tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39916832024-03-13T09:49:05.702-07:00newsHorn of African News Update and AnalysisUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger856125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-25770024139079351292022-07-06T12:52:00.000-07:002022-07-06T12:52:04.771-07:00A Haiku for the world* Mankind goes high wire
Wisdom snails through the darkness
Cherry blossom in fall.
***
Children wail in school
Morality at gun point
Roses at bloodbath.
***
Old men lean on mics
Storms rumble on the horizon
Lilies wait to tumble.
&Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-19471686105214206872022-01-14T23:53:00.000-08:002022-01-14T23:53:05.272-08:00Koonka Ka Ogsooni The first lines of this poem
which have become the concluding lines “abaal kuna, abaal kaydsan, abaal kun iyo
dheeraada…” came to me on Jan12, 2022 at 9:14 AM while in the bathroom in the
room of my quarantine hotel, Swissotel, Al Ghurair Center, Omar Bin Al Khatab
Road, Deira Dubai. Then I completed it in the morning of January 13, and finally made the last edits in the morning of
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-61827136558846378192021-12-01T15:40:00.001-08:002021-12-01T16:39:10.360-08:00An Ode for the Emirates by Bashir Goth I wrote the following poem in 2016 but kept it under wraps not by design by accident until I remembered it today on the 50th National Day of the United Arab Emirates, a country in which I spent many years of my life and career. An Ode for the Emirates
Let Imraul Qais, Antra and yesteryear poets
Weep on
their Atlal
On their blackened hearthstones
And sing an ode Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-13713858898261571742020-06-05T05:15:00.002-07:002020-06-05T05:36:32.403-07:00قصيدة إقريقيا - بشيرالشيخ عمرغوث
إفريقيا
رغم القحط في
الأرجاء
رغم الذل
رغم الفقر
رغم الظلام
الملبد في الفيحاء
سأغني وأغني
وبسماع النغم
ستغمرني
البهجة
رغم الداء
***
إفريقيا
ستولد إفريقيا
الجديد
من صرخة
الأطفال
من ضياع كرامة
الإنسان والأمان
من فوهة
البركان
ويستيقط
المارد العنيد
قوياً
جاهدا
يكسر الأغلال
والحديد
معلناً
الأستقلال
من جديد
***
إفريقيا
هل تسمع
الدفوف
والقرع في
الطبول
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-17680462101020863102020-04-28T15:35:00.001-07:002020-04-28T15:35:26.742-07:00Women and singing in Somali culture by Bashir Goth
Singing is not only an integral part of daily life for Somali women but also a medium through which they can express their grievances and criticise paternalistic social norms that have solidified men’s hegemony over women and limited their social participation to certain stereotyped roles. From a mother’s lullabies to work songs, folkloric dance lyrics and the famous buraanbur genre, SomaliUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-45976909002829830792019-02-06T05:45:00.002-08:002022-02-02T05:43:10.428-08:00Bal Eeg (Gudniin ) A poem in Somali on Female Genital Mutilation with English translation
Bal Eeg
(Gudniin ) with audio version
Quraanka iyo
ilayska bal eeg
Waxan Eebbe ku
sheegin bal eeg
Awowgaa ku
dhaqmaayey bal eeg
Ayaad aayado
mooddee bal eeg
Anbad baad ku
jirtaaye bal eeg
Aqligaaga u fiirso
bal eegUpon the Quran, the light, reflecton what God said, reflectand that which He did not say, reflect.Reflect, if you may, and you will know it is onlybut a custom, a Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-61312152120363445952018-04-02T08:55:00.000-07:002018-04-02T09:01:07.131-07:00A Tribute to Winnie Mandela
Today, 2nd April 2018, Winnie Mandela, known as
the mother of the nation during the struggle against apartheid in South Africa,
the Iconic woman who held Mandela's memory up high the long years he was in
prison, died at the age of 81. In 1987 at the height of South Africa's
struggle, I wrote the following poem in Somali in celebration of her heroic
campaign. It carried the title Amandala or Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-7759957251370099392018-02-28T00:12:00.003-08:002018-02-28T00:12:45.735-08:00Somali music through the ages by Bashir Goth, special for Music in Africa
From its groundbreaking origins in balwo, modern Somali music of the
late 20th Century phased through many genres including heello, waddani,
qaraami, benadiri, jazz, reggae and others. Although music will continue
to be created by Somalis wherever they set foot in the world, it is
undeniably the music of the 1960s through the 1980s that remains the
epitome of the potential of Somali Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-39947243752279394892017-09-12T21:55:00.003-07:002017-09-12T21:55:27.272-07:00Africa’s democracy outgrows foreign preaching by Bashir Goth, Special to Gulf News
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Kenyan polls is the first time that
an African court invalidated the vote won by a sitting president based on the
merits of the constitution and election Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-83657845871506564622017-08-12T07:38:00.001-07:002017-08-12T07:49:10.094-07:00Eed Nool - a poem on the situation of homeless children by Bashir Goth
Maansadan soo socotaa waxay ka hadlaysa waayaha carruurta darbijiifka ah.
EED NOOL
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-66922953028771942712017-08-01T01:24:00.001-07:002017-08-01T01:24:17.678-07:00The Artisan Grace - Poem about the Somali Gabooye by Bashir Goth
The following excerpt which I use as an introduction to the poem is from
an article I wrote in 2007 about the status of the Gabooye community
among the Somali people.
"They have no voice among us and no political representation. And if
anyone of them dares to protest, we easily silence them by invoking the
M-word. This makes every Somali around them flee and avoid them like a
plague. EvenUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-55056199679828540072017-08-01T00:35:00.002-07:002017-08-01T00:35:25.802-07:00Africa’s Singapore is slowly taking shape by Bashir Goth, Special to Gulf News
Djibouti is poised to transform itself if it takes advantage of this current moment of infrastructure and investment boom
Published: 17:00 July 22, 201
Djibouti does not frequently feature in the headlines, but the leader
of the tiny country in the Horn of Africa and his international
partners recently touted this state of rock mountains, and extremely hot
weather as the new Dubai, the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-71694658571792920772017-06-20T00:20:00.003-07:002017-06-20T00:20:55.638-07:00Why mainstream media failed to read people's hearts by Bashir Goth | Gulf News
What once was considered as conversation behind closed doors is now
discussed in public, while civility and decency are trashed, and truth
sacrificed at the altar of competition for profit and rating
Published: 17:48 June 19, 2017
Recent global developments have proven that the media, polls, and
conventional spin doctors have all lost touch with reality. Media
speculations and Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-12886926075135243232017-05-08T13:09:00.004-07:002017-05-08T13:10:49.324-07:00Is the London Somalia Conference 2017 another imperialist deja vu? By Bashir Goth | Special to Gulf News
Somalis see no reason to trust this week’s conference in London after
similar initiatives in the past did little to address the core issues
Published: 19:45 May 8, 2017
In a deja vu situation that does not excite many Somalis, the United
Kingdom announced that it will host a major international conference in
London on Thursday, “to accelerate progress on security sector reform
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-48544081138786441482017-04-07T10:46:00.002-07:002017-04-07T10:47:41.233-07:00Did Adam Smith’s Invisible Hand rescue Somali drought victims? By Bashir Goth | Special to Gulf News
When disaster hits somewhere in the developing world, the
conventional wisdom is to look to international humanitarian
organisations for assistance. But not anymore. Not if one takes the
recent drought that devastated Somalia as any indication. Instead of the
humanitarian organisations, it was the Somali Diaspora remittance and
modern mobile money transfer technology that teamed up to Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-85881015113867233962017-03-31T04:43:00.004-07:002017-03-31T04:43:34.210-07:00Maanso: Khali Duur
Maansada soo socota "Khali Duur" waxay soo baxday 1999 waxay ka hadlaysaa xaalka Soomalidu markaa ku jirtay welina ku jirto. Hoos ka dhegeyso
Khali Duur
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-54675762803469503872017-03-14T12:11:00.004-07:002017-03-14T12:41:52.364-07:00Somalia: A country devastated by drought, famine and conflict By Bashir Goth | Special to Gulf News
Failing to help imperils world peace and security as extremist groups
will use the suffering of the people to their advantage by attracting
unemployed youth to their ranks.
We often hear the platitude “water is precious” while we carry around
bottles of water we can drink anytime. We bathe with it several times a
day, wash our cars with it, flood our lawns and gardens with gallons of
it, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-4709332644594575762017-02-23T13:18:00.002-08:002017-02-23T13:18:53.219-08:00Somalis embrace new president as a sign of hope by Bashir Goth | Special to Gulf News
People expect Farmajo to take the nation back to the days when it was
cited as an example of democracy and good governance in Africa
A new president took over the reigns of power in Somalia on February 8
after a resounding victory over his predecessor through an election in
which votes were on sale for the highest bidder and millions of dollars
changed hands in a country where more than 73 Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-61129260619981641182017-02-10T10:59:00.000-08:002017-02-10T11:08:01.362-08:00An open letter to Somalia’s newly elected President, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo by Bashir Goth
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-59994357835210597762017-01-17T11:22:00.002-08:002017-01-17T11:24:05.206-08:00A wish for a less absolutist world by Bashir Goth | Special to Gulf News
In the age of the internet, we seem to have lost touch with civility and good judgement
As we enter 2017, we face a world tormented by absolutism. A world
dominated by black-and-white attitudes, where opposing political and
ideological sides dig their heels deeper and deeper in their trenches.
The narrative of politics, culture and social media everywhere seems to
follow the old American Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-14419324694203289442016-12-28T07:16:00.001-08:002016-12-30T08:13:32.511-08:00Book Review by Bashir Goth
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-6882113414627526482016-12-26T08:13:00.003-08:002016-12-26T08:13:37.985-08:00Person of the Year: Time to look beyond the obvious by Bashir Goth | Special to Gulf News
The men and women of Syrian Civil Defence, known as ‘Syrian White
Helmets’, deserve the title as they sacrifice their lives to rescue
those trapped in the war zone
Recently, Time magazine has given us Donald Trump, the United States
President-elect, as its choice for ‘Person of the Year’ for 2016.
Looking from a Third World perspective, Time’s selections are based on
power, wealth, glamourUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-69938818289762821402016-11-21T05:54:00.001-08:002016-11-21T05:54:09.889-08:00Heestii Balwo by Bashir Goth
Balwo waa hees xusaysa taariikhdii aabbihii heesaha (muusiga)
Soomaaliyeed Cabdi Simimoo, sheekadii balwada iyo gabadhii uu jeclaa
ahaydna gabadhii ugu horreysay Soomaali ee ku biirta koox muusig
Khadiija Balwo. Heestu waxay soo baxday 13 March 1982.
Balwo is a song written in tribute to the founder of Somali music Abdi Sinimo and the story of the Balwo genre.
Halkan ka dhegeyso Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-77990744918854401492016-11-10T06:58:00.003-08:002016-11-10T06:59:13.614-08:00It is President Donald Trump, believe it!
By Bashir Goth | Special to Gulf News
The world can live with the familiar flaws of the American leadership,
but it is ill-prepared to see the best qualities of the American
democracy thrown over the cliff.
Phew! It is over folks. Breathe. The American people have stunned the
world and ridiculed the pollsters. It seems only Donald J. Trump
correctly read the heart of the American people Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991683.post-77165300929150541752016-10-28T14:23:00.004-07:002016-10-28T14:23:43.713-07:00A tawdry selection by United Nations by Bashir Goth | Special to Gulf News
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0