Foreword /Hordhaca Qoraha I would just like to take a moment to revisit the time, and especially the context i.e. my mindset- around the beginnings of my encounter with Boodhari Warsame, the translator. I had my own reasons for writing the work in English. Primarily, it was an attempt to critique, present, and to conceptually...
May 19, 2026
Category: Book Shelf
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Ruuxii Buug Gubaa, Dadna Waa Gubaa!
W/Q: Saciid Cabdi Ismaaciil Sida ay ka warhayso bulshada Soomaaliyeed badankeedu, galabnimadii Jimcada ee taariikhdu ahayd 19kii Sibteembar 2014, wadaadka Soomaaliyeed ee Sh. Maxamed Cabdi Umal, wuxuu xertiisa ku guubaabiyey in ay gubaan buug yar oo cinwaankiisu yahay: “Xadka Riddada: Maxaa ka Run ah?“, isagoo buugga iyo qoraagiisaba ku eedeeyey in ay faafinayaan gaalnimo cad. Arrinkaas...
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PRIDE & PREJUDICE: LIFE STORY OF A SOMALI IN EXILE A translation of Abdi Farah Saeed Juha’s QAB IYO QUURSI
By Bodhari Mohamed Warsame A note on translation and the translator It is important to have a forum where literary written works produced by the Somali authors of our generation, who today write in different languages, including the mother language, get translated and circulated. This is needed both for deeper understanding of each other’s work...
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Rep. Keith Ellison Declares “I am, However, a Secular Leader”
By Jamal Abdulahi Rep. Ellison recently published a memoir. “MY COUNTRY, ’TIS OF THEE” takes the reader through young Keith Ellison growing up in Detroit, coming to Minnesota for law school, and establishing roots until he became a Congressman in 2006. It’s especially entertaining for local politicos as most of the characters are still active...
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Children’s books on Ramadan and the holidays of Eid ul Fitr and Eid ul Adha
Compiled by: Sirad Shirdon Here are the list of children’s books, which address Ramadan (Islamic month of fasting), and Islam’s two holidays of Eid ul Fitr and Eid ul Adha. All of these books are available through Amazon, and may be available in your local libraries. This list is likely not exhaustive, so if you notice books we...
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An Interview with Prof Lidwien Kapteijns (Ladan) on Somali Arts and Literature
Editor’s note: Prof Lidwien Kapteijns (Ladan) is not new to Somalia or Africa. Prof Lidwien teaches African and Middle Eastern history at Wellesley college and is the author of Clan Cleansing in Somalia (2013), Women’s Voices in a Man’s World (with Maryan Omar Ali, 1999) and numerous research papers that have contributed to the Somali...
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The Cost of Dictatorship: A Book Review
By Ismail Warsame Although I heard about it and reminded myself, on several occasions, to have a look at it, I, finally, had the opportunity to read Jama Mohamed Ghalib’s book, The Cost of Dictatorship, 1995 Edition. While I commend the author’s efforts to record his own experience with the extremely repressive regime he served...
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Somalis need moral courage
By Liban Ahmad The coup d’état that brought Siyad Barre into power in 1969 is called ‘ a bloodless revolution’. But his ouster was a bloodbath as a result of the violent war waged by armed opposition groups and the indiscriminate killings of civilians after state collapse. Some armed opposition groups took a leaf from...
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“The Burgess Boys,” A book that depicts Somalis with dignity
Reviewed by Ahmed Ismail Yusuf Last summer, boy that sounds like ages ago, I was alerted to “The Burgess Boys”, a book written by Elizabeth Strout who is a Pulitzer Prize winner and bestselling author. The book received rave reviews and was on the New York Times bestseller’s list. The story, based on an actual...
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Somali Phoenix: A Book Review
Reviewed by Hassan M. Abukar Book: Somali Phoenix Author: Jama Mohamed Ghalib Publisher: Self Date: January, 2013 Pages: 272 Available: Amazon.com Jama Mohamed Ghalib “Jama Yare” is a Somali politician and writer. He held important posts in Somalia’s civilian government in the 1960s, and later in Siad Barre’s regime. He was the head of the national...