Somalia exists only in name as the country has broken up into tribal enclaves that are not only slavishly subservient to Ethiopia and Kenya but the puppet leaders of all the mini-states go on periodic pilgrimage to Addis Ababa and Nairobi for guidance and blessings from their masters there. This is what should concern Somalis, above anything else.
Due to the many and mostly unproductive gatherings that Diaspora Somalis hold in luxurious hotels in Western capitals, I rarely go beyond the headlines of such stories unless I see the name of Prof. Ahmed Samater in them. No matter how you view him, friend or foe, the man never fails to grab your attention. However, in a meeting that recently took place in Sweden, it was not the professor’s usual eloquence and insurmountable arguments that attracted my attention but that of a rarely noticed comment made as a joke by Said Jama Hussein, a man of letters and a veteran revolutionary.
While most of the speakers were engrossed in the topic of the meeting, which was whether Somaliland should celebrate May 18 or June 26 as the top National Day, Hussein had with a few well-chosen words tried to shift the audience’s attention to another direction.