By Martin Hall A statue of a person dead for 113 years does not often overwhelm a leading university and dominate national headlines. But earlier this month, politics student Chumani Maxwele emptied a bucket of excrement over the statue of Cecil John Rhodes at the centre of the University of Cape Town’s campus in South...
By Said M-Shidad Hussein The Genetic Factor Part VIII One of the factors that have led the former Egyptologists to believe that the Puntites were Somali, and even the ancient Egyptians were partly Puntites, was the physical anthropology. Although there are no big differences in physical appearances among the Cushitic populations in Northeast Africa, the...
By Faisal A. Roble The late Said Samatar On 14th of March in 1883, Fredrick Engels eulogized Karl Marx: “the greatest living thinker ceased to think.” Likewise, on February 24, 2015, Said Sheikh Samatar, Somalia’s reputed historian ceased to tell Somali stories. Our own “waayeel,” or sage, in the tradition of the late Muse Galaal...
Kismayo was once Al Shabaab’s prized stronghold. We explore how the new regional government is reclaiming accountability of its public resources. Kismayo (pictured) has played an important role in Somalia’s history; and will continue to play a pivotal role in its future. Kismayo is also known as the administrative capital of Jubbaland: a region rich...
By Prof Said S. Samatar Editor’s note: As part of our ongoing remembrance of Said Sheikh Samatar Qali, one of the greatest scholars the Somali speaking people has produced. The passing of Dr. Samatar, a fine and unparalleled scholar, and a gifted linguist, was a great loss to the entire Somali speaking people. In this article,...
A fragment of jawbone found in Ethiopia is the oldest known fossil from an evolutionary tree branch that eventually led to modern humans, scientists reported Wednesday. The fossil comes from very close to the time that our branch split away from more ape-like ancestors best known for the fossil skeleton Lucy. So it gives a...
By Nuraddin Farah Editor’s note: As part of our ongoing remembrance of Said Samatar, Nuruddin Faraah, Somalia’s eminent writer, and a longtime acquaintance of Prof Said ,was gracious enough to once again republish his timeless essay for this occasion. It is befitting that this piece, the third in a series, which initially appeared on the...
By Ali Yusuf Issa Editor’s Note: Following is the second part of a series in which WardheerNews honors the late Said Samatar, Somalia’s eminent historian. As he was also one of WardheerNews esteemed contributors, we believe that he would have liked that we honor him by reflecting Somalia’s past and present by reflecting the historical...
W/Q Faysal Cabdi Rooble Odhaahda Tifaftirka: Waxaa hadda laga joogaa muddo ku siman 130 sano, xiliggii ku beegnayd qaybinta Afrika iyo dhulka Soomaaliyeed (Scramble for Africa) ee bishii Feb 1884. Haddaba deggelka WardheerNews iyada oo ku xusaysa Alla ha u naxariistee Barre Sare Siciid Samatar, ayay idiin soo gudbinaysaa maqaallo taxane ah oo ka hadlaya Tariikhdaasi...
By Ahmed Khalif There are reports – that went around in Somali News Websites – on multiple seaport concessions that had recently been given to the Ethiopian Government in the Somali towns of Berbera, Kismayo, and Barawe. These concessions, when taken at face value – especially in today’s globally open market world – should have...