archie, brovs -there are many who think you're acting in a spottily matter. i was recently told a very poignant story by a old somalilander man. he said ' a man's shoes were stolen in the masjid WTF, he was angry and felt bitter and like the world was closing on him. he felt it was over, you know. then he saw someone without their legs and realised how lucky he was'. i suspect this is slightly exaggerated but its a nice story to hear something positive in a society where good is condemned and bad celebrated. the morale of the story, losing your hair will only signal the end of your manhood but be thankful you're alive. happy friday to you too mate.

archie...... it seems like your manhood is on the decline, not that it was ever in doubt. how can you be a real man if you have no hair.

A new dawn beckons for Alpha in 2000s Alpha Blondy celebrated 20 years as a recording artist, with the release of his CD "MERCI", in 2002 featuring Ophelie Winter and Saian Supa Crew, which earned him a 2003 Grammy Awards Nomination for "BEST REGGAE ALBUM". However due to the political situation in his home country of Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), he was unable to personally attend the prestigious award ceremony in New York City. In an unprecedented move, the Grammy Awards permitted him to send his representative in his place of honor. [5] In 2005 'Akwaba' was released. His latest CD is entitled "Jah Victory" and was released July 2007. It features Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare as well as Tyrone Downie formerly of Bob Marley and the Wailers. "Victory" is in honor of the peace agreement that was reached and implemented in his country in March 2007.

britian is a predominately white society. This is a fact that cannot be disputed.uk films often cover themes relevant to British society. PC, multiculturalism and diversity have been exhausted and any attempt to increase blacks in uk cinema will run the risk of creating 'hatred' by right-wing groups or a create patronising ‘multicultist’, foggy tokenism. this is the cultural milieu that middle class Russell group educated film professionals work within, portraying the ‘black experience’ as a single entity, when the black experience is multi-faceted and diverse as the white experience. isnt any wonder that whites outside of urban major cities think their 'country' been taking over by 'ethnics'. liberal media civilizing orgs like bbc have far too many black face fronting their programmes. i can think of a few black weathermen, although al jazeera's everton fox would top my list of oxymorons . even all the adverts like the famous 'friends' Heineken advert has a black fellow, who had uncomfortable look to his face as he had probably the bestest friends in the world. not to mention the carling advert showing the courage some friends would go for their friends, and there in the 'southpole' with his eskimo clad showing his courage and loyalty to ‘friend’, despite being a ‘minority ethnic’ or a 'magical negro. black cinema has for far too long been championed by white apologists, whose chronic paternalism has not only completely alienated black cinema goers but neutered and emasculated black directors and actors. conscious cultural critics like myself value grass-roots, organically inspired cultural products, products that are grounded in real life experiences and not some pre-judged culturally distant stereotype informed by the overarching white cultural superstructure. this ‘white cultural superstructure’ not only hijacks black cultural figures (i.e. Muhammad Ali) for their own ends (for Muhammad ali a validation of how progressive society has become when blacks still live in conditions comparable to the 1960s) but more significantly constructs a condescending, cultural straight jacket. this dominant milieu or white superstructure is the dominant ideology that inhibits black screen writers, directors and actors. For Sidney Poiter read Denzel Washington. what I’m proposing, in my capacity as a conscious cultural critic, here is a 'back to basics' approach, bringing alternative and seldom documented experiences into the cultural mainstream; with the intention of shining a light with the intention of uncovering, and authentically documenting, hard to reach cultures and sub-cultures that exist in the UK. these voices should be organically sourced from their own communities, given the tools (please note not the training) and the encouragement to make films based on their experiences and values rather than having a white ethno-centric culturally biased worldview forced upon them. the most important point is to realise that this ethno-centric culturally abusive milieu is the number 1 impedeint to black film makers. rather than portraying a single black experience as the norm, multiple, non-stereotypical black experiences than white audiences find innovative and informative will become de-rigueur. thus, rather than working in a so called liberal industry that has in fact been infused by values that were complicit in the construction of colonialism such as the ‘scramble for Africa’, black film makers would be able to work in an industry, depicting their own individually unique experiences, which is more in tune with the 21st century of global values; values that find a corollary in the individually unique and organically inspired new online social media.

Carafaat;800024 wrote: Alpha, I saw your picture. You dont look Somali either. Kind a caribean. lol. why do people keep saying i look black or african. for goodness sakes i have an amazingly chiseled nose!

amazing person. greatest patriot alive. i salute XX!

this was a plane carrying food aid.

arafat, these pics do not look somalis, mate. stop posting pics of bantus.

BOB;799505 wrote: Mampara. Mampara: ''generally a public figure who has said or done something so idiotic that it boggles the mind'' (full applause followed by slow clapping til the last clap) - BOB, you foolish old man. i think you're delusional to use such a term on me.

idealogue

mate, come here and do the research. its pitful. to ask for help on an online forum populated by ill-informed individuals.

N.O.R.F;799036 wrote: Thats isn't true saxib. It all depends on the individual/family. Length of stay doesn't equate to success. The community does need a collective voice. Why have we not established that collective voice? Why do we have 101 organisations but the media doesn't know who to talk to when something comes up? Certainly, there is some truth to your views here. family is key. however families who've stayed the longest time are more successful. its takes time to integrate into a post-industrial society having arrived from a semi-nomadic environs. the most successful somali groups in the UK are not found in the organised chaos that is london but in other cities in the uk like cardiff, manchester and liverpool etc where inter-generational stratification has occurred. there are legacies and a community like the somalis are well known for their strong ties and familial relations. having said that, to achieve social mobility requires pre-conditions such education, family status, local environment, occupation and other factors like length of time in the uk. all these factors combined equate to the person's overall sense of themselves and this reflects on their outward behaviour and actions in the wider mainstream society . as for the community question. they have failed miserably and i'm not in favour of groups using areas where funding streams are most profitable and available to represent me. how can i, as a young somali, for instance, be represented by groups advocating for asylum and refugee groups? surely, i've had a different lived experience, having been in the country for some time and Somalis in the uk require more important priorities like education, training and employment.

arafat, please respect your size. your knowledge on the lived experiences of somalis in the uk are minimal. for so many years, this was a field i was involved in, wrote on and have plenty of views on.

lol@norf, those who arrived in late 80s and early 90s are overwhelmingly more integrated. those who arrived in early 2000s are useless and unsettled. as the articles clearly points out in its description of 3 different groupings, success depends entirely on length of stay. of course there are also those clever folks from xamar, whose superior business acumen and entrepreneurial spirit make them stand out as evidenced by places like harlesden, Shepherds bush and Tottenham.

interesting article. i dont think the somali community needs a collective voice. there are different interests and despite being commonly refered to as a group which is all too similar,different immigration status and lenghtly of time in UK are key factors.

SUMMER 98 world cup finals and nintendo 64 with goldeneye for pasting SATs before the cruel life of secondary school. pure bliss

Somalia;798453 wrote: What about the epic battle between Mew and Mewtwo i've still got 15 shines at home. lol

NN, i remember my bro renting it from blockbusters and i swear he born in 77'. we enjoyed it nonetheless, it was a good weekend in summer late 90s.

NN, i'm surprised you didnt owe a shisha bottle in the 90s. this thread is so nostalgic! for me it was all about x-men, power rangers, gladiators and Melinda messager (phooowwe, get a load of those).

German-born Turkish filmmaker Fatih Akin writes and directs the drama Gegen die Wand (Head-On). Set in a working-class Hamburg neighborhood, the story follows two Turkish immigrants who get together in a marriage of convenience. Cahit Tomruk (Birol Ünel) is a heavy drinker and a fighter who crashes his car into a wall. While visiting his psychiatrist, Dr. Schiller (Hermann Lause), he meets fellow patient Sibel Guner (Sibel Kekilli). She's desperate to get away from her restrictive family, so she asks Cahit to marry her. Wanting to change his life anyway, Cahit agrees to the arrangement. After their wedding, Sibel celebrates her freedom by drinking, dancing, and having one-night stands. Meanwhile, Cahit carries on an intimate relationship with hair stylist Maren (Catrin Striebeck). Eventually, Cahit and Sibel learn to care for one another after a climactic trip to Istanbul. Head-On won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival in 2004. 10/10

90s so whack! all about 80s! those were the days.... listening to young fine cannibals and the like in those refugee camps!

sleaze, or put mildly a good opportunity to make money is a traditional past time of Somaliland. there is almost a subterranean underbelly to it. i suppose this is in part due to the its tolerance and the savvy individuals involved appetite for it. all over the country secret deals are being sealed and handshakes revel in their 'done deals'. over the past few weeks, I’ve been solicited for bribes to ensure that all is 'done'. i usually tolerate such advances with polite ambivalence, neither accepting or refusing such lucrative offers. i mean why shouldn’t I ? that’s what often runs through my mind, then i remember the famous story my good friend hashi told me. there are two students, a somali and the other Filipino. both studied together sometime in the US during 1980s. they both represented the brightest for each country. few years later, the Filipino invites the Somali with the hope of impressing his friend with his new found success and position in society. several years later, the somali extends a warm invite to his friend. the Filipino is in awe of the Somali’s success. he probes and asks questions.the Somali gladly tells his friend the source of his lavish and successful life. he takes the Filipino outside one of the mansion’s veranda and tell him ' you see that road?' the Filipino responds ' what road?' looooooooooooooooooool. Kills me everytime! Classic stuff. The morale of the story is ‘waxna cun, waxna qabo’ somaha? but in somaliland’s case this is unlikely and all they do is eat without planning for what tomorrow brings!

welcome home Mr. President. we are very proud of you!

Alpha's revival and change of direction After two more years in Paris, Blondy returned to his homeland in 1998, with a new album 'The Prophet'. Convinced his label was too much focused on the international market, he decided to create his own label. Since then Alpha has recorded albums and singles, such as: 'Yitzhak Rabin' in memory of the Israeli prime minister who was assassinated in 1995 (this was accompanied by yet another grueling tour of Europe), the single 'Journaliste en Danger' from his album 'Elohim' in 2000.[4]

positive news!