Dhaqan Celis?

[N.O.R.F]

Previously posted by Phsyco Sue: But in Burco they don't like outsiders,and i think thats the worst place to visit on a holiday. Plzzzz if u dont go to Burco then u aint been to Somaliland!!!!!Full stop!

 

Waryaa Daganka, is a common phrase shouted while yr walkin/drivin thru the streets, in s/land its seen more as a dacaayad to see what yr reaction will be. When they see and hear that yr somali is good and u know how to conduct yrself its all good, gacanta lugu tagaya.

 

There many, many kids who are there right now and are staying for a year or 2, these are the ones who need it most. The kids/ciyaalo suug who go for the summer are enlightened and realise just how lucky they are living in the west (education, work, security etc etc)and upon returning suddenly become active and persuit something gr8ter and become more aware of the need to achieve something in their lives.

 

As for the parents failing their kids if they need dagan celis,maybe to an extent but just have a look around at this western society today and tell how kids can not be tempted by it all!

[Nefertiti]

The concept of DHAQAN CELIS has proven unsuccessful in the most cases. As rightly said before children who have been disposed of in Somalia have found ways to come back to the West. Also being in Somalia has not benefited the majority of the youth who have been there, simply because they are there for the wrong reasons:

First and foremost “DHAQAN CELIS” should be taught at home were the parents should engage in cultural motivated conversations with the children. Those young ‘uns (excuse my cockney) should be told about their heritage and their ancestry. They should be taught about traditions and religion, they should be taught about the Somali way of living and the way Somali culture operates and not to forget the meaning of Islam and its relevance in life. However sadly, this is just NOT done.

 

The majority of those families are enmeshed in petty arguments and quarrels. What is missing from these families are the sense of structure, stability and the plain sense of emotional support that is needed, and which is not received. The hard truth of today’s life is that most of the Somali youths have not formed a maternal bond with their parents, and cannot talk with their parents about things that may be troubling them. When they got older, start to hit their twenties, then the children talk to the parents more often, but by that time, many have been led astray already. In today’s fast world, where social acceptance is everything to the average teen, adopting Western ways soon becomes the norm. Peer pressure is the downfall of many Somali youths, and only few resist, keeping to their Somali ways. Those that do not resist, that adopt the style, clothing and talk of their Western peer, are looked upon with scorn by their parents and this is when “DHAQAN CELIS” often sought after. Because the children have missed the guiding hands when growing up, now they feel justified doing whatever.

 

The sense of religion that the parents are so firmly trying to install upon the young Somalis is not working, because as soon as the parents turn their heads, the youths are off doing whatever. Meanwhile, the father is off chewing in the mafrish and sleeping all day, the mother is off hanging out with her girlfriends, leaving the oldest daughter to do her job. A different approach should be introduced here: parents should engage in their significant roles of being parents, instead of taking on all these extra-curriculum activities, which have no positive impact on their children whatsoever. The parents should take time to simply communicate with the child, showing they care and are there for them.

 

Now do not get me wrong, I am by no means saying that one should deprive their children from the mother land, but the reason why the child is there in the first place should be evaluated prior to bringing them there.

Being able to go back to Somalia should be seen as a proud achievement by both parent and the child in question. However this is often not the case and going back home is viewed as a form of severe punishment in order to provide the much needed ‘reality check’. The youth of today should be conditioned with positive thoughts instead of those irrational negative ones they have picked up from hearsay about the functioning’s of the motherland.

 

Personally I would love to go back home Insha’allah in the next couple of years. And I am proud to say that it is not for DHAQAN CELIS reasons, or at least I won’t define like that. It’s purely because I want to go and visit all those relatives I have not seen in all those decades that I have been in the West.

 

Alfa soup ruun ayaad sheektay!!! , sidaas ayaa loo bahanyaahay. Well said, luv.

 

PS: I dont mean to generalise, so please dont be offended by the above statements.

 

~QoxootiMammi~

[NinBrown]

Bro LST..the idea is very good..but the way is currently done is very bad both for the child that is being sent back and the kids in Somalia.

 

I spent 3 months working is Somalia and i used to see these so Called dhaqan celis..they hang out in groups of other dhaqan celis, dont mix with the society that already there, since they have money they sleep all day, eat Qaat all night and try to sleep with any girl over the age of 15 they see.

 

In Somalia they are know as DHAQAN BIIS..i.e culture destroyers.

 

On the other hand if it was done correctly, bording school with all the facilities the kids need, and organised trips to Badiye, it would be more benifical. Maybe we can help one day.

[Libaax-Sankataabte]

Even though the term dhaqan celis has become as empty a cliche as that old american "boot camp" expression, the mere concept of rehabilitating our people is gaining grounds everywhere.

 

May Allah help our people.

[Beerlula]

What a pity only a decade or so in the Diaspora and dhaqan celis is in use!

 

How can we accept youngsters to get back a dhaqan that they weren’t even made aware of? We have let them just run loose into their new societies and in the process made everything that is thrown their way to become their dhaqan.

 

20 yrs or so down the line we will have kids whose only connection to homeland might be when claiming their ancestors were from Somalia !

[NGONGE]

Nice topic. Can't comment on it now. Will edit later.

[Taqwa]

Plzzzz if u dont go to Burco then u aint been to Somaliland!!!!!Full stop!

Northerner Inaar there goes that Burcawi hadal of yours. Been there and I must say it was a pleasure lakiin wa maxaay dhadkaan hot temperedka? Odayaal indho caas iyo dumar qurux badan ayan arkaay but there are beautiful homes I must say.

[Passion_4_Fashion]

Dhaqan celis looma baahnaani leheyn hadii ey waalidka oo ubadkiisa kugula dadaali lahaay diinta iyo dhaqanka. The problem is not the teenagers it's the parents that have neclegted their duties. You see now days parents themselves talking to their children the foreign language, how on earth are they going to learn their language let alone culture or diin for that matter with parents who are trying to be westernised themselves?

 

dhaqan celis is not good idea bcos those that are sent back home are going to influence the other children back home. and we all know how ppl back home get excited person who came from europe.

 

peer pressure is motherfu**ker!

[NGONGE]

I enjoyed reading this topic and having had experience with kids who have been back to Somalia on a Dhaqan Celis “programâ€, I too can honestly say that it’s a faulty concept.

 

For a start, there has to be a Dhaqan in order to do the “celis†part. I don’t believe that such a thing really exists. If it does, I don’t believe it is applicable to children and adults who grew up outside Somalia. I look at all the kids and teenagers in the West and see that most would be regarded as “Dhaqan Celisâ€. Many don’t speak the language, don’t follow Somali traditions and have picked up countless Western traits. However, they’re not fully westernised. They have their own little culture. They follow their own traditions and norms; they have their very own values! You see it in the language they use, the way they dress and behave. Somali youth in the West are not “blackâ€, “white†and not “Somaliâ€. They’re a mixture of everything. Even those who have succumbed to crime, drugs or prostitution are still not fully assimilated. They’ll mix their language with Somali words (even though they confess not to speak Somali), they’ll sprinkle their values with Islam and when at a loss, they’ll attempt to “return†to their Somali heritage.

 

They are really not that different to any of us. In their minds, they seem to have an image of what it is to be Somali. This image or interpretation is unique to every single one of them. The combined interpretation is Western Somali culture. Like all other cultures, it has its good and bad points. It resists change and believes itself to be superior to any other cultures. When one of these teenagers goes back to Somalia to experience the “real†Somalia culture, he/she treats it as just that, an experience. Very few go back in the hope of reclaiming their original culture, because, in their eyes, this original culture is inferior to the all-singing-all-dancing one they’ve created fro themselves in the West. This would also apply to those living in the Arab world or any other place where Somalis reside.

 

The idea of Dhaqan Celis assumes that the Somali culture is superior to everything else and refuses to take into account people’s upbringing and experiences! The parents of these kids expect their children to behave in a similar way to a child brought up in Xamar, Bosaso or Berbera! Those few souls that do go back and fully immerse themselves in the Somali way of life return lost and confused. Their old acquaintances resent them for rejecting the Somali Western/Arab/Indian “culture†and they find it hard to reconcile their way of thinking with the rigidity of the original Somali culture. Rocks and hard places spring to mind!

 

In regards to culture, Dhaqan Celis is a pointless exercise. Many people quote success stories of wayward kids who were sent back to Somalia and returned as reformed characters! However, there is no evidence that the “Dhaqan Celis†implementation is what reformed these characters. It could be that the prolonged absence from their peers and destructive environment has given them a chance to think and mend their ways. In which case, the Dhaqan Celis application would have been as successful if they were sent to the North Pole rather than Somalia! It could be that their exposure to the overwhelming Islamic ways and norms is what helped in reforming them, in which case, a Dhaqan Celis trip to Indonesia would have yielded the same results!

 

Dhaqan Celis is a rotten concept. It’s based on the idea that all Somalis should be the same! Dhaqan Celis is a bully’s dream. It’s a way for people to correct their own inadequacies by attempting to highlight the shortcomings of others! Dhaqan Celis is meaningless. It assumes that its “victims†will be better off by being assimilated into the cultures and ways of the homeland! It focuses on the faults and ignores the good qualities. It’s based on uninformed assumptions and tries to reach dubious conclusions.

 

For Dhaqan Celis to work, it has to be designed, approved and implemented by its own victims. The way of life of a Somali in the West will never be the same as the way of life of one in Somalia. The requirements, obstacles, trials and tribulations are never going to be identical. Dhaqan Celis has to be planned and created here (depending on what HERE means for you). It has to take account of the values, norms and lifestyles of its targets. It has to become Dhaqan Horomar (if that’s the correct word to use here).

[Passion_4_Fashion]

^^^Nice essay Qorox

[Reality Check]

To be blunt, why are the parents raising their kids here and want them to have 100% of dhaqan as well? Just go back permenantly.

 

 

Thats too high of an expectation and somewhat of a contradiction.

 

 

Oh well..what's new?

[Alle-ubaahne]

Am writing this in response to Mr. NGONGE , The Integrationist professor who always pushes the idea of western integrationism.

 

First of all, Dhaqan Celis is an application intended to straighten people/individuals who had somewhat deviated from the supposedly ideal culture. Its an excellent process, it helps for those who are culturaly endangered. In my understanding, I think the concept has never been existed prior the mass displacements of the Somali people. Its a new phenomenon. But Dhaqan Celis is a proven measure to restore any cultural deviations or inferiorities.

 

Secondly, Dhaqan Celis is a hope. It restores the lost values of one who felt the sense of emptiness. Its a constructive discourse that empliments or replaces the missing cultural elements within oneself. When is it best suitable for Dhaqan Celis? I think its always good to have Dhaqan Celis even in the presence of an abundance of cultural fitness.

 

Dhaqan Celis is for everybody, because Dhaqan has two aspects, symbolic aspect and value aspects (the intrinsic values). When you are in the west, your symbolic culture is absent. You are encircled by an strange culture called 'the valueless culture'. That culture can do alot of damages both physically and mentally. That is why many of our elders in the west are suffering from the lack of our symbolic culture, let alone our children who are gone astrayed from the culture.

 

Its true that some of our children are deviated from the culture, but that I guess is a normal thing. Look at the Arabs, Asians, Non-Muslim Africans, they all have one thing in common, and that is an easy assimilation and integration to the dominant culture. Why? because prior to their arrivals in the west, they had this culturaly compatible believes and values that were very much flexible, but Somalis are different indeed. Our culture is solid, and firm. It has good grounds to stay on under any pressure. Resistance and Superiority are two attributions for the Somali culture. Of course, there are some Somalis who are not versed to the culture, which I think are the ones who are in question now, but those might came from houses of no strong cultural principles. For every cultural failure with those people, their parents are to be blamed.

 

But always consider these three signs that I believe are the very first symptoms of cultural deviations, (1) The loss of langauge, (2) Spiritual emptiness, and (3) Knowing nothing about ones' History. These three elements are serious problems and they gradually occur in a sequence pattern. First the language disappears because of the dominance of another language that makes the practice of the mother language impossible. Or some other factors whereby the person lives in an evironment of the opposite culture. This indeed is the stage many of today's somalis are in, because our kids are constantly exposed one in two states: (1) full time intermingling with foreign kids at the school and (2) full time TV watching. These alone can wash away the rich Somali language.

 

Its also an evident and a practicaly seen reality that the once one loses the language, it suddenly effects the entire system of cultural values. Once that effect takes a grip in the inner cultural values, the spiritual sense is directly sujbected to total confusion and unrest. And the person grows with an ever increasing emptiness and the state-of-nobody reality. It is what you call the inferiority. This process takes place in a very dramatic speed when coupled with a prolonged cultural disconnection. That disconnection can be a forced one or voluntary one.

 

Yeah, I think you (the integrationist professor, NGONGE) agree with my personal observations, especialy the psychological burden that people undergo when experiencing such severe transformations, right? Please admit, I know am your adversary when it comes to the notion of culture, but at least consider these wide spread facts and withdraw adhering from the current western culture to the Somali origin. You can surely do this with no efforts; simply reclaim your identity. Ok

 

I think Dhaqan Celis is the practice of a healthy sociaty: a sociaty that takes care of its people. There is nothing better than preserving a healthy culture, a culture of rich values and moral strenght. Personaly, I appreciate to Allah (sw) because he created me from this culture (Somali) that is very identical and inseparable to Islam. This is my culture, I love it, because its more importantly an Islamic Culture. A culture of decency and integrity. Only a true somali can appreciate the richness of our culture.

 

Look at the term itself, (Dhaqan Celis) and tell me what does it click in your mind. You definately see this hope in coming back to the Dhaqan. The Celis-thing is always initiated by a loving person to the one in cultural crisis. Its a good quality that indicates how great is the Somali Culture. Allah (sw) is the greatest, because we do wrong, and there is always an open door for repentences; going back to Allah. How great is that! Masha-Allah. He, glory to Him, created humans from weakness, and that is why we're reserved some accommodations for our weaknesses. Thus, a good culture is the one that reserves some corrections for its people: Dhaqan Celis for the sake of Dhaqan Toosin.

 

Ask the White West in general if they have anything (both symbolicaly and intrisicaly) similar to our culture! Even I have no idea whether they have a culture-like stuff or confussion. Check this interesting and self-evident documentry portraying for the cultureless crisis of western sociaty. [Watch]

 

When I say Somali Culture, I mean the true pre-modern somali culture. The culture/Dhaqan of my great grandfathers. Yes, they were people for cultural authenticity. That is my intention here, and Dhaqan Celis is one of my best prescriptions for anyone who is interested to revisit back to the essence of our culture. It takes thousands of years to develop such Dhaqan of high integrity, and yet is unwaveringly on a firm course. None of these other fake western cultures are anywhat closer to the advancements of Somali culture. Oh yeah, they are all fake, cause they lack the inner meaning that determines the values.

 

Anyway, my culture stands for the protection of my integrity, and I stand for the preservation as well as the protection of it. However, the productive quest for Dhaqan Celis is on and let the journey beging for those culturaly disadvantaged people among us, including the Professor of Integrationism.

[NGONGE]

^^ Saaxib, I asked you this before and I ask you again (though I doubt it will make any difference), stop making assumptions and judgments about people. If you believe you have a strong case, state it and let it stand on its own feet rather than be built on accusations and judgements. If your comments are made in jest, that’s fine, though I fail to understand how you expect me to take any of your posts seriously!

 

Of all the points you’ve made, the only one that I find myself agreeing with is the importance of language. For without it the whole thing becomes meaningless. However, your assertions about empty spiritual beings and the like are way off the mark. Somali culture and Islam is not the same thing. If you would like to discuss Islam that’s fine, however to confidently announce that the lack of Somali culture would also mean a lack of spiritual fulfilment is faulty and can be interpreted in a very shocking way. It’s almost as if you’re saying Somali culture is HOLY!

 

Other than the language, what exactly is the Somali “dhaqan� As for the “celis†part, the return to the “dhaqan†of our ancestor’s culture, isn’t that an impossible dream? Culture (and language for that matter) are not static, they grow and evolve over time. This constant change and improvement is what keeps different cultures going. Yet, the patrons of “dhaqan celis†seem to want to hold on to the impossible dream of satisfying their interpretation of a bygone age!

 

If we agree that cultures and languages do change and evolve, if we agree that Somalis outside of Somali have developed their own unique cultures, why then do we insist on peddling that tired old idea of “preserving†our Somali culture? It’s not a stuffed camel, saaxib. It’s what constitutes the arrangement of our every day lives. This, as I’m sure you’re perfectly aware will vary according to the place and environment we live in. The “reer magal†in Somalia, though understands and knows the ways of the nomads, doesn’t necessarily follow or believe everything the nomad does. Many aspects of the nomadic lives for the city dweller (and I’m still talking about Somalia here) are an amusing source of pride, however they’re not “things†the urbanite would dream of replicating in his daily life! Which culture is the more correct? Who says?

 

Now, a plane ride away, there lives another city dweller. Another Somali who due to his surroundings, varying norms and new influences, looks back lovingly at the two previous examples as an amusing source of pride! To him, they’re in the past; he has moved on and acquired a newer culture. One that’s built on the same foundation but is complimented with all the new discoveries and additions of his new surroundings! Other than the lack of language, who says that his new culture is in anyway inferior to the previous two?

 

As I said in my previous post, I believe the idea of “dhaqan celis†to be meaningless. It is not in anyway compatible with modern ways of life. Somalis do not rely on language and “culture†alone to preserve their identity. What preserve the Somali identity are the family unit and the group interactions. Somali children from those living in China to those living in the West all know about the Somali family and the way it operates. This, in my opinion is what needs looking into, not the redundant concept of an old culture! I understand of course that this is part of that culture, but this is the only part that’s important here.

 

Speak Somali or don’t, act Somali or don’t you still are from a Somali family, you still belong to a Somali tribe/clan or sub clan. Some will say that none of this matters to the kids in the West, but I beg to differ. These kids might not speak the language, might not know many of the simple cultural habits but most have a basic idea of tribal links and meanings. Again, in talking about kids in the West, I’m only talking about those that have created their very own Somali culture. I’m not talking about the odd souls that have been assimilated into their host nations and do not mix with any Somalis of any kind. These kids will become adults and will invariably decide to marry someone who has something in common with them (in most cases). They’ll have to go through the ritual of marriage; they’ll have to find an “odey†or two to help them marry. They’ll have to follow the same traditions as those in Somalia. There is no escape from it. The stronger parts of Somali culture are overwhelming and are not easy to discard. These people might not be able to spit out tribal names and the complex quandary of how they all relate to each other, but they all will understand how important the family/clan/tribe is. Dhaqan celis on the other hand, would propose to introduce everything tribal into these kids (everything of which most is negative).

 

The above needs to be read in relation to my earlier post. Hope it makes sense.

[Alle-ubaahne]

^^^Adeer, how come you say Somali culture and Islam are not the same? Where is your evidence? How did you know that, cajiib. You never practiced Somali Culture and you saying the two are not the same. How can you do that when you are even a subjective and harsh opponent to your race? You want to apply here the idea of divide and conquer, by separating our culture from Islam, and then insult our culture, which can be a direct attack to Islam! I know you learn that from your dearest darling west.

 

Bes waaye, majiro maanta muran iyo dood. I leave your westernism alone, for the day. OK

[Taqwa]

NGONGE, Inaar the word dhaqan Celis is not how you guys are portraying it. Dhaqan Celis is just another way of saying, go visit Somalia so that you can brush up on your Somali skills and learn the culture. You make it come off as if it is a boot camp where children are expected to wake-up 5 AM to study Somali culture. Maya, it is visiting your extended family, appreciating their life style and learning a bit or two from your Somali cousins whom you've never met. That to me was Dhaqan Celis and it is to the majority.

 

As for Alle-ubhane saxiib, I hope you don't mind if I quote you here.

 

by separating our culture from Islam, and then insult our culture, which can be a direct attack to Islam!

Walaal dhagaayso, adunyada waxa jira dhaad dhaqan iyo waxan loo joogin ka hadlaa iyo dhad diinta ilahay oon ku socda...BAL wax yaar ayan ku waydiin adigo mahadsan. Imagine the birth of your son and the first thing he is acquainted with is the word of Allah by reciting the Adhan softly in his delicate ear. From that moment, Islam is the first thing he knows. Now let me smear another scenario, imagine your beloved child being acquainted with Somali culture. Could you possibly tell me what he gains from it? You can not possibly put Islam and Somali culture hand in hand. One is sent from Allah and the other was created by a few old men who sat under a tree. I hope you get my point.

 

 

Malin Wacan