Somaliland Moving Library tour

[Ibtisam]

REDSEA-ONLINE Cultural Foundation and its partners Kayd and Ilays, in collaboration with other Somaliland cultural organizations, are eager to present the “moving library” tour as an integral part of the upcoming Hargeysa International Book Fair (HIBF) 2011.

 

Commencing two weeks before the launch of HIBF on the 6th July 2011, Buses will depart from Hargeysa carrying books and representatives of 9 regional Readers Clubs destine for three different routes to cover Somaliland. The moving library tour promises to transport literature and benefits of HIBF to the wider Somaliland community by introducing and promoting books, providing easy access and encouraging participation of local citizens in embracing literature. The aim is to develop a local library in each city with the help and collaboration of the local authorities’, thereby leaving a lasting legacy and influence which the locals can benefit from throughout the year.

 

 

Dates: 6th - 14th July 2011

Times: 7am Sat – Fri

Duration: 9 days

Rout 1: Hargeysa → Berbera → Shiekh → Burco → Hargeysa

Rout 2: Hargeysa → Gabiley → Borama → Hargeysa

Rout 3: Burco → Ceerigaabo → Laascaanood → Burco → Hargeysa

 

This year I went with the Moving Library tour and below is my review of my experiences;

[Ibtisam]

“Moving Library” Diaries - day 1

 

It is a wonderful and beautiful surprise for me that for the first time I am taking part in Hargeysa International Book Fair (HIBF). For the past three years, I was teased with videos of beautifully put together events, book launches and awareness campaigns conduct in a faraway place. I eagerly searched the web for news articles and reviews of the events, following it as closely as the distance would allow me to do so.

 

Faraway in London I wished I could be home, in warm, sunny Somaliland discussing the merits of literature and history with my fellow Somalis, who are equally passionate about the promotion of literature in Somaliland. I was jealous that I had yet to meet the Somali authors, people in the videos joked and laughed with, I was sad for the locals that Hargeysa International Book Fair was only a week long, and I was immensely proud of the people who spend six months of the year organising these precious days.

 

This year, all my emotions meet at once, my hopes and dreams have been fulfilled, for here I stand in the heart of Hargeysa International Book Fair’s preparations, watching and participating, gearing up for our travels across Somaliland on a moving library tour, as part of the build up to the largest celebrations of books in East Africa.

 

Today is a big day, it is the day we leave Hargeysa on our nine days book tour across Somaliland; it is the start of our journey, it is the start of a new era, a new way of Somalis promoting our rich cultural heritage and literature. It us, as young people saying we no longer want to be just an oral society, we want our piece of history written and protected, our own pages that we can fill, even if we fill it with our young history, even if today is the first day of that history. We want to write it or read it.

 

Our first stop is Berbera, where volunteers and members of Berbera Reading Club eagerly await to receive us, it is where we will showcase our books, participate in group readings and start our public celebrations in honour of our books. It is the start of books visiting Somalis, the launch of new public libraries in all cities we tour. In short it is where we introduce our people to our books and a beautiful introduction it shall be!

 

For me, it is the start of a deep and personal relationship; between me and Somaliland, for I see it, all of it for the first time, and between me and Somali books, for I read and travel with it for the first time, meeting the authors behind the words.

 

So here I am conveying our collective experiences and sharing my journey, for I was once faraway craving for news and updates to keep alive my hopes and dreams. I hope my subsequent reviews can do the same for you!

 

Departing from Hargeisa at 5am, totalling 27 volunteers, consisting of six Land Cruises, one bus, and a camera crew, our procession set off in an orderly manner, our banners firmly pinned to our cars, our books packed and stacked in the back of the bus, our drinks and snacks on our lap. A little nervous but full of expectations we made our way to our first stop in our “Moving Library” tour.

 

We soon arrived in hot, humid Berbera, despite the souring temperature, the locals came out in numbers, curiously eying up our banners and convoy as we advanced into the city and headed for our destination. The volunteers from Berbera Readers Club waited for us at the entrance, faces beaming and happy, and the girls dressed up beautifully, welcoming us with kisses and hugs.

 

The event produced a mix crowded, both young and old, men and women, literate and illiterate, overall one thing was clear, the ambition to advance Berbera, to produce poets, authors and intelligent youngsters who value literature was overwhelming. We heard beautiful and eloquent poetry and slogans they wanted us to use for the rest of our campaign, welcoming speeches by youth organisations, and most importantly a promise and commitment secured from the town mayor for the building and maintenance of Berbera Library!

 

The books met the locals; the locals delighted and excited turned each book over, flicking through the pages, some got into some serious reading quoting back some passages to us, predominately from the Somali version of the Animal Farm (George Orwell 1954) Beerta Xayaawanka by Yusuf Artan. They examined the cover pages and pictures, mouthing or even reading out loud the various book titles!

 

We drove through the city, past the Russian architectural ruins, past the old British Empire government buildings to see the site for the library which happens to be right in front of the oldest mosque in Berbera, built by the Turks.

 

This was the start of a beautiful effort, the volunteers pulled together, adopting a systematic and efficient approach to the event and in planning for the future development of literature in Berbera.

 

We headed out of Berbera and drove past the beautiful sceneries including Sheikh Mountain for our afternoon session in Sheikh Veterinary School, much like Berbera, the local organisations received us with open arms, the event was larger, the audience enthusiastic and educated. The process and outcome of the two events were the same, but the youngsters in Sheikh demanded more support, they demanded training and mentoring for their writers, and they vowed to triple their reading Club membership by next year’s event and they too shared with us a passage from Beerta Xayaawanka. The dialog in this book has captured the young audience in the reading clubs so far, the translation flows like poetry, the animals fascinate them, and particularly the intelligence associated with the pig- an alien notion in the Somali culture, while the message appeals to them. Perhaps throughout the duration of our tour we will complete Beerta Xayaawanka and I can review it in its entirety, but for now I cherish the segments that shared.

 

We left Berbera and Sheikh satisfied with the knowledge that the promise of building a public library and managing it will be handled by the local governments and the locals will keep up the pressure to ensure the completion and the maintenance of Public Library once it is complete!

 

15hrs after setting off from Hargeisa, tired, exhausted but excited we reach the city of Burco, third on our route, with the plan to sleep and recover for the night and start our Burco campaign the next day.

[Ibtisam]

“Moving Library” Diaries 8th July- 10th July: Burco to Ceerigaabo

 

Burco is where the essence of moving library truly materialise, it is where the audience turned their backs to the speakers and faced the books, it is where they sat in small groups and examined individual books, it is where the honoured guest of Hadrawii and Ahmad Awale and Saeed Jama, sat around the table with the attendees and discussed books with enthusiastic youngsters. Burco is the firstly place were the crowd was too large, the readers too many, it is where people stood outside straining to hear, peaking through the windows to catch glimpse of the speakers amongst the crowds. Burco is where we were forced to extend the allocated reading slot to give people the chance to browse longer, it is where we saw for the first time the immense interest the BOOKS generated, it was where I saw five niqabis reading together out loud, it is where I saw a group of 8year olds reading the Animal Farm out loud, it is where I saw the volunteers tested with a queue of people enquiring about specific books.

 

On the 8th of July I stood at the Burco event, feeling overwhelmed with emotions, thinking that this must be the peak, the essence of the tour and the heart of this campaign. I thought that it could not get better, it cannot be out done or out shined- I was proven wrong.

 

The road to Ceerigaabo is long, longer than I had imagined or ever contemplated, along the path lay villages and towns, some home to few people, some deserted and some teaming with residents. On the road to Ceerigaabo I saw wildlife and animals, I saw well fed livestock, I saw vast green land, enormous mountains that stretch as far as the eye can see and as high as the clouds (literally), I saw the beauty of Somaliland and the potential of Somaliland. My mind was trying to record and register everything, my fingers could not snap enough pictures! It was rough, far and tiring but absolutely stunning. On the way, we briefly stopped in the town of Yufley for tea, the elders of the town demanded their share of the moving library, they wanted an event held for them, they too wanted to meet the books. We promised we would pass on our way back from Ceerigaabo for a brief introduction and they promised to be prepared.

 

On the outskirts of Ceerigaabo at 8pm we were welcomed and met by the Ceerigaabo Reading Club, packed into four cars they blared their car horns, playing popular anthem they took us on a driving tour around Ceerigaabo before taking us for dinner and then leaving us to rest. Completely surprised and so grateful for the welcoming gesture and enthusiastic youngsters we met, we forgot about our tiring journey and prepared for our morning event before going to sleep.

 

On the 10th of July at the Ceerigaabo event I was looking at a perfect replicate of Burco’s event, they wanted to read; as individually, as groups, they circled the tables flicking through the pages, looking at the pictures, they enquired about authors, translations and most importantly how soon they can have access to their library. The crowd was so large we had to move the speakers outside so the people who could not get inside can still hear the speeches, we extended the reading slots and moved two tables of books outside, and there under the trees people sat and started reading.

They were grateful we made the journey that not many people make, they were thrilled that the moving library will have a base in Ceerigaabo and like all other events, a place was secured for the public library.

 

After the difficult journey we found our reward in Ceerigaabo, in a young crowd that is desperate to read, passionate about having the opportunity to read and overwhelmed about meeting some of the authors.

 

Once again I stood back reflecting, looking at the buzz created by the books, looking at the queue of people waiting to speak to the authors; surely it cannot get any better? Surely we would not see a more vivid display of passion and interest in our journey!

[Jacaylbaro]

I was told you've been busy during the trip .... Now I know why

[NGONGE]

Good stuff. Shabash!

[Taleexi]

One would hope the content of the books have subjectivity and substance in order the populace benefits the most - unlike the useless ones of which recent history revisionists have been distorting facts, fabricating lies and misleading the latter generations.

[Malika]

^Evidence of such books? Anyways, am sure the moving library's aim is to promote literacy and literature.

 

Masha'allah Ibti - this sounds exciting, a very good initiative.

[Jacaylbaro]

Don't mind him ,, he is just a boy from the dark part of the Somali peninsula where the good things are not appreciated.

[Taleexi]

JB: My persona should be less concern to you rather address my rebuttal if possible. Giving a s-exy/appealing name to the caravan doesn't justify its holiness and altruism. Xoogaa bal aad u yare marqaan oo sheekada dhinacyo kale ka eeg.

 

Oodweyne: To me history is contextual and its time and space matter. Somali history is way bigger and beyond the era of the late dictator. If your reference point can NOT go beyond and after this time slot kama duwanid habartii maroodiga ku indha beeshay ee markii irbada la waydiiyey ku jawaabtay maroodiga intee ka le'eg tahay.

[Libaax-Sankataabte]

Salaams Ibti.

 

Grace us with few pictures of the countryside, will ya?

[Som@li]

Great stuff, keep up the good work.

 

In today age, It would have been much easier, and cheaper, to implement E-readers Club, and load all the materials online, I reckon every tuulo has internet connection,that would have reached wider audience.

[Som@li]

Taleexi;733856 wrote:

One would hope the content of the books have subjectivity and substance in order the populace benefits the most - unlike the useless ones of which recent history revisionists have been distorting facts, fabricating lies and misleading the latter generations.

Great point Taleexi, As much as this is to benefit the public , and give them access to books, one has to question ,what these books contain?

[nuune]

Caadi maaha wallaahi

[Che -Guevara]

Good stuff

[N.O.R.F]

What about the TV show you guys went to?

 

Sounds like you had a great time. That was a big team you had.

 

JB, why didn't you go?