fiogf49gjkf0d
By Dr. Abdirahman beileh
Sunday, July 12, 2009
As we Somalis go through many Junes and Julys ( National Independence
months) , we hope for a better June and July the following year but, sadly,
things
only continue to
get worse. Every year brings more misery and tragedy
than the last, with news of horrific events emerging
all the time.
Of course, some of us,
perhaps the majority of us oblivious to the reality on the ground and totally blinded by trivial issues , live in utter denial of the situation. With sad inevitability, we must realize we are a wasted generation . Somalis as a recognized and distinct African Ethnic group may no longer exist 25-30 years from now,
if the current trend of lawlessness and bloodshed continues. And this
is all of our own making. No amount of blaming of others will change the reality, so let us get
real for once!!
Here is a story in a lullaby, sung by Nadiifo Culusow to her six-month old son, Hanad Abdullahi Mohamed, as he lay dying on her lap, under the shade of a tree on the outskirts of Mogadishu, sometime early last year. Nadiifo, her teenage daughter Khadija, her husband Abdullahi and her teenage son, Hassan, are working in their small shop at the Bakara market in Mogadishu. It is late in the evening and they are about to close. Then some 5-6 armed men kick their door open, they ransack the place and start shooting. They immediately kill the husband and seriously injure Hassan. They then start gang raping Khadija and her mom Nadiifo. After completing their rape and looting, they take khadija and leave. Nadiifo, who has passed out, opens her eyes some 30 minutes later. She is drowsy and semi conscious. She quickly grabs little Hanad who has now stopped crying. She opens the door, looks around and confirms the death of her husband but cannot see the rest of her family. A trail of blood out of the door indicates that Khadija and Hassan have left the dukaan bleeding. She tries to collect herself, struggles to get up with Hanad in her arms, looks outside and sees neighbors, all in a state of panic, fleeing. She staggers out of the shop and starts walking with the flow.
Some sixteen hours later, Nadiifo finds herself under a tree with a group of other women, some of whom arrived earlier. There are some corpses around and lots of vultures feeding on them. Night falls and fear grows as vultures and wild scavenging animals get dangerously closer to these helpless people, the vultures sometimes stabbing with their beaks to test if the weak and wounded are dead yet.
Hanand is no longer able to play or even cry. He is too hungry and too tired. His movements are becoming increasingly limited. This is a tremendous worry to Mom. Eventually he does start crying in desperation, with hunger and pain. Nadiifo, as any responsible Somali mother would do, tries to sing for him. She is in a great pain herself and can hardly raise her voice. But motherly responsibility dictates that she sings to him. In Somali culture, a lullaby is talking to the child, telling him/her about the heroes of the family, his father, uncles and siblings, how bright his/her future is, and all the good things in life.
This challenge of their desperate plight does not deter Nadifo from singing a song. She tells him about the situation as it is: dire, dangerous and about the reality that they may not make it to the next morning!!
If you think that this song does not do justice to the situation and I am limited by my knowledge of the language. I plead guilty. I have been away for too long. I invite Somali poets and song writers to kindly come to my rescue and do a piece.
So, here it is: Nadiifo Cullusow and her lullaby to her son Hanad .
1. Hobeeyaa hobeehey hobeeheeyaa
2. Hooyo hobeeyaa hobeey hobeehey yaaaa
3. hooyo maarkaad hanadoow gamaarto
4. markaan hugunkaaga waayo
5. Markaad hinqanweydo gaajo
6 Markaad hidinweydo sheeko
7. Hadaaqu markuu yaraado
8. Ayuu hadaw igu shidmaae
9. Wadnuhu hoos ii go’aaye
10. ha ooyine hoo aammus
11. Waxaad beerka uga higgootay
12. Harraad iyo gaajo weeyi
13. Intaan subag kugu habaayey
14. Horaaddada kuu salaaxay
15. Intaan harag kuu bisleeyey
16. Haddaan heliwaayey caawa
17. Wixii aan hidin karaayo
18. hooyiyo waa caadadeede
19 Bal aan hees kugu qaboojo
20. Ha ooyine hooyo aamus
21. Hobeyaa hobeey hobeeheeyaa
22. Hooy iyo aqal baan lahayne
23. Halyey odayaan lahayne
24. Habliyo dhallin baan lahayne
25. Shaqiyo hanti baan lahayne
26. Intiiba halkaan ka joognno
27. Hilbii inanteenna suubban
28. Markuu haadku iga boobay
29. Markii inankayga Haybe
30. Haanrraawuhu iga dul qaatay
31. Habliyo wiil waxaan danbbaabay
32. Halyeygii aabbahaa
33. Adoo keliyaan hayaae
34 heddeenna Allaan U dhiibay
34. Wixii aan hidin karaayo
35. hooyiyo waa caadadeede
36 Bal aan hees kugu qaboojo
37 Ha ooyine hooyo aamus
38. Hobeeyaa hobeey hobeeheeyaa
39. hooggeenniyo baylahdeennaa
40. Haddeer cidladaan yaxoobnno
41. Waxaa haad iyo waraabe
42. kurtii ina habar dugaagga
43. Hanrrawe innoo shiraaya
44. inuu helbeenna quuto
45. Habeenka sugaaya caawa
46. dhammaan lagu soo heshiiyey
47. Wuxu hilibkayku qaadhay
49. Waxaan ilmo hililiqleeyey
50. Annoo hinqanwaaya daaye
51. Aniga hourddo iima taallo
52. Heddeenna allaan u dhiibay
53 Wixii aan hidin karaayo
54. hooyiyo waa caadadeede
55. Bal aan hees kugu qabbojo
56. Ha ooyine hooyo aamus
57. Hobeeyaa hobeeheey hobeeheeyaa
58. Hummaagga wax baan arkaaye
59. Hirbaa meel iiga muuqda
60. Hillaacbaa ii baxaaya
61. Dhibaatada haysa beesha
62. Waxaa cadow nagu hareersan
63. inu rabbi nooga hiisho
64. Inuu kor innaga hadheeyo
65. Balaayo innaga hagoogo
66. Heddeenna inuu badbaadsho
67. Habeenkale noogu deysto
68. inuu hogol soo darrorsho
69. habaaskiyo dhiigga maydha
70. howraarsan ma ii tidhaahdid
71. Wixii aan hidin karaayo
72. hooyiyo waa caadadeede
73. Bal aan hees kugu qaboojo
74. Ha ooyine hooyo aamus
75 Hobeeheey hobeeheey hobeeheeyaa
76 Wixii dalka hooyo gaadhay
77 Halyeyyo wixi ka lee’day
78 Wixii hoobiye is dhaafay
79 Waxay xabbaddu is hadhaysay
80 Xaggee la innaga haabaaray
81 Danteen uma soo hongoobin
82 Wax kale uma soo hanqaarmin
83 Wixi hanti reerka taallay
84 Wixaan harrar iyo Dreemo
85 Xariir ku habeeyey raarta
86 Adduunyo waxaynnu haynnay
87 Haylahan madhan baan wataae
88 Adoo keliyaan hayaa e
89 Heddeenna Allaan U dhiibay
90 Wixii aan hidin karaayo
91 hooyiyo waa caadadeede
92 Bal aan hees kugu qaboojo
93 Ha ooyine hooyo aamus
94 Hobeeheey hobeeyheeyaa
95 Haddaad hanadoow badbaaddo
96 Hadduu kuu hiisho eebbe
97 Iskuullo haddii ad aaddo
98 Wixii horor iyo warraabe
99 Cadaawe inoo heshiiyey
100 Haanrraawe dadkeenna boobay
100 Wuxuu dhiiggeenna heenshay
101 Wuxuu ku hiraabtay jiidhka
102 isoo wada haadinteeda
103 Ogaanta wixii hallaabay
104 Wixii hirgalee ka cayntay
105 Maxaa hawl kuu dambbeysa
106 Haddaad geedkiyo hadhkiisa
107 Hoobeey ugu yeedho beesha
108 Haasaawe gobeed bilowdo
109 Hillaac ku salaysan geeddi
110 Horweynta tidhaa ku daaji
111 Amma ad ku hammooto aarsi
112 Dagaalka u heensa qaaddo
113 Adduunka hareereheenna
114 Markay habarwacasho gaadho
115 Dad kale waxba haysku hawlin
116 Djibouti ka raadi hiillo
117 Hubaal olloggeenna weeyi
118 Hilbaha iyo jiidhka weeyi
119 Alloo soo hadeeya daaye
120 Qof kale hoo kama filaayo
121 Darbbaa ishambbaraacinteenna
122 Hogeenniyo baabe’eenna
123 Hoggaanli’idenna maanta
124 Inay talo faro ka haaddo
125 Inaaan dulligaa ahaanno
126 Darbbaan talo kaleba haynne
127 Haleelo ku maala taase
128 Haasaawiyo sheekakadooda
129 Inaad hansalkaba ka qaaddo
130 Kuwaa waxba ha u helloobin
131 Intaa sasan hidin karaaye
132 Ducaan kuu xambbaarshey hooyo
133 Hortaadiyo baallahaaga
134 Hoodaan ku dallaalimeeyey
135 Heddeenna Allaan u dhiibay
136 Ha ooyine hooyo aamus