^^^ Togane is difficult to undertsand, I have been alarmed at his language and the way he insults clans. However if you look at his whole work then he spares no clan, region or individual. He mocks them all. This is what sets him apart. I agree with Qudhac his poems lack real depth and are quite simple. Yet thats why they are so provocative and get the attention of everyone. He is proud to be Somali..

^^^ Indeed, but who is being a hypocrite. The government represeting the people or the roadblock owners killing innocent defenceless Somali's? Jowhar is getting built and has attracted the international community. The beautiful capital Mogadishu is being used as a training camp for ****** , not anything else. You sound like your idol Sharif, just pick on silly points. With your own eayes you saw reps of 7 nations in that small town of Jowhar. Where is Sharif and his warlords? Where are the "Islamic" courts? Mogadishu is still full of roadblocks and the minorities and other civilians are getting bullied and assasinated. Face facts and stop the hubris.. Change and progress is what the country needs. It does not need people who hide behind the clan or our noble faith..

Actuall history does not have to be acording to what myth says. Exactly, my point of this whole thread is that the history online is mostly garbage or at best not accurate. For example Somali's came from Arabia is a clanistic myth which has not been proven. We need to collect and research our own history. Who are the Somali's?

Castro I salute you again.. My sister Sharhazad, you are right, but some of these poems are great and we as an oral society should appreciate, keep and as you said promote the art of wordplay. The owner and his baby faced admins, will only be moved by the power of the mob, so let us unite and see how fast they respond to our demands ..

My personal hero, a man who started his campaign at 21 and acheived what few Generals do. The destruction of his mighty enemy and leaving his footprints in history.. There has been no notable biography of Imam Ahmed by the Somali's, while there exists a Yemeni accounts and even an Ethiopian works on this grand leader.. IMAM AHMED IBRAHIM AL GHAZI Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi (c.1507 - February 21, 1543) was a Somali Imam and General who defeated several Ethiopian emperors and wreaked much damage on that nation. He is also known as Ahmad Gragn (or Gurey), "Ahmed the left-handed". He was born near Zeila, a port city located in northwestern Somalia, and married Bati del Wambara, the daughter of governor Mahfuz of Zeila. When Mahfuz was killed returning from a campaign against the Ethiopian emperor Lebna Dengel in 1517, the Adal sultanate lapsed into anarchy for several years, until Imam Ahmad killed the last of the contenders for power and took control of Harar. In retaliation for an attack on Adal in 1527-8 by the Ethiopian general Degalhan, Imam Ahmad invaded Ethiopia in 1529. Although his troops were fearful of their opponents, and attempted to desert upon news that the Ethiopian army was approaching, Imam Ahmad relied on his elite company armed with matchlocks, and defeated emperor Lebne Dengel at Shimbra Kure that March.1 Imam Ahmad campaigned again in Ethiopia in 1531, breaking Emperor Lebna Dengel's ability to resist in the Battle of Amba Sel on October 28, then marched north to loot the island monastery of Lake Hayq and the stone churches of Lalibela. When the Imam entered the province of Tigray, he defeated an Ethiopian army that confronted him there, and on reaching Axum destroyed the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion, in which the Ethiopian emperors had been coronated for centuries. The Ethiopians were forced to ask for help from the Portuguese, who landed at the port of Massawa on February 10, 1541 in the reign of the emperor Gelawdewos. This force was led by Christovão da Gama, and included 400 musketeers and a number of artisans and other non-combatants. Da Gama and Imam Ahmad met on April 1, 1542 at Jarte, which Trimingham has identified with Anasa, between Amba Alagi and Lake Ashenge.2 Here te Portuguese had their first glimpse of Ahmad, as recorded by Castanhoso: While his camp was being pitched, the king of Zeila [imam Ahmad] acended a hill with several horse and some foot to examine us: he halted on the top with three hundred horse and three large banners, two white with red moons, and one red with a white moon, which always accompanied him, and which he was recognized.3 After the two unfamiliar armies exchanged messages then stared at each other for a few days, on April 4 da Gama formed his troops into an infantry square, and marched against the Imam's lines, repelling successive waves of attacks with their muskets and cannons. This battle ended when Imam Ahmad was wounded in the leg by a chance shot, and seeing his banners signal retreat, the Portuguese and their Ethiopian allies fell upon the disorganized Muslims, who suffered losses but managed to reform next to the river on the distant side. Over the next several days, Imam Ahmad was reinforced by new arrivals of troops, and understanding the need to act swiftly on April 16 da Gama again formed a square which he led against Imam Ahmad's camp. Although the Muslims fought with more determination than two weeks before -- their horse almost broke the Portuguese square -- an opportune explosion of some gunpowder tramatized the horses on the Imam's side, and his army fled in disorder. Castanhoso laments that "the victory would have been complete this day had we only one hundred horses to finish it: for the King was carried on men's shoulders in a bed, accompanied by horsemen, and they fled in no order."4 Reinforced by the arrival of the Bahr Negash Yishaq, da Gama marched south after Imam Ahmad's force, reaching sight of him ten days later. However, the onset of the rainy season prevented da Gama from engaging Ahmad a third time, and on the advice of Queen Sabla Wengel made a winter camp at Wafla near Lake Ashenge, within sight of his opponent.5 Knowing that victory lay in the number of firearms an army had, the Imam sent to his fellow Muslims for help. According to Abbé Joachim le Grand, Imam Ahmad received 2000 musketeers from Arabia, and artillery and 900 picked men from the Ottomans to assist him. Meanwhile, due to casualties and other duties, da Gama's force was reduced to 300 musketeers. After the rains ended, Imam Ahmad attacked the Portuguese camp, and through weight of numbers killed all but 140 of da Gama's troops. Da Gama, badly wounded, was captured with ten of his men and, after refusing an offer of converting to Islam in return for his life, was executed.6 The survivors and Galawedos were afterwards able to join forces and, drawing on the Portuguese supplies, they attacked Ahmad on February 21, 1543 in the Battle of Wayna Daga, where their 9,000 troops managed to defeat the 15,000 soldiers under Imam Ahmad. The Imam was killed by a Portuguese musketteer, who was mortally wounded in avenging da Gama's death. His wife Bati del Wambara managed to escape the battlefield with a remnant of the Turkish soldiers to Harar, where she rallied his followers. She agreed to marry his nephew Nur ibn Mujahid on the condition that Nur would avenge Imam Ahmad's defeat. "In Ethiopia the damage which [Ahmad] Gragn did has never been forgotten," wrote Paul B. Henze. "Every Christian highlander still hears tales of Gragn in his childhood. Haile Selassie referred to him in his memoirs. I have often had villagers in northern Ethiopia point out sites of towns, forts, churches and monasteries destroyed by Gragn as if these catastrophes had occurred only yesterday."7 While acknowledging that many modern Somali nationalists consider Ahmad a national hero, Henze dismisses their claims, stating that the concept of a Somali nation did not exist during Ahmad's lifetime.

Adal Adal was a sixteenth century sultanate located in East Africa north of Ethiopia, in modern Eritrea and Djibouti. At its height, the sultanate controlled large portions of Ethiopia and Somalia. A previous Islamic state in the region, the Sultanate of Shewa, had been destroyed in the fourteenth century by the Ethiopian negus negust Amda Seyon. A smaller sultanate, the Sultanate of Ifat, controlled a few trading ports on the coast including Saylac and Adal in the following decades. In either 1403 or 1415, the Ethiopians invaded Ifat and defeated its armies under its sultan, Sa'ad ad-Din II, though they failed to maintain control over Adal itself. In the mid-1520s, a fiery imam named Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi (known as Ahmad Gran, the Left-Handed, to the Ethiopians) conquered the region of Adal and launched a holy war against Christian Ethiopia under the leadership of Lebna Dengel. Supplied by the Ottoman Empire firearms, Ahmad was able to defeat the Ethiopians at the Battle of Shimbra Kure in 1529 and seize control of the wealthy Ethiopian highlands, though the Ethiopians continued to resist from the Christian highlands. In 1541, the Portuguese, who had vested interests in the Indian Ocean, sent aid to the Ethiopians in the form of 400 musketeers; Adal, in response, received 900 from the Ottomans. Ahmad was initially successful against the Ethiopians while campaigning in the fall of 1542, killing the Portuguese commander Christovão da Gama in August that year. Portuguese musketry proved decisive in Adal's defeat at the Battle of Wayna Daga, near Lake Tana, in February 1543, where Ahmad was killed in battle. The Ethiopians subsequently retook the Amhara plateau and recouped their losses against Adal; the Ottomans, who had their own troubles to deal with in the Mediterranean, were unable to help Ahmad's successors. In 1577, the capital of the Adal Sultanate was moved to Harar, and a sharp decline in Adal's power followed. The migration of the pagan Oromo (called the Galla by the Amhara) into the Horn of Africa affected both Adal and Ethiopia. The warlike Oromo tribes exhausted the Ethiopians in the latter part of the sixteenth century in war, and the weakened Adal sultanate was unable to cope; by 1660, the sultanate had disappeared. Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adal"

As we can not create our own timeline, here is the BBC's.... Timeline: Somalia A chronology of key events: 600s - Arab tribes establish the sultanate of Adel on the Gulf of Aden coast. Somali capital, Mogadishu, in more peaceful times Emerged as Arab settlement in 10th century Bought by Italy in 1905 Capital of independent Somalia from 1960 Estimated population: 1 million 800s - Somali people begin to migrate from Yemen. 1500s - Sultanate of Adel disintegrates into small states. 1875 - Egypt occupies towns on Somali coast and parts of the interior. 1860s - France acquires foothold on the Somali coast, later to become Djibouti. 1887 - Britain proclaims protectorate over Somaliland. 1888 - Anglo-French agreement defines boundary between Somali possessions of the two countries. 1889 - Italy sets up a protectorate in central Somalia, later consolidated with territory in the south ceded by the sultan of Zanzibar. 1925 - Territory east of the Jubba river detached from Kenya to become the westernmost part of the Italian protectorate. 1936 - Italian Somaliland combined with Somali-speaking parts of Ethiopia to form a province of Italian East Africa. 1940 - Italians occupy British Somaliland. 1941 - British occupy Italian Somalia.

The history i know is that of the Aborigines, Somali history is full of shidh as far as i'm concerned. My concern here is to put the Somali side of the East African history. We already have the Ethiopian side and the Arab side but what about the Somali's. If one outs together all the whispers it can get real loud... Battle of Shimbra Kure From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Jump to: navigation, search Battle of Shimbra Kure The Battle of Shimbra Kure was fought in March of 1529 between the forces of Adal led by Imam Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi, and the Ethiopian army. The Ethiopians were []led by Dawit II.[/b] Despite being outnumbered, Adal was victorious. This article about a historical battle is a stub. You can help Wikipedia and the Military history WikiProject by expanding it. The Battle of Shimbra Kure was fought in March of 1529 between the forces of Adal led by Imam Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi, and the Ethiopian army. The Ethiopians were led by Dawit II. Despite being outnumbered, Adal was victorious. This article about a historical battle is a stub. You can help Wikipedia and the Military history WikiProject by expanding it. Conflict: Date: March, 1529 Location: Ethiopia Combatants Adal Ethiopia Commanders Imam Ahmad Gragn Dawit II Outcome: al-Ghazi is victorious Casualties

^^^ Good point. First step why not put the best 50/ 100 poems together, as voted for by members on SOL. This is what I had in mind, while we work out all the legal and financial details with regards to having a paper back. Give it all to charity or to the website itself.. Difficult this aint, but lets agree on what we want to do. Whats the point of all these poems?

Rahima. As Yoonis pointed out Morgan a maverick, playboy General fought many battles against the USC. This made him a star in the south specialy to the clan that was on the receiving end of the USC assault. He was the example of evil in the eys of many USC clans men and supporters. Today Morgan is a guest to the worst groups that came out of the USC movement, ie. the drug dealer Inda cade and the fake wadaad Xasan Dahir Aways. Is it me who is crazy when i QUESTIONS the relationship today of Morgan and this group. Now I never liked Hiiraale, or his claim to Kismayu. In terms of sub-clans as you know Morgan is closer to me than Hiiraale and the USC are my kin. Yet Morgan is wrong and so are the USC wing that is in alliance with him. DO YOU GET THE POINT NOW? Its not about clan, the problems of Kismayu, Baidoa amd Mogadishu etc must be setled through peace and dialogue and within the agreed national framework. Its the job of the government, and Inda Cade, Xasan Dahir and Morgan are not in the government..

Great news indeed.. Jowhar is becoming something else..

I vote nay. This site is good for foruming and debating; strengthening those ideas that make sense and shooting down those that are pure rubbish. Lets keep it that way. Brother Xiin. I mean in no way to change the SOL forum as it is but to add a history section of the Somali people. A timeline, maps, articles and so on. Profiles of great leaders and maybe even villans.. Who knows it might open the eys of some people towards our shared heritage.. I gues it would be good for young Somali;s wanted to learn abour their past. Somalia is more than, drought, famine and the weaknesses of today. We are a distinct nation who occupy an area the size of western Europe..

General, this is a monumental task. The logistics are very difficult. The obstacles (people mostly) are numerous. But the rewards will be great. I must say I like Mr Castro.. I agree it will be tough, yet I dont see any other option. A people who dont know where they came from will have no idea of what direction to take. Rahima, my apologise for metioning your name, it wont happen again. Indeed you might need this section as you stated you only know about the history of the Aboriginis, why not learn your own?? Yoonis, I understand you was jesting but I require more ideas from you brother. You have claimed to be a historian, so lets see you contribute to this section.

Word, how are ya my sister, long time. My aim was just a way of highlighting all the poems posted on this site. Something must be done, dont you agree????

^^ Thats good Comrade Fidel. So you propose splitting the group into finders, researchers and auditors? Interesting. I like it very much it is still raw though..

^^^ No its for everyone dear... Should SOL which means us, put together a poetry book, an e-book or even traditional. Of our finest poems? How should go about doing this...

Thats a good idea. So what type structure and composition should this commitee be? Give me an outline of what you think..

People how many poems have been posted in this website? Where are they? Why not put together a book, online or otherwise to highlight the poetic talent of say the Nomad next to you? SOL, POEMS volume one: coming to a screen near you.

^^^ I gave an example, now think it through it might be bulshit. If it is then correct it. I am serious I love history and it would be a nice hobby for me, after all I am a master at copy and paste. As for the commitee you must love history and working in a group..If so chair it..

See how Juma goes quite. Even his reliable dayniile source admited that there was a meeting of Igad representatives in Jowhar, where was Sharif today??? Damn does Jowhar look quite, where are the heavy hitters from Mogadishu and their hot air threats???? Oh they are too busy setting up roadblocks in our once beautiful national capital..

Its content must have legitimate, recognized sources - It must have the "reply" button disabled - On historical events, the emphasis must be on region/personalities rather than clan. - Information must be organized in a chronological manner. I agree with SLK. 100%. Castro made a good point, yet the clan is important part of the Somali identity. Insulting clans is wrong learning about our common heritage is not. There are many articles, research material, maps and even pictures about Somalia. Why shoudl this not be made readily available to us. The politics section is fluid individualistic and at times confusing the history, section should be big static and based on consensus. How should we get this consensus be achieved? I suggest there be a commitee to authorise what articles, materials should be used, which are relevent and so on.. For example, [this streching it]lets have the Duke,Suldanka, Rahima, MMA, Rudy, Willow etc on the board. They dont have much in common wether clan, or regional location.. Once this group agree on a timeline, theme, article topic then it gets placed on the main website. Pictures, maps, flags and so on should be excempt from this slow painstaking process.. Also you must love History and that boring stuff. If there is disagrement on a profile have the pro and cons both sides of the argument. We have a history, and I belive that we will agree 99% of the time. If in doubt we can leave the past recent 100 years for last and start from the CUSHITE, SEMITE stuff, who are the Oromo, Amhara, and what are their relationship with us? Somali history is not unique and every nation has had their clans, their wars their struggles. -role of other Other SOL members and guests can be to help guide the COMMITEE group, to interesting articles and areas that they have overlooked. What do you guys think???

Nothing new, Toogane is the same as ever.. But i dont undertsand why Rahima and her sidekick Juma are going crazy. The man is giving his view point, why attack people in SOL. iTS A DAMN SHAME I TELL YA..