By Abdi Goud Musa

I am not a scholar, but I act one, in the Somali Cyberspace Chat rooms, Websites, Kat Chewing gatherings, and camel milk drinking social events. The 1993 Somali Studies International Association’s conference that took place in Massachusetts, at Worcester, at Holy Cross College and this year’s (2007) conference, which took place in the state of Ohio, in Columbus, at the University of Ohio are the only two times, I had the privilege and honor to attend. In this piece, I will try to share, with my readers, my observation in the conference.

I am beginning to let you know that I apologize that I was not present in the first two days of the conference. I came to Ohio Friday, August 17, 2007. Since I am not scholar and I was not presenting a paper in any field at any topic and I am not good in any subject, I am waiting, as all those who are students of Somalia, when the final report comes out in paper form or posted in the Somali Studies International Association’s Web Page, or in some other media outlet.

I was honored and privileged to be invited, as a member of Dr. Hussein Mohamed Adam’s (Tanzani) family to Special Dinner Event. This Special Dinner Event was an opportunity to honor professor Hussein Mohamoud Adam, founding father of the Somali Studies International Association.

To those who did not get that golden opportunity to be there, it was the most emotional roller coaster event I have ever witnessed in my life. Dr. Hussein’s co-founders among others professor Said Sh. Samatar, Rutgers University, Professor Charles Geshekter, University of California, Professor John Johnson, Indiana University, professor Lee Cassanelli, University of Pennsylvania, updated us the long journey that Somali Studies International Association took from its inception in 1978 to 2007.

What made the Special Event Dinner emotional roller coaster were the personal stories that we heard from the co-founders and some individuals whose lives were changed for the better by Dr. Hussein Tanzani as they were calling him time and again.

I was touched by the story of Dr. Ahmed Ismail Samatar, Macalester College who shared with us how Dr. Hussein Adam had good impact on his hairstyle, his educational and intellectual advancement and on his personal temperament.

Similarly, Professor Omar A. Eno, National Somali Bantu Project, Portland University shared with us in very humorous manner how a reference letter that Dr. Hussein Tanzani wrote for him changed his life and the lives of many others for the better.

The icing of the cake was the story that Khadija Ossoble Ali, George Mason University shared with us. She shared with us how a reference letter that Dr. Hussein Tanzani wrote for her made her proud to be Somali. She said “ Dr. Hussein wrote a reference letter for me without knowing me personally, my background, or clan.” She added “ I know how we Somalis are slaughtering each other, ruining each other’s lives, and destroying our beloved homeland, but because of the genuine Somali decency that Dr. Hussein has shown me, I will remain Somali. I will be proud to be Somali till I die no matter what.”

Beside the Special Dinner for Dr. Hussein Adam, it was golden opportunity for me to meet a lot of people whom I read and learned from their work through the years. It was a great honor and privilege to meet in person those Somalis and non Somali scholars who dedicated to teach us Somalis and the rest of world what the word “Somali” represents, stands for, and encompasses.

In addition to the scholars Somalis and non-Somalis, I met at the conference my class and roommate Hamud Sh. Ali Maasheeye whom I saw only one time after we graduated from High School 1974. I met Mohamed Harakow who was my schoolmate in Benadir School when I was form two 1972. Harakow was not only schoolmate, but he was artist, play write, and good singer. Though he was form one when I met him at Banadir he was already established vocalist whose songs were broadcasted from Radio Mogadishu. I met at the conference, for the first time, since he coined “ Afarta Foolxumayaasha”(The ugly four who are Abdi Goud, Ali Faqi, Musa Guled, and Mahamud Musse) Dr. Hassan Mahadallah.

It was honor to meet at there the great poet, playwright, educator, and professor Said Salah who was my High School principal at Benadir secondary School, in Mogadishu in my form three and form years (1971-1974). As the Somali proverb goes( Barasho Horteed Ha I Nicin) meaning please let us have a chance to know each before you write me off or hate me, I am glad I met some people whom we had some skirmishes through cyberspace. It was healing and learning process, at least, for me. I mended fences with Dr. Hassan Mahadalla and Faisal Roble whom I used to exchange jabs with at times during our ISRAACA years.

It was an honor and great privilege to meet the head of Somali BBC program that many Somalis hate him or love him just for tribal basis ignoring his professional and educational qualifications. He interviewed me in 1994 when I was worrying about civil war that about was about to erupt in my hometown Hargeisa. I was worrying that time that my family who had just came back to Hargeisa from refugee camp(Harta Sheikh) in Ethiopia to be replaced again. My nightmare was turned true in 1995 when Egal and his collaborators got the upper hand and did what Siyad’s regime did before them to anyone who did not sing Guulwade Egal.

That interview was aired and I got a lot of heat from my tribe’s people. Without bragging, in that interview I said in Somali “Ninka raba in uu Cigaal xabad Hargeysa kaga Sarow, Egal oo keliyihi Hargeysa kama baxayo hadii dagaal sokeeyo dhaco ee ogow in hooyada iyo aabaha mar labaad dib u qaxayaan. Cigaal kaga sanduuqa doorashada kaga saara oo xabada jooja”( Those of you who are entertaining to kick Egal out of Hargeisa at the barrel of the gun, have to know that they are not kicking only Egal out of Hargeisa, but one is kicking out his parents too indirectly.)

Perceptions are deceiving. The pictures that those who hate Yusuf Garaad put in my head was a picture of ruthless monster. I found in Yusuf Garaad as one of my childhood friends(Adan Mohamed Ali, may Allah bless his soul) whom I admired Yusuf Garaad came across to me as decent, polite, respectful, educated, and very humble person. In my book Yusuf Garad have to be commended and thanked for securing that position for Somalis. He has shown a Somali person can be head of the BBC Somali program. Those who hate him or love him because of his tribe I say to them “Shame on you.” To borrow from one of the greatest minds of man kind, Dr Martin Luther King “One have to be judged on the content of his/her character not his creed, color, or gender not by his tribe in the Somali case” It was good opportunity to meet Somali Statesmen whom I heard before as Ambassador Abdilaahi Saciid and Ahmad Nasir of Delaware. I was moved by DR. Mohamed Haji Mukhtar of Savannah State University’s closing remarks. I concur with him when he said “I condemn any one who get opportunity to get higher education on governmental scholarship and doing more harm than help to Somali people and to our beloved country.” I will go one step further and say to any literate let alone with higher education and advanced degrees who instead of helping harms directly or indirectly “Shame on you and I wished more decent Somali had that golden opportunity that you are abusing.”

In conclusion, I am waiting for the reports. I am glad I went there and I hope that I will be able to contribute in coming conference. I do know I do not have big degrees to brag about or flash at people, but I do know I have the biggest degree that any person can get from the institutions of hard knocks.

Abdi Goud Musa

Connecticut , USA