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Nowhere
is the war of words against lawlessness and anarchy in Somalia
being fought more fiercely than in the area of language, particularly
on Somali Websites in the Diaspora. Part of the battle is
to try to wrestle power from those who committed crimes against
humanity during the last eleven years. The other half have
been busy fueling more violence against a population that
is still wriggling from the aftermath of wholesale massacre
perpetrated by a bunch of ruthless killers in the name of
their clans.
I remember
reading an article by a Kenyan journalist who said that Somalia
is a bad country, one that has taken the insult out of the
word ANARCHY, and now demands new vocabulary for its state
of affairs. He said it has defied peace initiatives for a
very long time. On the other hand, the Western press invariably
describes Somalia as a failed state that is breathing its
last gasp on this planet.
But there
are also voices of underlying principle and wisdom by some
people in the Diaspora. Take the recent article by Liban Goobdoon
(Libanagedon) that appears on this Website.
A regular
crusader for peace and unity, Libanagedon castigated several
Somali Websites, including banadir.com for failing to provide
sites as a way to express their views and make sense out of
the chaos that they have the capacity to do so. KUDOS to Libanagedon
and others with the same school of thought! Keep up the good
work. The old country surely needs young blood like you.
Speaking
about the old country, a visitor from another galaxy would
not believe that the wasteland that is Somalia today was once
a beautiful country with people endowed with traditional hospitality,
respect for human rights-a nation of bards, playwrights and
entrepreneurship, among other intrepid human achievements.
There was once a Somali National Army that was the envy of
Africa. Or so we thought. That army, spoiled and misused by
the former regime, virtually disbanded itself. Many of the
troops joined their clans. Some used their expertise and weapons
to rob and loot the very people they swore to protect. The
wailing babies, denied their milk and the women who were raped
and looted by the clan militia and those crazed by the falling
mortars and artillery shells have stories to tell.
There
are thousands of teenagers and boys of school age with no
schools to attend. This is where the youth in the Diaspora
comes in with the expertise and education they acquired while
abroad. This is not an issue to be taken lightly. Reports
say that many who went back home made their presences felt
by successfully launching factories that produce soft drinks,
electronic components, cartons from recycle papers, plastic
goods and other vital every day use implements. Others are
engaged in the field of fisheries and communications, using
hi-tech equipment. Of course risks are involved in these ventures
in present day Somalia, but it is worth trying. If there are
certain quarters who close their eyes on Somalia's plight,
we understand those people are not promoting our national
aspirations. I hope stability will return to Somalia, although
I do not see the instability as an adequate justification
to write off Somalia as a failed state.
Even the
United States was labeled as a failed state during the American
civil war but Abraham Lincolns famous Gettysburg address:
A government of the people for the people shall never perish
from the earth had silenced the rumour mongers at home and
abroad. Let it be known that we have not given up on Somalia
yet. Not yet.
By M.
M. Afrah,
Email:afrah95@hotmail.com
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