By Hassan M. Abukar This is the last installment in a 10-part series of true stories about Somali men and women and their blunt assessments of their marriage and courtship experiences. The names and locations of the individuals have been changed to ensure their privacy. ________ Online Courtship I know a lot about online dating...
November 6, 2026
Category: Everyday People
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Herdsman, Townsman, American: My Segmented Life
By Prof Said S. Samatar Can a case be made that adults are educable? I’ve lived a life of segmented improbabilities. I was born and raised a camel herder in the over-heated sand dunes of Ethiopia’s eastern Ogaden (Somali region), between a place called Qari-Jaqood and another called Jiriiban (from “Jirriban,” or “Land of Torture,”...
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The ‘Western’ disease: A call to action to assist families in the Somali diaspora impacted by Autism
By Sirad Shirdon Talk to a Somali-American anywhere in the US. Chances are high that they know of a child and/or children who are on the Autism Spectrum. Many Somali mothers have been impacted by a diagnosis, which is unfamiliar to many in the community, and have struggled in accessing resources, in large part due...
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Lacagta hawada marta (mobile money)
W.q. Maxamed Dalmar Waxaan xusuustaa sanadkii 2013 horrantiisii in dawladda Soomaaliyeed, oo markaas cusbayd, ay soo foodsaartay dhibaato dhaqaale oo kaga imaaneysey xagga sarrifka doollarka iyo shilin Soomaaliga. Waxaa xilligaas aad hoos ugu dhacay qiimaha doollarka Maraykanka markii loo fiiriyo qiimaha shilin Soomaaliga oo aad sare ugu kacay. Waxaan xusuustaa xiisaddii arrintaasi abuurtay iyo dhaliishii kululayd...
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Courtship and Marriage: The Somali Experience in America (Part IV)
By Hassan M. Abukar This article is the fourth of a 10-part series of true stories of Somali women and men and their blunt assessments of their relationships. The first six parts deal with Somali marriages in America and the last four with issues of courtship. The names and locations of these individuals have been...
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“SUFFER BUT SMILING”- MY CONVERSATION WITH YUSUF
By Steve Odhiambo “Show me a stranger, and I’ll show you a friend that you haven’t met yet.” Boonaa Mohammed Towards the end of last year, 2013, it dawned on me that I once again would not be able to meet with my family over Christmas. Eek!, It had been 4 years since I last...
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EU AND AFRICAN MIGRANTS: WHY THINGS ARE GETTING WORSE (FOR MIGRANTS)
By Marco Zoppi Last October has sadly recorded two1 shipwrecks in the Sicilian Channel which claimed the lives of at least 373 migrants that were trying to reach the shores of the Italian tiny island of Lampedusa. The death toll is even destined to grow, since some 180 migrants are still lost at sea. Lampedusa...
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Trending: Camels, khat and corruption #OnlyinSomalia
By Cordelia Hebblethwaite BBC News If you want a snapshot of what’s on the minds of Somalis, then hop in and cast an eye through the tweets under the hashtag #OnlyinSomalia. “You can feel the frustration in some of the tweets,” says Abdurahman Warsame, a Somali journalist with Al Jazeera, who started the hashtag on...
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Stolen Seas, Somali Piracy Debunked: An Interview with the filmmaker
By Yasmeen Maxamuud Stolen Seas is yet another “Pirate” documentary for a world that has become obsessed with Somali Piracy. The filmmaker follows the hijacking of the CEC Future; a Danish owned ship flying with a “Bahamas” flag (big companies rent flags from mostly poor countries to bypass legal restriction) that was hijacked while traveling...
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Somali Media: Ethics, Truth and Integrity
By Abdelkarim A Hassan “I haven`t voted since 1964, I don`t want to get my judgment involved in what I do for a living” Jim Lehrer, PBS, News Hour. Background In recent years Somali journalism, Islam and Somali music have become the easiest areas to penetrate without any previous experience or training. In other words,...