Somali professor lectures about leadership to Seattle's Somali community

Somali professor lectures about leadership to Seattle's Somali community

Hiiraan Online
by Yusuf Mohamud, Seattle correspondent
E-mail: yusuf@hiiraan.com

Prof. Ahmed I. Samatar, Seattle, WA

SEATTLE (HOL) - A well-known Somali professor was in Seattle on Saturday, July 19, giving the keynote address at an event organized by local citizens.

Prof. Ahmed I. Samatar, Dean of the Institute for Global Citizenship at Macalester College in Minnesota, spoke to a sizeable crowd of Somalis at the Radisson Hotel on International Blvd., where organizers served light snacks and the audience patiently waited for a fantastic speech.

Abdulkadir Aden “Jangeli,” writer of the famed play – “Who Spoiled the Ethiopian Dreams?” – and one of the event’s organizers, offered opening words about the importance of a community gathering where Somalis engaged in civil debate about serious matters here, and at home.

Entitled, “Reflections on Leadership in Somali Post-Colonial Context,” Prof. Samatar’s speech gravitated around the concept of leadership in African, and in particular Somali, studies.

One of the questions posed – who can be a leader? – garnered a list of qualities for leadership that did not include the clan identity or regional background of the Somali candidate – an anomaly, given the clan-based structure of the Western-backed Somali Transitional Government (TFG) in Mogadishu today.

“A candidate for leadership must have vision,” Prof. Samatar said, speaking eloquently in the Somali language to an audience of natives.

Abdulkadir Aden “Jangeli,”

He described a set of criteria for Somali leaders, including honesty, charisma and remarkable capabilities with insightful knowledge of the country’s past and present, so future generations could be safe from today’s misery.

Somali scholars ‘neglected’ their role, while the Horn of Africa nation’s bureaucrats were a ‘failure’ and some even ‘joined the war,’ Prof. Samatar said in describing structural causes that led to the collapse of the Somali nation-state in 1991.

He spoke about the prospects of lasting in Somalia after the TFG and the opposition group Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS) signed the Djibouti Agreement on June 9, which called for a ceasefire and the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops from Somalia after UN peacekeepers are deployed.

But Prof. Samatar, who had a copy of the Agreement in hand, said there are some clauses in the Agreement that “must be clarified,” and that the clause dealing with the withdrawal of Ethiopian forces is “not clear.”

The well-organized event ended with audience members posing questions to the visiting professor, who gladly offered scholarly responses.

Mr. Jangeli, who wanted to extend credit to fellow organizers Ali Roble and Ali Ismail, said the group wanted to bring together members of Seattle’s Somali community and offer an opportunity where everyone can engage in open debate.

Prof. Samatar, who has lectured in California, The Hague and was scheduled to speak in Toronto over the weekend, stopped in Seattle as part of his lecture tour after receiving an invite from Mr. Jangeli and his partners.

“As Somalis, cannot continue to rely on individuals to do everything,” Jangeli said. “We must stand and work together collectively for the benefit of everyone.”

OSMAN TELECOM :

INTERNET CAFE CALLING CARDS SIM CARDS SCANNING COLOUR PRINTING PASSPORT PHOTOS PHOTOCOPYING DIGITAL PRINTING MONEY TRANSFER WESTERN UNION

MANCHESTER | MANCHESTER | United Kingdom

Tawakal Restaurent :

Somali & Ethiopian Food
-Cunto macaan
-Nadaafad sare
-Shaqaale carbisan
-Qabo,Quraac iyo Casho

Toronto | Ontario | Canada

Premium Listings powered by Somali411.com

39 comment(s)

More comments

firimbi @ 8/14/2008 5:25 AM EST