It is extraordinary that the people of the United States of America should elect a black man as their President at this time. Surely, the election of Barack H. Obama is the finest example imaginable of the democratic process at work. America has emphatically renewed itself, before the eyes of the world, as a result of this profound and historic moment in time. Few people could have failed to be impressed by the visible qualities that have propelled President-elect Obama into the White House. Fewer still could have failed to be impressed by the clarion call for change made by this remarkable man. President elect Obama is clearly a man with a great deal of self-respect. America, and the world, has certainly needed political change in light of the monumental failures of the Bush years. The Somali nation has suffered terribly as a result of decisions made by George W. Bush, the 43rd President of the United States, with respect to the support given by his administration to the Ethiopian government and its brutal military invasion of the Somali national territory.  

Although it is true that the change of a political leader is the happiness of fools. There can be no harm in hoping for change, especially if the failed and destructive policies of the Bush years can be reversed with respect to Somalia. The election of President Obama can be taken as a good example of political inclusion by all nations of the world. Democracy is a tried and tested system of government. This is another statement of fact. I would agree with Churchill when he said that democracy is the least worst form of government. I would also add that—in my opinion—Somali society, by its very, nature is inherently democratic. The Somali people are people of faith, and we have always demonstrated our strength, in the past, by standing together when called upon. The Somali people have the ability to share resources, settle conflicts, and regulate society without recourse to the legal-rationalism of the world beyond the limits of the Somali peninsula. This must be respected. We have an ancient culture and, throughout our history, we have been able to settled all matters—both great and small—by using dialogue, reaching compromise, and establishing consensus. What could be more democratic than the Argo-pastoral society of the Somalis before the rise of the dangerous hubris of the urbanised, and semi-urbanised, Somalis?  

Most of our people are instinctively isolationist when it comes to the abstract concept that is Somalia. The simple truth is that the Somali nation had been comfortably isolated from the outside world for centuries before the politically significant historical events which took place inside Somalia during the 20th century. The outside world has certainly agitated and disrupted the ancient rhythms of Somali life during the past 110 years. It is clear that a Euro-centric world order has cast an enormous shadow over the history of modern Somalia. America is now the focal point of the Euro-centric cultural stream that impacts so heavily upon the non-Western world. The Somali nation cannot afford to attract the hostility of the United States of America. This is yet another statement of fact. Much has been said, and written, about a perceived clash of civilisations during the past seven years. The Bush years have been turbulent and destructive for a number of small and impoverished nations. Somalia is such a nation. Therefore, as a nation, the Somalis must quickly settle their political differences in order to be able to bring an end to the suffering of our people. We must resist Ethiopian military aggression, but we must find a way, as a nation, that allows us to engage positively with the government of the United States of America, and the rest of the world. We must certainly fight for our freedom. We must certainly fight in order to preserve our monoculture and legal poly-centrism, but the Somali nation must not remain politically isolated on the world stage. We must rebuild our reputation and regain our national self-respect. After all, if ours is an ancient nation that has somehow lost the ability to respect a unique and God given national heritage, how can we hope to command the respect of the modern nations of this world?  

Everything is related to the idea of respect. Our relationships with others, our personal conduct, and our destiny hinges on respect. This is the ultimate statement of fact. The Somali nation has struggled, for over a century, with the forces of a Euro-centric world that do not respect the the customs, heritage, and faith of the Somali people. How can there ever be peace in the Somali peninsula if this lack of respect, which manifests itself in the form of the numerous historical injustices perpetrated against the Somali people, is not properly addressed? All human actions are doomed to fail without that vital component of human respect. We, the Somali people, experience enough difficulty in trying to preserve our ancient way of life. However, we must find a way to resist the effects the corrosive disrespect being directed against the legitimate interests of the Somali nation. The Euro-centric world order must learn to accept the fact that the Somali nation will not give up its cultural heritage, for their convenience, at any price. Only once this idea is accepted, and the Somali nation is genuinely respected in this world, shall we have peace on the Somali peninsula. However we, the Somali people, must regain our national self-respect before we win the respect of a world beyond our homeland. We must resoundingly condemn all criminal deeds perpetrated against the Somali nation. We must be able to condemn crimes like those of the men who publicly executed a child in the name of religion in the port city of Kismayu in the month of October, 2008.  

Only a nation that has lost all national self-respect can tolerate the disgusting excesses of any group that abuses the civilian population. There should be no distinction made between abusers, a crime is a crime whoever commits it. How can the Somali nation win the respect of the world when Somali society sees nothing wrong with the conduct of armed men such as those who brutally executed a child in Kismayu recently? The Somali way of life is both ancient and successful. All Somalis must learn to respect this. In my view, the historical process of Somali urbanisation has resulted in the development of social conditions that permit the rise of extremism of all kinds. Somali cities are where one usually finds both the collaborators of the vicious Ethiopian invaders and the belligerent armed forces of political Islam. Often, in modern Somalia, political Islam serves as a convenient smokescreen for urban criminality. Both are products of the historically unregulated process of Somali urbanisation; both are supported by people with little self-respect; and both are examples of Godless Somali extremism. With this in mind, we must also realise that the most vile of extremist is he who sees the Somali nation only through the clan prism. The lowest example of a Somali intellectual is he who peddles hate in the form of Somali clan chauvinism. This is the sickness that endangers the very existence of the Somali nation. Such people are as pathetic and ridiculous as a mother who hates her children; a father who hates his children; or children who hate their siblings. We must have the strength and ability to recognise this dreadful cancer when we are confronted with it. Our nation must find the strength to resist these dark forces. For we Somalis are now saddled with the ignominy of being a dysfunctional society. We must commit ourselves, and live by the knowledge that if any Somali clan suffers injury then we, the entire Somali nation, are all injured. This is vital. Few things in this world are more destructive than hate, and extremists are people who have hatred in their hearts.  

Clearly, people who are prepared to kill their compatriots are people who loathe their own kind. This is a manifestation of a psychological distemper, and to loathe one's self is truly the worst of all possible psychological conditions. The various extremist groups of Somalia seem to be seeking salvation in the example of non-Somali philosophies. Few, if any, of these groups realise that genuine faith and fidelity to the ancient Somali way of life is their only true salvation. Some may look to the East and others may look to the West, but in the end they shall be forced to confront the fact that the solution to our national problem is purely internal, a solution from within, and it must be a solution based on a foundation of respect. It must be said that the modern Arab states are, for me at any rate, creations of a Euro-centric world order. They cannot represent a political model for the Somali nation. These states are client states of the West in any case. There is no legitimacy to be gained by appropriating the symbols of another nation in order to win influence amongst the people of Somalia.

The ancient ways of the Somali nation are the things that I care about the most. Somali traditions are too precious to throw away, especially if there is nothing of value to replace these traditions with. This is why I focus so much on the idea of respect for the cultural heritage of the Somali nation. The cultural heritage of the Somalis is the one thing that can truly unify the Somali people. We need to involve as many Somalis as possible in the process of preserving our cultural heritage. It does not matter which foreign culture influences our way of life, so long as we are sober enough to be able to control the process in the manner of a consciously unitary nation.  

In order to move beyond our national problems effectively, we must, once more learn to genuinely love the complete splendour of the Somali nation. This means that we must return to the common ground that all Somali people had shared so harmoniously for centuries, before the destabilising and unjust impact of Euro-centric interventions had ever been experienced in the Horn of Africa. In order for the Somali nation to achieve genuine political stability, we must develop a uniquely Somali polity that is attentive to both the spiritual and temporal needs of the Somali people. This, for me, is the essence of the Obamaian Express. Perhaps many nations shall derive benefits from the possible changes being promised by this new American President. And, perhaps it is a worthwhile exercise to be a part of such a journey. Let us hope that we have witnessed an epoch changing moment.  

N. Ibn Othmann  

sommusings.blogspot.com  

yann1@live.co.uk