AYI Kwei Armah, Abdullahi Yusuf, the askari's in Somalia and Sheikh Sharif

[Abtigiis]

Ghanian Ayi Kwei Armah's epic novel “Two thousand seasons and The healers” is on the massive violence that has been meted against Africa in her long and arduous journey towards self-redemption. The novel traces the gratuitous violence visited on the continent in the first and second wave of her invasion and conquest by Marauding Arabs and European colonizers respectively.

 

In one such typical encounter, Armah narrates in sickening, detailed indignation the assault of mother Africa by Arab Conquerors.

 

Overfed and dead drunk, these latitudinarian Arabs engage in unspeakable acts of flesh, their dutiful African askaris loyally transfixed on perimeter ground, unconcerned, unmoved by the debilitating orgies suffered by their mothers and sisters trapped inside these dens of debauchery. Undefended by their men-folk and sons, who have been turned into dutiful askaris, the women have to device ways of defending themselves and liberating their people. They decide to play along, seemingly ready to gratify these drunken Arabs, many of pretended libido.

 

A combination of drunkenness and imagined ecstasy throws the invaders off guard, allowing the violated women to take devastating revenge that leaves scores butchered and dead. Of course the African askaris hear the mounting wails of dying Arabs trapped within. But they mistakenly attribute this cacophony of death to leaping multiple ecstasy for which their bosses are well renowned.

 

Until of course one clever askari realises that instead of the usual tapering grunts and groans of burnt out lustful joy, the noises on that particular day seemed to end too abruptly, never to be followed by the traditional heavy snores of a contented Arab. Perturbed and yet torn between care and dutiful compliance with an iron-clad instruction never to attempt to interrupt, he carefully opens the door only to see horrific death, all set against triumphant women petulantly admiring bloody, smoking daggers. He raises a wild alarm, whereupon his kind rushes in to witness the horror.

 

Without further ado, the askaris fell upon the women with machetes, dementedly hacking all to death by way of vengeance. The offending women of the village are slaughtered, including mothers, nieces, aunts, grandmothers, sisters and half-sisters of the attacking askaris. That day the sound of dying women echoed throughout the village, attracting the attention of the elderly and even men who had gone to faraway forests for a hunt. First to arrive at the place of double carnage is old women Nandi who cannot understand why the askaris are butchering women –their mothers- for dead masters. These women have done no more than liberate themselves from sexual predators. By killing the invaders, they have liberated their own children and communities, all along in captivity. But here were the children of the village, hacking their mothers to death, seemingly to obey and fulfil orders of masters, now thoroughly dead. What a bloody reflex from a slave!!

 

Confounded by this sacrilege, old Nandi confronts the head askari, who happens to be son of her eldest daughter:“Son of my daughter, whose work are you doing? Look. Those who turned you killer, where are they? Look at them. That should have been your work: killing your people’s killers, destroying your people’s destroyers. You did not do it, the work of your life. Instead you chose the work of the walking corpses, killing your own people. What could we say to you?

 

"We knew your masters. They would have screamed at you to kill us all, and you would have obeyed them. But now look. There your masters lie. Your can give them your obedience no more. They have been sent past its use. For whom then are you still killing your people? Son of my daughter, for whom?" She does not get an answer. What she gets instead is a fatal blow that splits her skull into halves, a blow that ensures she never asks again.

 

The askaris carry on with the carnage, until of course their long dead masters are thoroughly happy and pleased with their work. Or so they thought. Thereafter, they filed back, each fearful of a future now blank without the master’s orders.

 

Abdullahi Yusuf is the head askari, still looking at a blank future without the master's orders.

 

Why is Sheikh Sharif joining the club of askaris? Whose work is he doing? That of America? Igad? Ethiopia? Somali's?

[dhulQarnayn]

^^^Caano boorihii baa ku saaqay oo biir ku noqday ee maxaa si kaa ah ninyahow? Sheekooyinkii baaba raqiiska ahaa ayaa dib usoo celisay ee, maxaa dhacay? Ma in hilfaha laguu qaado ayaad rabtaa, oo intii horay ayaadan ku waano qaadan.

 

Ayaan kaaga wiilka aar gaabiyo

Nirgaha olol-kooda soo raac

 

dhulQarnayn :cool:

Republic Of California

[Kashafa]

Abdullahi Yusuf is the head askari, still looking at a blank future without the master's orders.

 

Why is Sheikh Sharif joining the club of askaris? Whose work is he doing? That of America? Igad? Ethiopia? Somali's

At&T,

 

A brilliant story and a brilliant analogy. I'm re-reading it again to fully appreciate the hideous irony and parallels to the situation in Somalia.

 

I bear witness that Shaykh Shariif has not only joined the club of askaris, but that he soon will become the head of the Askaris and he will soon (attempt*) to supervise the (attempted*) rape of his womenfolk and the (attempted*) destruction of his village, on behalf of his beloved Itarnashanal Kaamoonity.

 

As for Cabdullahi Amxaar and his band of merry dhb******s, kuwaas waxba ha kasoo qaadin, they are the political equivalent of discarded condoms. Khatar'ta waxay ka taagan tahay, ninka hor'boodhaayo the biggest fitnah in Somalia today, one certain Shariif Ahmed, former Macalin Dugsi, current Jago-Doon sell-out.

 

* I use the word attempt because, try as he might, he is destined for failure. Just as Amxaari Yey tried(and failed) to conquer Umada Soomaliyeed oo Xalaasha ah on the backs of 30,000 Ethiopion troops, Shariif Ahmed will try do the same thing with a joint UN/Amisom 'bees'keebing' troops.

 

And then he will fail.

 

And then he will answer for his actions.

[Jacaylbaro]

What a story yaa A&T ........

 

Believe me, Sh. Sharif will be escorted by Xabashis very soon. He will even scream and say "Way baxayaane daaya, intay joogaan bay i ilaalinayaane" ,,

[Abtigiis]

Waagaan Idhi ninkani waa macaan-jecel tuug ah ma dhaweyn. Xinn baa afka igaga booday.

 

Look at him now.

[Kamaavi]

Horta waa runoo odaygu wuxu cagta lagalay dhiiqo uuna abidkii ka bixi karin laakiin weli lagama wada quusan markaa bal ha loo yara kaadiyo oo xiin iyo sheekhiisa ha loo gogol badiyo ayaan dhihi lahaa,....

[RedSea]

lool.

[Jacaylbaro]

Peace caravan kii miyuu qallibmay tolow ??

[xiinfaniin]

Waryee sidii qaraxii Hargeysaba dhegahaagu wax ma maqlaan ninyahow.

 

Peace Caravankii wuu baramoosay.Intaa bbc da ka dhegeyso.

[Jacaylbaro]

loooooool .... haa wuu yara dhaqaaqay lakin isagoo hadana foorora ayaan ogaaye.

 

Malaa dee maqluubkaabuu ku dheereeyaa ,,,,

[xiinfaniin]

lool@Malaa dee maqluubkaabuu ku dheereeyaa

 

bahalka xaqqiisa siisi ninyahow.

 

Meesha wax kale ma yaallaan, xattaa Kashafa rasaastii aa ka go'i rabta, sh. xasan will get some kuraas, and indhacadde is in the process of being considered.

 

Sharif is playing the game very well. Amxaaro will be out insha Allah, and that would be the ultimate measure of this thing.

[Jacaylbaro]

Bal waynu eegi Ilaahay khayr ha ka dhigee.

 

 

Caravan kaas laakiin wuu soo indho cas yahay.