Beyond the Transitional Federal Government: Future Viable Options for Somalia

hatham House, London

Nuradin Dirie was speaking at Chetham House . Thursday 11 June 2009.

It is great to be here and I thank Chatham House for giving me this opportunity to add my voice into the debate about Somalia and what to do about it. My topic, ‘Beyond the TFG: Future Viable Options for Somalia’ is likely to evoke one of two responses in your mind. One voice might say something like, ‘How brave to attempt to solve what seems an impossible task.’ Another voice might say, ‘Oh, not again. How many times have we been here before?’!! Whether you are optimistic or cynical, I’m going to attempt to use my experience to tell the Somalia story and offer some solutions for its future.I have seen the Somalia story through several of its stages. As a Somali who grew up In Somalia I was caught up in its civil war in every conceivable way. I lost friends and family and had to move and cope with the physical, financial and psychological trauma that resulted from the great upheaval and disruption in our regular lives.My family story and the Somalia story were further entwined as we became community activists in our adopted countries, trying to help fellow Somalis to cope with the sudden and momentous changes in their lives. Speaking for those of us who arrived at the shores of this great country, our adopted communities and countries were very welcoming and very generous. Without doubt, we had our share of struggle to adapt to our new life and along the way had to correct a few myths about Somalis.Speaking of which, the one I had the greatest fun with, appeared in The Daily Star newspaper in 2003. On its front page with ‘photoshopped’ pictures and a large caption, it pronounced, ‘Somali asylum seekers have stolen donkeys from Greenwich Royal Park in order to eat them.’ The author wrote, ‘It is well known that donkey meat is a favoured delicacy in Somalia’. Well I took it upon myself to write to the esteemed gentleman and, as gently as I could, pointed out that eating donkey meat is actually prohibited in Islam! Of course, they published an apology. It took four weeks to negotiate the text and it appeared in the bottom right corner of page 26! But it was an apology nonetheless...MORE,,Beyond the Transitional Federal Government: Future Viable Options for Somalia