Rhoda Rageh’ s vigorous struggle On Somaliland Culture and language

[Jacaylbaro]

Waqtigu wuu sunsumayaa

Midna waa la sugayaa

Soo jire ma noole'e

Qarni waliba wuu socon

Safna wuu ka daba dhalan

Hadba kooda sarakaca

Waxa sahayda uga taga

Kii horee sagootiyey

 

In English:

 

Transient is the passing time

As new one is anticipated

Older generations are no more

And every legion will recede

As new rows are born

For every ensuing generation

That who leave them legacy

Is the preceding one

 

 

Language is one of the main resources in any society as well as cultural and traditional venues are. These above mentioned need to be protected to make sure that the nation exists generation after generation.History prevails that there were many nations in this world that perished after new generation, who had no chance to inherit their language and cultural prosperity from the previous generation, came into existence. Somali-speaking nations went through many difficulties that caused them to immigrate to new nations and settled there. The new Somali-speaking generation hardly speak in Somali language neither know their cultural resources. In this case, Rhoda Rageh started a tireless and wonderful struggle to keep the Somali Literature alive among this new Somali-non speaking age group.

 

 

As a member of Farshaxan website, we congratulate Rhoda on her determined and new struggle for the Somali literature. Rhoda translates some poems into English to make the new generation to still taste the richness and beauty of their culture. Rhoda does not only translate the meaning ,but in a great effort tries to keep that deep meaning and expression the poem entails to still have the sense and goal of the poet. As far as we know Rhoda is alone in this venue although there are some other people who did one song or two in their lifetime. There are more than handfuls in number in the Farshaxan library that Rhoda already shared with us and still her meticulous effort is going on.

 

In her own words, Rhoda helped us understand the deep meaning and mission of language by using her tireless pen in this statement “Language is inherently unstable. Imperfect articulation of phonemes render non-native speaker as odd and illiterate and often induces the scoff of natives. Words change form and meaning. They sometimes pick up negative connotations, sometimes positive, and occasionally disappear from practice entirely while other terms borrowed from foreign languages keep vocabulary expanding. However, the process of change in a language is intricately intertwined with the attitude and cognizance of its native speakers.” At that point, she expressed how influential of the native speaker could have on the language revolution. Rhoda decided to do something about the Somali Speakers paying more attention to the sound of the music while ignoring the lyrics as consequence of not understanding. In this case Rhoda found out that there is a role to be played to keep Somaliland culture and tradition alive. Rhoda had to share with us her profound passion which made her to do an extra-ordinary effort to restore cultural and traditional values among youth and what she decided by saying “my passion is to read and write but I find it my responsibility to translate Somaliland Literature that matters to me so that the young Somali Landers in the Diaspora can connect with their cultural heritage. Many sing to tunes of the recently rhapsodized music from Somaliland but I don’t think many of them understand the lyrics and the passion that engulfs us when we hear the classical Music of our culture. Language is culture and culture is language”.

 

Rhoda was born and raised in Hargeisa, Somaliland. She did her elementary, intermediate and secondary school in Hargeisa as well as she had the opportunity and hard-working skills to complete her undergraduate(B.A) and graduate(M.A) degrees in English Literature in San Jose State University in San Jose city. Rhoda was employed as an ESL teacher in the United Arab Emirates .She had to teach UAE nationals who were also employees of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and its affiliates in a process of changing 80% of the Emirate work force from foreigners to UAE national’s. Her students were an adult language students.

 

Rhoda does not translate every Somali language literature ,but she uses the process of pick and choose technique as some people may ask themselves what criteria guides her very carefully and what makes her to select some rather than all. Without speculating those characteristics of her preferred determination, Rhoda elaborated for us by saying “I am selective of my literary material because as hard this may sound for some who believe the concept of “art for art’s sake,” I believe art is more than just pleasure. As Abrams wrote in his book “The Mirror and the Lamp,” Literature is a lamp that sheds light on the goodness of a culture but it is also a mirror through which a society can look and reflect. I also believe that literature is to instruct and delight. Therefore using all these aspects together, I try to bring out everything that matters to the young English speaking generation. I have another reason too why I choose my literature carefully. For a long time now, the news of what we used to call Somalia has been degraded. Our youth have lost not only their land but they have lost a culture and cultural continuity. They are suffering in Western and Arab countries rootless and on top of that they hear very demeaning things about them. They are paying a heavy price of a country and culture they don’t understand. Their looks represent that culture and their behavior is judged by it. Therefore, let our youth and the rest who are negative about Somalia/Land learn about the other side of our once cultured society.”

 

This kind of action committed by Rhoda guides us to understand how much she cares about the youth as well as she is pushing herself to have this youth understand lyrics of any song or poem instead of dancing with flow. Rhoda shared with us how strongly that she feels about preserving cultural values by declaring this: “I am a student of Humanity but I won’t comprise the values that shape my reality. No one emerges from a vacuum. Everyone informs of a cultural background and the material I choose, though I don’t denounce the values of other cultures shows both the universality of literature and the rareness of ours”.

 

The consequence of every action performed could lead success or failure ,but Rhoda does not ignore this fact ,but always puts her work of balancing to do better. When asked to elaborate the outcome of her work among readers, she did not hesitate, but contributed to us this “I had tremendous success in my approach. Since I started translating Somali literature, not only have I brought enormous awareness that many now spend a lot of time reading or writing about our literature but my biggest success is the overwhelming response I receive from the young Somali Landers scattered everywhere in the world. I hear their frustration, their fears, their fondness of culture and their aspirations to learn about literature. That was my aim and nothing gives me more pleasure than to hear a young student writing from Australia asking me to mentor him or from California sharing her loneliness in the death of her father. Some even think I am in their age range and try to connect with me and I receive all of them with good cheer.”

 

As always positive / negative feed back encourages us to do better ,Rhoda listens to her readers and ….“ I hear from adults as well. On my first translation of the song “Mother” a reader blessed me for giving him the very thing he was looking for at a moment when his young nephew was rude to his mother and he was searching for something exact that could make this child understand the value of mother. I don’t hear from Somali Landers alone. People write to me from Somali speaking countries. When these people write from Djibouti, Kenya, Ethiopia or anywhere in the Diaspora they are parts connecting to a whole and they affirm the value of literature and the oneness of humanity”.

 

Rhoda always takes advantage of any opportunities to thank and congratulate her readers as well as she often writes to them .In conclusion of this introduction for Rhoda Rageh’s enormous work , we decided to write down her message to all of us:

 

“To all the young people who wrote me and to all the people who always admire my writing, I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart. I hope my writing encourages many young Somali Landers to learn literature, humanity and courses that matter. A professor of mine who was a Shakespearean Scholar once told me that his major was math in undergraduate, at that time, he said: “I thought math was going to change the world but later I found out that Literature is the one that is changing the world.” I believe him because literature has changed me profoundly and until today I change others as profoundly as it has changed me”. Rhoda Rageh.

 

 

by Fouad - member of Farshaxan