Globalized family

[Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar]

Is your family globalized? As widespread as the typical extended Soomaali family seems to be?

 

The other thread about wasiiro holding many Western passports got me thinking. I just looked at my own immediate family and reflected the reality we as a family are in: The truly globalized family.

 

I have a sister and a brother who both have a Danish passports; almost another dozen who hold British citizenships; two brothers with their acquired American nationalities. I and another sister with our own Canadian ones. Then there is another brother who has an Italian residence permit; an uncle who has a Swiss nationality; countless aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews, nieces who are Dutch, Norwegian, American, British, Danish, Canadian dual nationalities.

 

At one time or another during the 1990s, my siblings were scattered around the world: Bakistaan, Talyaaniga, Holland, Denmark, Sacuudiya, Mareykanka, Kanada, Liibiya, Nayroobi, Masar, Ingiriiska, Suuriya...

 

I don't think any other African nation has experienced this, this unique fact of our current diasporic situaton. Only very few peoples have experienced this, namely the Jewish and Palestinians. I am not even sure Palestinians, Afghans are as widely dispersed as we are. We are truly almost globally universal.

 

This reality dawned on me. How would we be like down from a few decades from now, heck even within one generation? Most Soomaalis intended to return to Soomaaliya, hoping the civil war would end as quickly as it began; some, however, are slowly giving this optimistic view out, a hope I did not lose -- always Soomaaliya is my home.

 

It would be scary to envision a generation who were born in all those myriad countries, being cousins, nieces, nephews who have never met, who speak unimaginable non-Soomaali languages to 'communicate,' waaba haddee isla hadlaan.

 

That is the future.

[Aaliyyah]

The samething applies to my family and am sure almost every other Somali. I have cousins about everywhere in the globe from Europe, Asia, Australia, in the states you name it. Some we met and some we are yet to meet.

 

If we don't go back to Somalia, we are without a doubt going to lose our culture and language as well. Most of my cousins the language we communicate is English. Some of them can speak Somali, bt the majority can't. Even those who can speak it prefer English to Somali. Somehow there this belief that speaking Somali makes you come across as old fashion. Go figure. Ofcourse, no need to generalize, some just never had the chance to learn their mother tongue giving that they didn't spend a whole lot time with their parents or grandparents.

 

So imagine down few generations?? we already lost most of our language and culture in less than 20 yrs? imagine another 20 yrs ? I dont even wanna think abt it :mad:

[winnie]

^^^thats partly due because we have no large base of literature in aff somali. somali is largely an oral language, and it can't compete with the language we utilize and are exposed to on a day to day basis. culture i think we can retain, but the way we interpret it will obviously be modified by the dominant culture we live in. but than again, with globalization, somalia itself may be changing the same way diasporic communities are.

[Mowgli]

Not too long ago I was asking hooyo, where my Somali passport was. I wasn't born in Somalia but just always assumed I had a passport, but to my shock and horror, I found out that I never had one to begin with!

 

I always realise how diverse we are as a family whenever we get together in the summers...try refering a football game where some speak only italian, german, english *luckily the swedish and dutch ones understand* and not all speak somali...it's a headache and a half!

[Jacaylbaro]

Waar yaa Ilaahay yaqaan aniga mooyaane ,,

 

 

Soomaalidii sow meel walba may tegin oo passport kasta ma haystaan ,,,,

[Kool_Kat]

MMA, Manshallah! I wish my family was that big and diverse...Fara kutiris lee nahay, kuligeena hal meel aan isla joognaa...And I hope we never ever have to separate...

 

As for the language and culture, it is all in the home...As long as there is a strong home oo afka looga hadlo, it shouldn't be a problem...My younger sister was only three years old when we came to Canada, and believe me afSoomaaliga eyku hadasho aanba ka yaabo mar marka qaarkood...

 

Toloow madhici doontaa inee Soomaaliya yeelato a Soomaali President who doesn't speak the Soomaali language?

[Jacaylbaro]

That should be rudy ,,,,,,,,

[Laba-X]

Soomaalidu waa Sunta hargaha ayuu shiinuhu yiri.

 

As for me, none of my family (except for some distant relatives)has ever had a passport - not even Somali . They were never in want of a passport to traverse the wilderness of Sanaag, you see. I had an uncle who held a British passport during the 1940s/50s but that he relinquished as soon as Somalia became independent. He bought several hundred camels and retired in Somalia. Now it is my turn to do the same thing...

[Jacaylbaro]

I bet you can do it ...... the time he lived was completely different from the one of yours.

 

FYI, There is no internet connection in the xerada geela ,,

[Malika]

Originally posted by Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar:

Is your family globalized? As widespread as the typical extended Soomaali family seems to be?

 

This reality dawned on me. How would we be like down from a few decades from now, heck even within one generation? Most Soomaalis intended to return to Soomaaliya, hoping the civil war would end as quickly as it began; some, however, are slowly giving this optimistic view out, a hope I did not lose -- always Soomaaliya is my home.

 

It would be scary to envision a generation who were born in all those myriad countries, being cousins, nieces, nephews who have never met, who speak unimaginable non-Soomaali languages to 'communicate,' waaba haddee isla hadlaan.

 

That is the future.

MMA,it will all depend on how the first generations raise their kids,my family has 5 generations born outside Somalia and we so Somali you would assume we just left Berbera last year..lol

 

So dont frett,all you "new" to living outside Somalia,Somalis need to do is make sure you teach your children your culture,language and continue to maintain links with folks back home..

[Aaliyyah]

^^That is what the russians/chinese/pakis/indians in my neighborhood do. Some of them have grandparents who moved here about 50 yrs ago, and yet their youngest child can speak their native language so fluently. It seems Somalis are failing to maintain their culture and language. But, other communities have other means to preserve their culture, and language. For instance, send their kids to after school language programs, and even send them to their native country every few yrs. The same does not apply to us. Our native country is not stable, and many of us are away close to 20 years. So, Somalis to preserve their culture/heritage/language we need to get some stability back home. Of course, there are other temporary solutions like open after school language programs, and mainly for parents to force their kids to speak Somali at home.

[Malika]

I dont know what preserving a culture and language got to do with the stability of Somalia?....I believe it all depends with how the families copes with the new enviroments,how much of that new enviroment they will adapt in their lives and how much they will continue to hold on to their roots.

 

I agree on your point that there should be activities organised for the young people to exposing them to their culture and language..e.g we had a dancing tuition on our roof top every sunday evening,our neighbour used to teach all the kids Somali dances..

[Aaliyyah]

I dont know what preserving a culture and language got to do with the stability of Somalia?

Well, many Somalis didn't return to Somalia for the past 17 yrs, not even for vacation. Perhaps, if this ongoing civil war came to end Somalis would feel a bit more safe sending their kids to Somalia for vacation just so they could grasp their language and be exposed to their culture. In that aspect preserving your language has a lot to do with having stability back home.

[umu zakaria]

my grandfather lives in sweden, my father in Kenya and iam in norway. siblings scattered in Africa,Europe and America. foreget abt cousins and other immediate relative they r in every continent.

 

Global familiy indeed but i dont like it.May you my beloved country Somalia be peaceful again.

 

Question.

How soon will you go back home if all is back to normol?

[Baluug]

All of my family are in Canada, other than one uncle who's in North Dakota or Texas, not sure which.