Somaliland sun – A couple of errors in the original article Discrimination in Somali Pastoral Culture have been brought to my attentions that need to be corrected.
1. Firstly, the Gaboye gentleman that was disparaged by a presidential candidate was not a Parliamentarian, but a former Vice Minister of the Ministry of public works.
2. The Gaboye female singer dedicated a school that she had built to the poet and not her famous ‘Somaliland’ song, and it was this school that the poet suggested should instead be dedicated to a deceased Gaboye poet/singer.
I am advised that the reason our great poet made the suggestion of an alternative dedicatee for the school because he (the poet) was alive and it was more appropriate to honour those that had passed on in order to retain their memory.
It was never my intention to impugn the character of this revered poet since I consider him, as do many other Somali people, not only one our culture’s greatest poets but indeed a national treasure, and if I have done so, I offer my unreserved apology. However, it is also true that many people have interpreted his rejection of the dedication as a reflection of the singer’s ancestry. Further, it is by no means clear that the most important person in this exchange, the female singer, accepted this rationale for the rejection of a dedication she meant as evidence of her deep respect and affection for this man. I leave it to the reader and providence to judge. Refer Discrimination in Somali Pastoral Culture
Ahmed M.I. Egal
December 2015
Related read
Somaliland: Gaboye Minority Clan Demand Quota Policy
