Shirkii sagootinta Garaad Jaamac ee jaaliyada SSC ee UK

[Liibaan]

 

 

 

 

 

[Sophist]

Was this in Islow?

[Buuxo]

so who is he? someone important? maxaa loo sogoontiye??

[Sophist]

He is the Garaad of ALL THE SOMALIS-- crowned at Ramada hotel almost two weeks ago . Prior to that, Garad Jama was the spritual leader of SOOL, SANAAG AND CEYN COMMUNITIES.

[Pacifist]

I met the fine Garad Jamac when he was doing his tour in the US. I was really impressed walahi. He showed all the great qualities of a great leader and spoke with great eloquence. He encouraged the youth to get their education and give back to the homeland. He should definately run for presidency, He definately has my vote. Now this a a leader am proud to call our own. We need more of him around.

[Jacaylbaro]

He is the Garaad of ALL THE SOMALIS

looooooooool

[rudy-Diiriye]

i like his hat! its awesome...! lol.

[Liibaan]

 

 

 

[Malika]

Originally posted by Jacaylbaro:

quote: He is the Garaad of ALL THE SOMALIS

looooooooool

^^^And that is funny,how?? Have some respect ninyow! With folks like you no wonder there is no end to the hate!

[Fabregas]

Originally posted by buuxo:

so who is he? someone important? maxaa loo sogoontiye??

He is a 21st century tribal chief, who carries a laptop as one observer noted. He doesn't travel by foot or by foot or camel.

[N.O.R.F]

^^and carries a hands free

 

What was the aim of the conference? What was achieved? etc

[Buuxo]

Originally posted by Geel_Jire12:

He is a 21st century tribal chief, who carries a laptop as one observer noted. He doesn't travel by foot or by foot or camel.

okay, i am more confused is he a tribal chief or a spiritual leader or both? i am sorry if my questions sound dumb, Is Garaad the same as suldaan?. mashallah he seems quite young, i thought somalis usually give these roles to elders.

[Malika]

Buuxo,hope this eloquently writen article help!

 

Revisiting Somali Culture and Tradition with Garaad Jaamac Garaad Cali Garaad Jaamac

Jan 10, 2007 By:Faisal Abdi Roble

Nothing could be further from the truth, except possibly for the odd aberrant behavior that will be found in any form of governance. African democracy is a form of direct democracy that allows the people to be involved in all major decisions affecting their communities.

Decisions are made by consensus with the chief or traditional leader acting as a facilitator and traditionally not allowed to influence the decisions of the community. Representative democracy allows no such involvement. Elected leaders can do very much as they please as long as they abide by certain rules. They can even defy the majority of the electorate if they have no concern for re-election or believe they can sway opinion in their favor by the time of the next election.

Traditional authorities can never behave in such a manner. They are always accountable and always available to their people. African democracy is consequently superior to representative democracy at the local level and therefore more suitable for the governance of traditional communities. Completing the destruction of South Africa’s traditional communities?" Temba Nolutshungu, Director of the Free Market Foundation, South Africa.

 

 

On January 3, 2006, after driving over one hour and half on the notoriously congested I-5 freeway, I showed up at a room full of gleeful faces of more than hundred and fifty Somali immigrants, residents of Southern California, who gathered at the Golden Center (where services are provided to Somali Senior Citizens in San Diego). Still jubilant with post Ciidal Adxa festivities, the visit of the Grand Garaad of Sool and Sanaag and Cayn communities were the icing on the cake for this crowd.

The crowd who gathered here represented all of Somalia’s otherwise disparate clans. And, not only were they united in their spirit to observe their organic Somali culture, but also in their appreciation and observance of the virtues of their traditional authority as represented by his highness Garaad Jaamac Garaad Cali Garaad Jaamac.

 

 

Prior to the Garaad’s sagacious and historic speech - historic for the ever-bourgeoning Diaspora community - as many as 7 speakers representing different sectors of the Somali community of this expansive region of Southern California, came to the podium and uttered traditional greetings and affirmed their appreciation of the presence of such a nobility amongst what is otherwise a toiling, 12 to 14 hours-day working, decent and crime free community.

Anyone who was present at the site and observed the hearty cheerful welcome that was bestowed on this noble authority, descendent of a long line of more than ten Garaads of his lineage, as one women said in her touchy poem (Buraanbur in Somali), would not be lost on the truth that Somalis too differ to traditional authority more than to warlords or other artificially imposed structures.

After soothing poetry and briefs presented by what sounded like delegates from their own respective constituents, at 7:00 P.M. sharp, the Grand Garaad, Garaad Jama Garaad Cali of the *********** clan, a man in his early thirties with elongated face wearing a carefully trimmed beard, hence giving his cheeks well-defined boundaries and a Somali-revered look, a full-bearded tall man (Gadh Madoobe), almost towering over most of his guests of honor, stood out of the gold glazed chair that he was assigned to sit on and reached out to the microphone.

 

 

He did not waste any time to share with his crowd his words of wisdom that one obediently expects from nobility:

Our homeland is bleeding and mothers and sisters and children are dying from lack of the simplest medication that even pets in the West get so easily. We do not have schools or any form of learning centers, spare any other form of infrastructure. What we need from the Diaspora community is neither politics nor divisive activities, but help in rebuilding our peace and social infrastructures that have been devastated as a result of a long and unnecessary civil war.

 

With that, the Garaad quickly underscored his full understanding of his position in the community to which he added: “with authority comes responsibility.” He added that from the day he was coroneted this past May, 2006 in the simmering summer heat of Leas Caanod on wards, his shoulders had felt heavier.

But recognizing the reciprocal offering of fealty to him, he informed his faithful audience his undivided commitment to unify his people whether it is his immediate community or the larger disparate Somali society.

Fully aware of the benefits accorded to his people in this mosaic and cosmopolitan cultural milieu that became the new home we all so voluntarily adopted, the Garaad strongly advised his audience to be full and effective partners of their respective communities in which they live. ‘Be productive citizens of your communities but at the same time nurture, not murder, your culture,” he sternly advised.

By gleefully listening to this nobility, something clicked inside me that reminded me of the way my own late father, Abdi Roble, otherwise a very strong man, remained loyal, voluntarily loyal, to my own Geri clan’s Garaad, Garaad Cisman Garaad Cali Garaad Koshin, who too descended from the Garaad Adan described by Richard Burton in “First Footsteps in East Africa." I silently appreciated this mutual trust-based system of indigenous governance in Africa as much as the leading Africanist, Jeremy Swift did. It is incidentally a system that predates all failed post-colonial system.

Another revelation to me was how those who are not even from the Garaad’s immediate constituency paid homage and respect to his nobility. Members of diverse clans, who may otherwise thrive on their differences, emphasized here their communalities and assured the Garaad to “stay united Somalis, one nation under one religion.”

Touching a soft spot of the audience, he challenged the larger community to “sort out its priority;” and said that “each and every one of you must first and foremost mind your own business and take care of the family for whom you are responsible.”

He could not have said this better than by reminding the audience a folk story, where a negligent husband suddenly and hastily rolled up his sleeves only to be questioned by his despondent sister-in-law:

“where do you think you are rushing to?”

“I am going to partake in a clan war that my in laws are engaged in” responded the unsuspecting husband.

“hah! You must first fulfill your husbandly responsibility that you have so long neglected,” she dismissively told him.

With humility, especially from the men, the house came to a self-redeeming laughter.

Doubly impressive about Garaad Jamac is his vision of leadership for the Somali community irrespective of clan limitation, and his well-though out Plan of Action pertaining to the Somali traditional leadership. Consisting of four interrelated points, the Garad proposes the following:

1. Invite all Somali traditional leaders (mainly Garaads, Isims, Ugaases, Malaaqs,

Sultan) representing major Somali clans to his official residence in

Laas Caanod.

2. Engage them to have systemic structure in which they can deliberate about traditional methodologies to building sustainable peace and harmony in the Somali society.

3. Bridge and mend broken bridges of communications among traditional leaders.

4. Enhance connectivity and networking among this group of the society,

Professor Said Samatar of Rutgers University, whom I spoke about this vision, and who has extensively studied the role of traditional leaders in conflict resolution, called the Garaad’s proposed Plan of Action “a visionary concept that, if expanded, may contain the seeds of a blue-print for the establishment of civil society.” As a matter of fact it is.

The Garaad’s proposal resonates with the professor’s earlier treatise on the subject (Samatar, Said, Oral Poetry and Somali Nationalism, 1982).

The Garaad shared with his audience his dream to have a system and data base where anyone member of the traditional leaders in any part of the Somali peninsula can reach one another at the earliest breakout of a clan conflict or other disasters that may necessitate an action from this class of leaders. Given today’s transformation of the world into a global village, the Garaad’s plan is timely.

I can only vouch with appreciation for this visionary and farsighted traditional leader who blessed our great Golden Gate’s community with his timely visit. With his continent-wide tour coming to a closure in Atlanta this weekend (January 7, 2006), the Garad had appropriately earned the name of a “unifying Garad.” May Allah bless him for he has shown us that Somali culture and tradition is more resilient than often acknowledged. We are in one of those times that we need to revisit our culture and tradition to help us center our souls and society.

Faisal Abdi Roble

WardheerNews

E-Mail:Fabroble@aol.com

[Buuxo]

^^ Thanks munira that did answer my questions.

[Sophist]

Garad=Boqor, Suldaan and Ugaas (although Garaad Shirshoore, Garaad Jama's ancestor was Ugaas to begin then became Garaad might be indicative that the title Garaad is higher status then the Ugaas--all relative to the cultural conditions of one's locality of course).