Title: Dabin ka Bood Taariikh Nololeedka Abwaan Cismaan Diiriye Kulane (Carrabey)
Author: Cismaan Diiriye Kulane “Carrabey”
Publisher: Self-published, Nairobi, 2025. Pages: 132
Reviewed by: Anwar Maxamed Diiriye
“Only what is written endures across generations, so what real value does mere speech hold?” – Cabdi Warfaa Sinimo, 1945, cited in Literature of Somali Onomastics by Anwar M Diiriye, p.159.
“A nation lacking documentation is akin to eyes deprived of vision.”
– Somali Proverb, cited in The Literature of Somali Onomastics by Anwar M Diiriye, p.112
Alhamdulillah, I was fortunate to come across and read a recently published book in Nairobi in 2025, which vividly recounts the life journey of the renowned Somali poet and cultural figure Cismaan Diiriye Kulane, widely known by his nickname “Carrabey.” The book, which was launched in Minneapolis, USA, bears the Somali title Dabin ka Bood: Taariikh Nololeedka Abwaan Cismaan Diiriye Kulane (Carrabey), which is roughly translated into English as Trap-Buster: The Memoir of the Poet Cismaan Diiriye Kulane (Carrabey). This addition is a rare treasure, particularly considering how uncommon it has become among Somalis to document personal or communal histories. The book captures the trials and triumphs of the author’s life with both passion and precision, revealing the rich and complex path he walked.
At first glance, the book appeared modest in depth, but once I began reading, I came to realize the profound wisdom and weight it carries. It is a captivating memoir that grips the mind and heart, drawing the reader in until the final page, especially for those who value perseverance in reading. The cover features a portrait of the author as a young man, perhaps rendered with artistic excellence, placed in the upper right corner. The rest of the cover is adorned with colorful design elements, possibly chosen for aesthetic appeal.
One of the earliest compositions featured on page 15 of this book is among the most celebrated nostalgic songs of the 1970s by the author, Abwaan Cismaan. Titled “Annagu Quursi Diidnay” (“We Rejected Contempt”), the song was performed by the renowned vocalist Maxamuud Ciise Tima-Jilic in collaboration with the Heegan Music Ensemble. A particularly notable stanza from this composition reads:
Somalis shall never yield | Soomaalidu qab iyo kibir |
Not to egotism, nor to pride | Marna qaadan maysee |
Those agitating among us | Waxa nalaka qaban waayoo |
Lurk within, with allies beside | Qarqarsiga ku joogaa |
Are they not the rabble-rousers | Ma ina qoob sacley iyo |
And lesser ones still | Qaar kaloo ka liitoo |
Whom they now employ as tools? | Ku qaraabanaayaa |
The book comprises 132 pages printed on bright white paper. For those of my generation, who were fortunate enough to have grown up in an environment where Somali heritage and oral traditions were deeply rooted, the poetic legacy of Carrabey is well known. However, this book provides a remarkable and intimate glimpse into his poetic philosophy and personal experiences, enriching our understanding of his broader influence.
The author is a poet of exceptional talent, a cultural bearer, a shrewd businessman, a political thinker, and a seasoned revolutionary. The book is structured into two major sections, comprising a total of five chapters, each carrying its own distinct thematic focus. In the first part of the book, Abwaan Cismaan Diiriye Kulane explores his birth and early life, his coming of age, his artistic evolution, and the social impact of his poetry. He also reflects on his decision to go into exile and his eventual alignment with the Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF).
Throughout the book, the reader will encounter numerous episodes of entrapment, hardship, and danger that had tested the author’s endurance: trials he had already faced and overcome through his resilience and unwavering personal effort. This, in essence, is what gives the book its title: Trap-Buster (Dabin ka Bood).
In the second part of the book, the author narrates, with notable skill and expressive flair, his internal displacement following the outbreak of the civil war in 1991, his entrepreneurial ventures, the hardships of exile, his adaptation in the diaspora, his political engagement in Puntland, and his eventual return to the United States.
Within these reflections are insights that reveal political maturity and visionary thinking, observations that, in his view, help explain the internal divisions that contributed to the collapse of the opposition group with which he aligned himself, the Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF). As he wrote on pages 60–61:
“Two ideologically opposing factions coexisted within the liberation front. One was the group known as the red-flagged, which supported socialism and was led by the late Cabdiraxmaan Caydiid, a well-educated and visionary leader. The other, comprising the majority, aligned itself with the West and consisted largely of intellectuals and businessmen who had joined the movement from East Africa (an orientation that, in the author’s view, contributed to the absence of a clear, written vision for the struggle). Meanwhile, the Ethiopians had a different perspective on the presence of the front within their country.”
According to the author, the combination of these three misaligned strategies: the ideological divide within the front, the absence of a unified vision, and Ethiopia’s conflicting agenda, ultimately eroded the SSDF’s spirit and morale, leading to its fragmentation and disappearance from the political landscape.
In the realm of poetry, Abwaan Cismaan presents a collection of 32 compositions that capture both personal experiences and the broader social realities of Somali society. These poems trace significant periods of his life, including his time with the Heegan Music Ensemble, his involvement with Radio Kulmis (later Radio Halgan) during his affiliation with the SSDF, the era of displacement and societal fragmentation, moments of political transition, and his later years in the diaspora.
Throughout the book, Abwaan Cismaan recounts a series of complex encounters with various entities: confrontations with the Somali government, the SSDF leadership, the Somali National Security Service (NSS), President Siad Barre, Ethiopian operatives, a corrupt relative who headed a bank, individuals asserting alternative forms of authority, and even an armed woman who ambushed him and his companions with an AK-47. In all instances, the author credits both divine protection and his own resourcefulness for his survival.
On page 98, a particularly striking episode recounts a conversation with an Ethiopian lawyer who was advising the author on legal matters. The exchange, recorded in Addis Ababa in 1998, is brief yet imbued with political delusions of grandeur. At one point, the lawyer unexpectedly shifted from the legal discussion and remarked:
Lawyer: “I will go to Canada and return in five years. By then, I hope Somalia and Ethiopia will be united as one country.”
Author: “Do you mean Ethiopia will invade and fully occupy Somalia?”
Lawyer: “No, rather, they will join us gradually; convinced to follow our lead.”
At this point, the lawyer promptly steers the conversation back to legal matters, leaving the political undertones to linger in the author’s mind, as though nothing unsettling had just been said.
As a reader, this passage evokes memories of the grand aspirations and visionary ideals long cherished by the Somali people, echoed in a song once performed by the Horseed Music Ensemble, whose lyrics captured the spirit of revolutionary defiance; as one stanza declares:
O Tafare, blind and witless soul, | Tafaroow garaad xume |
What folly made you lose this thread? | Guuleed inaan ahay |
That I am Guuleed, the Bold | Oo guusha leeyahay |
Crowned in triumph, by victory led! | Goormaad illowdey! |
Horseed Music Ensemble, 1977.
Trap-Buster: The Memoir of the Poet Cismaan Diiriye Kulane (Carrabey) is a book well worth reading and reflecting upon, offering profound wisdom through poetry and lived experience. I am confident that it contains much to learn from. As a final thought, and with due respect, I would like to suggest to the author, that future editions pay greater attention to formatting and organization, and include timestamps noting when and where each poem was composed.
And Nugaal still stands, aflame with the will to triumph.
Togdheer at her side, unwavering in loyal trust.
In unison, they rose against the jackals and hyenas boldWhile Mudug faltered, wrapped in silent disappointment.
Shall I mark her absence as collapse or willful abandonment?
One stanza from “Have Somalis Become Oblivious?” p. 44-46.
Anwar Maxamed Diiriye
Email: anwar@usfamily.net
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Anwar is a an author, lecturer, and literary critique
Minneapolis, Minnesota
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