By Najma Sharif – May 12, 2016 The largest population of Somalis in the United States lives in the Twin Cities, Minnesota, about an hour and a half from where I grew up. There are Somali enclaves in London, Toronto, Columbus, Seattle, San Diego, and Melbourne. But the place I’ve always felt the most at home, […] More
Elman, 24, is not just a soldier; she is a captain commanding a heavily male force in the Somali National Army (SNA). And her unit’s work is among the army’s most dangerous — searching for al-Shabab, an al-Qaida-linked group and U.S.-designated terror organization that wants to create a fundamentalist Islamic state in Somalia. “I had […] More
“You have to understand / that no one puts their children in a boat / unless the water is safer than land,” wrote Warsan Shire in a poem about the refugee crisis. Courtesy of Amaal Said So now we know who Beyonce’s favorite poet is: 27-year-old Somali-Brit Warsan Shire. Shire’s poetry was heard ’round the […] More
A school on the outskirts of Hargeisa has become a draw for high-achievers from around Somaliland as well as a launching pad, sending these students on to some of the most prestigious schools around the world. Mustapha Mohamed Ibrahim, a recent graduate of the Abaarso School of Science and Technology outside Hargeisa, helps tutor younger […] More
Three music artists are headed to Malta with a message of hope for fellow Somalis, who make up the largest African community in Malta. Flown in from the UK, Norway and Sweden, the two singers and DJ will be taking part in the first Somali music festival organised by the local community tomorrow. “We want […] More
Every culture has its artists and artistry. Thanks to the Maine Arts Commission, three Somali Bantu artists in Lewiston recently received grants to mentor others in their art and thereby pass along the tradition to future generations. Each of the three artists is unique, with a different set of skills and perspective to offer their […] More
Somali piracy has had unintended positive consequences—from the economy to international cooperation. In 2009, piracy off the coast of Somalia splashed onto the global stage at near epidemic levels. The impact of Somali piracy affected the entire international community as shipping expenses soared. The wave of piracy attacks, however, was short-lived due to a quick […] More
Somalis are happier than Kenyans, in spite of having endured war for more than two decades, a new report shows. Ranked at 76 globally in the 2015 World Happiness Report released by the United Nations on Thursday, Somalia is the happiest country in the region, followed by Kenya at 122. However, the report also includes […] More
Xawaash is a Somali restaurant in Rexdale. It’s also a popular food blog, and one husband-and-wife team run both. Abdullahi Kassim and Leila Adde started xawaash.com to teach others how to make Somali food. They also used it to preserve a piece of their culture. “We were doing it as a hobby and also to […] More
Minnesota’s Somali community is divided over a federal pilot program that aims to address the root causes of radicalization. The plan focuses on job training, academic tutoring and mentoring for Somali young people. Nationally, this program is called CVE, or Countering Violent Extremism. Minnesota’s initiative is called Building Community Resilience. It’s funded by the Department […] More
In a Geneva conference hall last October, at the last global consultation meeting of the current humanitarian reform process, the great and the good of the humanitarian world mingled and chatted over coffee and croissants. The mood was collegiate and cosy – until a bespectacled Somali woman, in hijab and flowing robes, took to the […] More
His name was up in lights: Mohamed Said, Seattle’s first Somali police officer. There he is in photos, arm in arm with Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole, the one black face on a stage full of white recruits. There are his friends and family in hijabs and bright clothing, cheering his graduation from the police academy […] More
Safia Samatar was born to a Somali father and Swiss German Mennonite mother in a small town in northern Indiana. Passionate about languages, Samatar moved to South Sudan and later to Egypt during her twenties to teach English and learn Arabic with her husband author Keith Miller. Now, with a doctorate in African languages and […] More
