract when they have no place in mainstream society. Here is where things get tricky, are you a citizen of a state when you have no place in society?
The people that I know and come across on a regular basis on the whole are the disenfranchised. The balance between their rights and responsibilities has destabilised. This has manifested itself in the way they behave and how they live. The arrested development of the Somali community is down to this particular dynamic. You only sense an appreciation of this from the non-conformists. Those individuals who do not benefit from a relationship with the state; these people are often the most critical of a system that has failed to serve the wider community. But these people are not considered as part of the narrative and no time is taken to consider their plight.
The festival lasted three hours, celebrating all that is wrong with a significant number of the Somali community. This group, who have the backing of those who hold sway in the corridors of power, are myopic in their assessment of their community. Whether this is deliberate or not you would have to ask them, but if unchecked their work will get us nowhere.
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