Far from Mogadishu

by Shirin Ramzanali Fazel

There was time when my country was the country of fairy tales, a country where every child would want to grow and play. This is the story of the author’s physical and emotional journey from her war-torn homeland, Somalia. Some time after the military coup in 1969 Shirin left Mogadishu and moved to Italy to make a new life and home for herself and her family. Since then she has crossed continents and lived in several cities, facing the challenge of integrating with many different kind of society before settling in England in 2010. This book encapsulates her reflections on the Somali diaspora.

Genres: African Literature

194 pages, Paperback

Published April 15, 2016

Reviews

[Parisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

How on earth was this worse than nervous conditions? I genuinely could not stand reading this. I thought the writing was really bad, it felt more like a rant rather than an actual published book. Also, very confused about the characters like for the longest time I thought it was just the author but then there were other names coming up and it was just very unclear. And I’m not sure if it’s just the version that I read, but there were also so many grammar mistakes and typos? Anyways, I hated it and I never wanna have anything to do with it. The only good thing is that now I know the capital of Somalia.

[Yuusuf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Waxaan akhriyay buug u diyaarsan qaab xusuus qor ah balse ka hadlaya mawaadiic aad u kala duwan waxaa uuna buuga u qoranyahay qaab jacbur ah oo mawaadiicdu waa kuwa isku dhafan. Buugani waa xusuus qor ku saabsan nolosha Shiiriin oo soomaaliya ku dhalatay,ku barbaartay kuna nooleed horaantii kontameeyada ilaa xilligii dalku afgambi ay ku qabsadeen askartii inkaarneed ee umadda ku habsatay. Shiiriin maadaama uu dhalay aabe pakistaani ah ninkeeduna uu sidaa oo kale ahaa qof hal dhinac ajanabi ka ah ayaa waxaa saameeyay amarkii dowladda kacaanka ay ku sheegeen in dalka isaga baxaan dadka aan heysan passportka soomaaliya , sidoo kalena waxa ay dowladdu go’aan kusoo saartay in la qarameeyo dhammaan ganacsiyada ay lahaayeen dadkaan ajanabiga qaarkood lagu sheegay.
Arrinkaas ayaa keenay in horaantii todobaatameeyadiiba shiiriin ka cararto dalkeeda sidaasna ay ugu nooleed dalka talyaaniga ilaa dabayaaqadii sideetamaadkii.

Buuggu waxa uu ka koobanyahay ilaa 8 qeybood oo ay qoraagu qeybwalba kusoo bandhigeysa mawaadiic kala duwan hadane si xiriir fog uu ka wada dhaxeeyo. Qoraagu waxa ay buugga uga warameysa waagii yareed oo ay xamar ku nooleed, nolosheedii ay ku qaadatay dalka talyaaniga iyo weliba safaradii tirada badnaa ay kusoo martay dalal badan oo dunida ku yaal sida ingiriiska, maraykanka,sucuudi careebiya, koonfur afrika iyo weliba kanada. Dalalkaas oo ay qaar kamid ah ay sanad iyo ka badan ku nooleed.

Aniga ahaanteyda qeybta sida gaarka ah ii soo jiidatay waa qeybta afaraad oo ay qoraaga kusoo tabineysa burburkii iyo waxa ay soomaaliya ka dhacay dagaaladii sokeeye. Shiiriin oo xamar ku nooleed xilligii dahabiga ahaa oo ay quruumo kala duwan carab, cadaan iyo soomaaliba ah wada joogeen ayaa waxa ku adkaaneysa in ay aqbasho xaalka magaaladeedii ilbaxa ahayd ay ku dambeysay iyo sida dhiigga u noqday dareeraha keliya ee joogtada ah, rasaastuna ay u noqotay waxa keliya raqiiska ka ah magaaalda aadna uga qiimo jaban xitaa xabad sigaar ah.

Waxaa buugga ku qoran dhacdo argagax leh oo Shiiriin aaminsantahay in dhacdadaasu ay tahay mid cuqubadeeda si abadiyah looga soo waaqsan doonin. waa in dilkii, kufsigaba ay gaareen heer la ilaalin waayo oo la xurmeen waayo masaajidda. dhacdadu waa mid ugub ah oo ka dhacday agagaarka dhabarka dambe tiyaatarka qaranka amaba isla masjidka sheekh suufi ee degmada boondheere, halkaa oo lagu xoogay laguna kufsaday ilaa 30 haween oo isugu jiray hablo iyo hooyooyin. Waxa ay qoraagu sheegeysa in cawaantii falkaas ku kacday ay xitaa ugu yaraan ka xishoon waayeen masjidka iyo qur’aankaba.

Dhacdooyinka kale argagax leh ay soo qaadaneysa qoraaga waxa kamid ah qisada wiil yar oo Xuseen la yiraahda kaa oo isaga oo aan weli da’da 15ka ah gaarin , yadadiilo iyo hami fogna nolosha ka lahaa uu ku geeriyooday madfac ku habsaday gurigooda.

Sidoo kale waxaa iyana cajiib ah qisada dhexmartay qoraaga iyo Eugenio Yuusuf oo ay ahaayeen saaxiibo iyo qaraabo kaa oo kasoo qaxay dagaaladii sokeeye. Marka ay qoraagu weydiiso in uu soo qaatay wax sawiro ah ayaa waxaa fajac la noqoneysa falcelintiisa oo ahayd “ dhammaantood waan jeexjeexay , maxay ii tarayaan haddii marwalba oo aan fiiriyaba murugtu igu soo kordheysa, xusuus igu filanba laabteyda ayaan ku wataa taas ayaana jeclaan lahaa laf ahaanteeda in aan iska tirtiro.” Hadalkaas ayaa qoraagu waxa uu ku noqonayaa falaar utin ah oo ay xitaa la ooyso waxaana fajac la noqonaysa sida qof lixdan jir ah u doonaya in noloshiisa oo idil uu hilmaamo.

Waxaa kale oo caqiibo ah mar ay qoraagu ka hadleysa gabar saaxiibteed ah taa oo u ambabaxaysa dalka Tunisia.ayna magaalada isku raacayaan si ay u soo iibiyaan boorsadii gabadha ay ku safri lahayd. Qoraagu waxa ay sheegaysaa in saaxiibteed Sonia tahay qof nasiib badan maxaa yeelay dalkeeda ugama aysan soo cararin sababo qawmiyadeed, dhaqaale, iyo siyaasad. Waxa ay qoraagu sheegaysaa in Sonia aysan fahmi karin xanuunka ay leedahay in uu qofka ka dhoofo dadkiisa iyo dalkiisa iyo dhammaan xusuusaha quruxda badan , waxa ayna qoraagu tilmaamaysaa qofka dhoofaya in uu waxkasta oo xasuusinaya dalkiisa iyo dadkiisaba ay waajib tahay in uu ku wada shubo boorsadaas cariiriga ah oo kale.

Buugga waxaa la dhihi karaa waa mid isaga kala gooshaya dhaqamo, dalal iyo weliba xuduudo fara badan kuwaa oo mararka qaarna isbiirinaya mararka qaarkoodna iska hor imaanaya; sida xiriirka soomaaliya iyo talyaaniga ka dhaxeeya kaa oo marar badan dacarta ka qaraar badan marka la eego sida talyaanigu u yahay gumeysta aan naxariisan iyo qaabka ay dadka talyaaniga ah cunsuriyad uga soo dhaweyeen qaxootigii soomaaliyeed ee magangalya doonka ahaa iyo weliba sida dowladda talyaaniga si uun fara gelin qaawan ugu heysa xaaladda iyo arrimaha soomaaliya. Xiriirkaas oo la dhihi kara mararka kalena in uu ka macaan badanyahay malabka shinida marka la eego taariikhda iyo aathaarta faca weyn ee ka dhaxeysa labada dal. Shiiriinna wax ay isku dayeysaa in ay soo bandhigto xiriirkaas iyo saameyntii uu nolosheeda ku lahaa maadaama ay tahay qof ku noolaaday labada wadan.

Ugu dambeen shiiriin waxa ay buugga kusoo gabagabeyneysaa ereyo aad u xanuun badan oo ay ku sheegeyso xaaladda dalkeeda uu ku suganyahay ilaa maantadaan ereyadaasna waxaa kamdi ah ;

“Waxaan u ooyayaa magaaladayda oo cagta la mariyay gabi ahaanteedaba, iyo dadkaygii oo dhibaataysan. Waxaan u ooyayaa burburkii ku habsaday dhulkeyga ,waalida ragga iyo weliba xayawaankii la laayay. waan ooyaa sababta oo ah dhawaaqa kaliya ee aan maqlo waa foorida rasaasta, qaraxa
Bambaanooyinka iyo sawaxanka Baazuukaha dhawaaqyadaas oo isku beddela qaylo, baroor,oohin iyo dhimasho fara badan. Waxaan u ooyaa sababtoo ah ma haysto mustaqbal, sababtoo ah urta dhimashada ayaa i cabsi gelisa. waan ooyayaa maxaa yeelay ma rabo in rajadayda ay dhimato.”

[Asta Eggertsen Ravn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bonus points for the influence Shirin Fazel had on rewriting the Italian postcolonialist narrative/memory and making the Somali diaspora heard

[Rachel 𖤐 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this for uni, enough said