Reeyo

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Posts posted by Reeyo

  3. Posted

    Che -Guevara;891927 wrote:
    Comment

     

    I feel compelled to respond to this disappointing and dangerous piece published by Gawker both as a Somali woman living in the diaspora, and as a PhD student specializing in women and gender in the Horn of Africa. Safy-Hallan Farah is participating (despite her disclaimer that her objective is "not to tar Somali women with the label ‘oppressed’") in a wider, problematic discourse of the African/Muslim woman in peril, drawing her authority on the subject not from knowledge or expertise, but as a 'native informant' relying on anecdotal information to generalize the experiences of Somali women as a whole. What evidence is there to support the assertion that not being circumcised differentiates her from "nearly every other Somali woman in [her] age group residing in the diaspora?" What are her sources for the figures thrown around in her essay (ie. 4% of Somali women in the diaspora are uncircumcised) underpinning her argument for her "privileged *****"? There are none.

     

    There is a vast literature on female circumcision in African societies that critique and move away from simplistic interpretations of the practice as a product of violent patriarchal custom, and instead explore its status as a female-led social institution embedded in complex and shifting culturally-specific understandings of sexuality, gender identities and generational relationships. Yet Farah instead erases the agency and subjectivity of African women by uncritically repeating ethnocentric Western feminist arguments that cast non-Western societies (in particular African and Muslim ones) as backward, and non-Western women as hapless victims of their barbaric cultures (and barbaric men, as Farah does by invoking Al-Shabaab). Her linking of female circumcision to Al-Shabaab and terrorism is puzzling to say the least, and empirically false. To view the status of women’s genitals as the most pressing issue affecting Somali women, women whose lives are shaped by the realities of military occupation, wars on terror, political instability and displacement, is a uniquely Western exercise of power and privilege.

    Right on point comment. It never ceases to amaze me how this discourse is always subjected to Western interpretation of gender powers and the subject isolated and pitted from afar.

  4. Posted

    Alpha Blondy;902189 wrote:

     

    Alpha: Mrs Townsend, my mother said....i'm working overtime at home and that she recently bought me a CD kit to better learn the tricky bits in maths and all the other subjects. my mother as you can see (points to the Mother) is a frail old woman whose high in cholesterol. she may have a seizure if she's not home before 5pm. (points to the Mother) these people really ought to learn English teacher......?

     

     

    Mrs. Townsend: call me 'baby'!

     

    Haye..? Did you call her baby?

  11. Posted

    Caafle I think I follow what you mean by 'Instinct probably comes from a previous experience that is saved by our subconscious mind'. Simply because I am and always have been a really logical person, emotions and 'instinct' always took a backseat when it come to making decisions. In fact till this day you can find handbooks around where I make notes to weight out my options on everything. I've been tagged the robot many times. Lakin recently, call it age or the collection of many analytical options and life experiences but emotions/instinct have started playing a role in my decision making. As 5 mentioned about having a feeling about someone and basing your actions around that, I do that alot more then let me interview you and give you a probation time to measure your skills.

  12. Posted

    Abu-Salman, I agree, with the passing away of a loved one it always shatters some illusions we're unaware off. I've had a similar experience with death not once but 3 times and suddenly many things don't matter anymore.

    And yes maintaining and building on the relationships you share with family and friend is crucial to the balance of living a moral purposeful life. It's strange how easy it is to forget to call your mother or not see a sibling for a year and live out a very 'free'/no obligation selfish life.

     

    I believe we are living most of the time without an realizations and sometimes its scary where we are without knowing how we got there.

  13. Posted

    How many of us can actually say they are living the life they have always wanted and things are going just as they wanted it, little regrets and no ifs.

     

    It's that time of year and the dominate culture is demanding we all look back and smile about it or take action and change. Its self-reflection open season.

     

    Although I hate this season with a deep passion I take this aspect and honour it every year. Not the typical 'New Years resolution' and make a nonsense list but take a step back and exercise introspection. Life is too quick and we count down hours using the work activities and social events but never stop to think about how you as person is growing and what the end-result is. I am usually too tired and just look forward to going home and eating and sleeping or chilling with some friends. But Christmass comes around and you've give time to reflect.

     

    My question stands, do you use this time to think and change or just another phase to past by without any real acknowledgment?

  16. Posted

    raula;901754 wrote:
    ala waan suuxey...istaqfurulah...caku JB yaana oran. walaahi ilin baad iga keente..."car qorta.."kkkkkkkkkkkkk

    Haha. @ ala waan suuxey.

     

    Thank you JB and Raula

  24. Posted

    Dugsi was a nightmare for most Somali kids. I hated all my female maclins and still hate them today when I see them around. I think they were taught with the stick and they believed it was the only method. But worst then the stick was the constant humiliation and the verbal abuse. I remember once ragging the jilbab of my Qur'an teacher after she mention some really bad family issues and made me feel shit in front of all them mean semi-aggressive kids.

     

    At the age of 12 I walked out and never returned.