Whispering Nationalists: Breathing Life into the Dying Somali Nationalism

In today’s world, even with the seemingly universal cooperation and free trade among most civilized world, nationalism is finding its way back into the hearts and minds of people in every conscious society and is getting stronger than ever. All over Europe, Asia, and The Americas as well as the Oceania, people are reclaiming their countries and recommitting their loyalties to their nation----- Nationalism is in the rise more than ever, a new social movements of some sort, where people of the same origin are regrouping, realigning or uniting again to claim their oneness and their shared common cultural heritage. The full impact of these tendencies of renewed nationalistic sentiments are felt in all over world, unless of course the country in question is Somalia, where the Somalis are relentlessly trying to bring back the colonial state structures to re-divide and redefine their nation into fiefdoms and tribal enclaves--- the pre-historic tribal groups, asserting that they have always been some sort of de facto federations of different peoples that have barely anything in common, ethnically, religiously, linguistically or otherwise. In short, No common bond!!Perennialism is I belief that nations exist throughout long periods of history either continuously or recurrently and focus on ethnic ties, myths of origin, and symbols as the source of nationalism’s vitality throughout the ages.Well, I don’t intend to teach history in this short article and I rather not to challenge that claim of superiority of certain clans to the others in Somalia, however, one wonders whether a failed political arrangement was the only thing the Somalis ever had in common or whether there are apparent perennial ties that we share. A government, was that all? The extent to which our social order or life is harmonious or whether we share a common heritage; and to the extent that we share common moral and social values; or conflict-ridden social order that underscores our tribal difference, the prevalent degree of grievances that we have today focuses more not on what we share but what possibly disunite us. Granted that governing different peoples with different interests and localities, with necessary local concerns and or regional goals and triumph of many interest, as is the case in every country, will require careful arrangements that lead to sense of being part of nation and the feeling of pride and nationalism where all constituents, big and small, should have the same basic rights and privileges. Ironically, nonetheless, that is the basic agreeable components of federalism, and it was the responsibilities of us all, as all other creatures do, to make it work towards that goal. Under federalism and under one national umbrella, each region in Somalia could have worked towards developments and achievements to reach their individual potential and capacity without sacrificing, sabotaging or fostering into the death of our nation and national pride that we lost today, and at the same time would have remained a viable nation with dignity in the eyes of the rest of the world society. What we have today are disgraceful tribal enclaves constantly on the throat of each other, where all of them miserably failed to take care of the welfare of their individual regions. More than two decades of observing this tragedy in today’s society in our country should be considered as a convincing reason to believe that our nation has nothing to expect from today’s political elites, the warlords and alike, who all failed to sway the political squander that they have themselves created. Their unwillingness to yield is a testimony that their greed and competition for the control our national resources are pushing the whole country into destruction.The genuine Somali nationalists, the whispering few that are consciously active today, is a small fraction of what once was the main core of our national treasure. The absence of a vocal, organized, strong movement with vision to save this nation opened the doors for warlords, regional chauvinists, tribal segregationists and opportunistic inept politicians that sucked the life out of our once vibrant nation and its beautiful people. Tragically, the most discouraging reality in all this is the inescapable fact that these new waves of problems that beset the Somali nation are just the beginning of unfortunately dismal future that has already destroyed the precious lives and the hopes of our youth, and the beginning of the end of the nationalistic sentiments among the Somali youth that was once the dream of every proud Somali family to raise their children to become the defenders of this nation tomorrow.The few surviving nationalists are mostly in their 50’s or older and may or may not be around for another decade or so. However, had they been forthcoming in organizing themselves in order to breathe life into the dying nationalism in this country, it could have helped today’s youth to have a sense of nationalism and a clear understanding of what it means to pass it on to the next generations. What we have today is a situation where, after 15 years of rampant destruction and tribal chauvinism in our country, the surviving youth are either a confused bunch, some of whom are either the least educated or blinded by nonrational, Godless religious belief in void of convincing and solid tradition, which itself constitutes an impediment to understanding a good society history and social values. Most of today’s young generation has no nationalistic connection to their country, and many, not a fault of their own but because of the predicament they found themselves growing under, lack the required social consciousness. Others either loath today’s existing conditions and are distrust with the coercive ruling warlords or have otherwise become the propellant of this besieging warlordism and regional segregation that have replaced yesterday’s society and its cultural values. This latter group is the most dangerous and the most antinationalism group, who is not willing to partake in any national discourse that proposes peace and reconciliation, flexibility, cooperation, rationality or shifting of their loyalty in this political quandary, materialistic and moral flawed situation that currently prevail in our country, which they have been part of throughout their lives.Thick walls of illiteracy, tribalism, cycle of wars and lack of leadership that shattered their lives and obscured their vision to escape from this grip of helplessness currently surround them. Battered by rampant regional wars, and local civil strive, they grew up in today’s Somalia where nationalism is nonexistent or remains something of the past. With declined social values; unabashed suppressions of certain groups and the silencing of public opinions, their acquired experience in governing and social responsibilities are the misguided social destruction orchestrated by ignorant remnants of yesterday’s army officers, unintelligent bureaucrats, and likeminded warlords attempting to change the course of history by fostering into a social disarray driven by a highly propagated clannish mindset of their own and greed for power, a fatal combination that put the whole country into coma.In the absence of true and functioning democratic political parties that could help them shape their future dreams, enlighten their public opinion and national responsibilities, our youth of today lack the acquired experiences of healthy public and political discourse and the necessary critical evaluation of their required collective contribution towards building a nation for their children and generations yet to come, as their grandfathers did for today’s passing generation. It is a national tragedy that today’s few whispering nationalists should take a note of, if at all they are willing to help this lost generation before this older generation passes away;….., one by one, few here and there, without much of note taken by the rest; leaving behind a nation whose future is in the hands of this confused and lost generation themselves. For Somalia to reenter back into the peace-loving countries in the world, today’s generation should think very seriously about their responsibilities and their role in becoming the guarantor of peaceful society that is respectful of individual governmental and human rights, and above all to build and protect a viable Somali nation with fully protected sovereignty and an earned respect among the nations in the world that we should be in it and of it.The role that the whispering few nationalists should play, and urgently I may add, is to change the course of Somali politics before it is too late. We should transform our conscious young generations from an orally debating tribal society, controlled by warlords, to a society with political ideals and political independence that could be hammered into the minds of today’s young generations and the generations to come. This, as I see it, is a way to help our society to escape from this seemingly inescapable grip, if not today possibly tomorrow, and become a strong nation that could succeed in its political mission to join the free world and gain the dignity it so deserves. Only such movement with national fervor and enthusiasm, with unique political creed of nationalism, could liberate our people and could guarantee pride in accomplishing one’s motherland. Such movement, should have the courage not only to defend our culture against abuses and destruction, but should have the wisdom to correct what is wrong with it. We should revisit our traditional models, critically study all its strength and weaknesses, and develop a strategy to recommend the required changes. Our problems, I believe, are not our regional differences, as that is common in all mankind, but I believe it is the destruction of what we once had, oneness in nationalism. What we need is not an empty self-glorification of regional enclaves, but a real country and its people, a unity within and with the rest of the mankind.



The writer ,Ali Bahar, is a friend of mine to whom God has bestowed an eloquent writting and orating ability.
aib_1@yahoo.com