runta somali news magazine

NW Somali / African NewsNW Somali / African News

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Published Biweekly in the United StatesAugust 31, 2010

www.runtanews.com

Issue 41 and Volume 7

the truth

Published Biweekly in the United StatesAugust 31, 2010

www.runtanews.com


November, 2012

www.RuntaNews.com

[email protected]

the truth

Jay Inslee Met the African Community in the Final Days of His Campaign

Local hero ReceivesNational Honor!

Rwanda - Eight-Year Sentence for Opposition Leader!

Haddaad Qori iyo Qiiciisa isla Tuurey-sana, Adigey ku Jirtaa!

Labo Daran Mid Dooro!


Please contact us at [email protected]

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NOV, 2012 | Issue 57

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NEWS

ContentInternational News Africa NewsMuslim WorldCommunityArticlesSports

345106,1214

LegalitiesRunta News is an independent community newspaper published by Runta Group Inc. Copyright and/or property rights subsist in all display advertising and other materials apperaing in this issue of the Runta News. The publisher shall not be liable for slight changes or typographical errors in the advertisments. The publisher’s liability for other errors or omissions is strictly limited to publication of the advertistment in any subsequent issue. The advertiser agrees to indemnify the publisher againt claims arising from publication of any advertisement . No part of the newspaper amy be reporduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mehanical, via internet, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written consent of the publisher

DHIS KARTIDAADA. DHIS AQOONTAADA. DHIS NIYAD-DAADA. AKHRI RUNTA. RUNTA WAA TAN KALIYA EE KU QAN-CISA.

Tifaftiraha (Editor) Mohamud Yussuf. Email: [email protected] 18463 Seattle, WA 98118

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Madaxdii Hore iyoKuwa Maanta!Madaxdii Hore iyoKuwa Maanta!

Hadduu shaki kaaga jiro iney karti and dadnimo lahaayeen, wejiyadooda si wanaagsan u eeg. Bidix ka soco waa Samatar, Ahmed Dafle, Xuseen Kulmiye Afrax iyo Maxamed Siyaad. Waxaa innaga maqan oon isla heli waynay Ismaaciil Cali Abukar oo marka la isku wada daro sawirka ka dhigi lahaa golihii siyaasadda ee ka koobnaa shantooda. Annigu waxa ay ila tahay in dunta Soomaalida ay si wax ka yihiin. Dadka dunida waxa ay doortaan dad karti leh oo hore u kaxeyn

kara ummad dhan, balse innagu waxanu doorannay sida carabihii kuweenii ugu jilicsanaa ee weliba injirta ahaa ee aan noolaan karin in qof dhiiggiisa ku noolaadaan mooyee. Bal isku fiiri weji-yadan iyo kuwa hadda jooga. Ha oyina inta aad madaxa iska saareysaan nacas aan qarannimo wax ka aqoon oo caqligiinuna soo koobmay “waa ii farxad mar haddii uu reerkayaga yahay”. Waaya-haye reerkaaga ka soo xul mid magacooda xambaari kara oo dalkiisa wax u tari kara adna aad dadka ugu faani karto inuu yahay nin geesi oo dhammaan dad-kiisa u hiiliya, dalkiisa horu-mar u horseeda.

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Free ToiletsSeattle Public Utilities also provides free toilets for income-qualified home-owners – a family of four making less than $4,819 a month may qualify. Properties must also be located within SPU’s service area and must have existing toilets installed before 1994. Installation and recycling of your old toilet are also provided free of charge. For more information, call 206-448-5751 or visit www.seattle.gov/util and search “low income.”

FREE AND DISCOUNTED TOILETS

FREE AND DISCOUNTED TOILETS

Seniors Particularly Vulnerable in Sandy’s AftermathFor Immediate ReleaseOctober 31, 2012Older adults left in the wake of Hurricane Sandy will likely suffer disproportionately in the days ahead, based on data from other recent natural disasters.For example, three quarters of those who per-ished in Hurricane Katrina were over the age of 60, according to the spring 2006 edition of Public Policy & Aging Report from The Gerontological Society of America (GSA). Similarly, a recent issue of the Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences reported that the May 2008 earthquake in Wenchuan, China, was associated with a twofold increase in the one-year mortality among a group of residents in their 90s that lived nearby.“Right now, most people who are respond-ing to the hurricane are not trained in the needs of older adults,” said Lisa M. Brown, PhD, a co-convener of GSA’s Disasters and Older Adults Interest Group and an associate professor at the University of South Florida. “Likewise, very few geriatricians and geron-

tologists are trained in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery.”The interest group will next meet during GSA’s upcoming Annual Scientifi c Meeting, which will take place from November 14 to 18 in San Diego. Brown leads the group with fellow GSA member and co-convener Maggie Gibson, PhD, of St. Joseph’s Health Care London in Ontario, Canada.The two also will chair a symposium, “Older Adults and Disasters: Are Gerontologists Paying Attention?” in San Diego. During this session, expert presenters will discuss the social, mental, and physical health concerns of older adults at all stages of a disaster and explain the critical role of gerontologists in shaping public health preparedness and responsiveness to disasters. They will also identify why older adults remain unusually vulnerable, relative to children and younger adults, during catastrophic events.“We don’t have continuity in the disaster infrastructure for older adults. Our efforts tend to be more reactive post-disaster than proactive pre-disaster,” Brown said. “More

research in this area will result in targeted policies and refi ned programs that would enhance existing systems of care.” There also is a growing fi eld of literature that outlines necessary steps for elder disaster preparedness in the face of an emergency. The Public Policy & Aging Report demonstrated that multi-tiered evacuation plans, pre-existing social networks, and “go-kits” can be used to assist elders at critical moments. These kits may include detailed contact information for family mem-bers; contact information for relevant health care providers; high-nutrient foods; and a week’s supply of all prescription and over-the-counter medications, including a list of medications, the required dosage, and times of administration.The American Red Cross, at www.redcross.org, currently is accepting funding donations to aid the victims of Hurricane Sandy, and also is encouraging individuals to give blood due to a high number of blood drives that

were cancelled by the inclement weather. The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) is the nation’s oldest and largest inter-disciplinary organization devoted to research, education, and practice in the fi eld of aging. The principal mission of the Society — and its 5,400+ members — is to advance the study of aging and disseminate information among scientists, decision makers, and the general public. GSA’s structure also includes a policy institute, the National Academy on an Aging Society, and an educational branch, the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education.

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NOV, 2012 | Issue 57Community

LOCAL HERO RECEIVES NATIONAL HONORFOR PREVENTING CARBON MONOXIDE POISONINGS


When an ice storm walloped the Puget Sound area last winter and the power went out, Mohamed Ali knew what to do. The Federal Way resident took quick actions to alert the local Somali immigrant community about the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning and steer them to safe shelter and food. Ali’s work was just recognized by the Federal

FEMA award for saving lives in Somalicommunity during last winter’s storm

Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) with a National Community Preparedness Hero award. “When our residents step up and support one another, it can make all the difference in the resilience of a commu-nity,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. “I want to thank Mohamed Ali and Somali community leaders for working with Public Health to save lives.”Ali’s efforts—in collaboration with Somali religious community leaders and Public Health— saved lives. Not one person died because of carbon monoxide poisoning and hospital admissions dropped 90% from the last large winter power outage in the region in 2006, when over 200 were hospitalized and eight people died in King County. In the 2006 storm, immigrants and ethnic minorities were most vulnerable, using charcoal grills indoors for heating and cooking without power, not knowing the dangers.When asked why he got involved, Ali explained, “I’ve seen how some immigrants are at greater risk for carbon monoxide poisoning, and I knew that there were people who might not get the information they needed. So I wanted to do whatever I could to get the word out.”When a significant winter storm was forecast last winter, Ali quickly set up a meeting with religious and commu-nity leaders in the Somali community where he explained the danger of carbon monoxide. In the hours before the storm hit, they organized a rapid communica-

tion strategy that included an automatic phone call to thousands of East Africans in King County. The phone message included safety warnings and Ali’s phone number as a contact.By the morning, Ali found himself responding to a barrage of requests from people without electricity. Working with Public Health, he provided information about shelter options and collaborated with the Abubakr Islamic Center to open a shelter site for families. Ali and the Executive Director of the Islamic Center even rented 4-wheel drive vehicles to deliver hot meals and bring people to warm shelter.Ali, a refugee from Somalia with a master’s degree in public health, has facilitated communications between Public Health and the Somali community over the past several years, and helped establish a Somali Health Board to provide input on effective ways to share important health information with the community.Ali’s award was one of FEMA’s national Individual and Community Preparedness Awards. These Awards recognize the innovative practices and achievements of individuals, Citizen Corps Councils, and non-profit, faith-based, and private sector organizations working throughout the nation to make our communities safer, stronger, and better prepared to manage any disaster or emergency event.



When an ice storm walloped the Puget Sound area last winter and the power went out, Mohamed Ali knew what to do. The Federal Way resident took quick actions to alert the local Somali immigrant community about the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning and steer them to safe shelter and food. Ali’s work was just recognized by the Federal

FEMA award for saving lives in Somalicommunity during last winter’s storm

Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) with a National Community Preparedness Hero award. “When our residents step up and support one another, it can make all the difference in the resilience of a commu-nity,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. “I want to thank Mohamed Ali and Somali community leaders for working with Public Health to save lives.”Ali’s efforts—in collaboration with Somali religious community leaders and Public Health— saved lives. Not one person died because of carbon monoxide poisoning and hospital admissions dropped 90% from the last large winter power outage in the region in 2006, when over 200 were hospitalized and eight people died in King County. In the 2006 storm, immigrants and ethnic minorities were most vulnerable, using charcoal grills indoors for heating and cooking without power, not knowing the dangers.When asked why he got involved, Ali explained, “I’ve seen how some immigrants are at greater risk for carbon monoxide poisoning, and I knew that there were people who might not get the information they needed. So I wanted to do whatever I could to get the word out.”When a significant winter storm was forecast last winter, Ali quickly set up a meeting with religious and commu-nity leaders in the Somali community where he explained the danger of carbon monoxide. In the hours before the storm hit, they organized a rapid communica-

tion strategy that included an automatic phone call to thousands of East Africans in King County. The phone message included safety warnings and Ali’s phone number as a contact.By the morning, Ali found himself responding to a barrage of requests from people without electricity. Working with Public Health, he provided information about shelter options and collaborated with the Abubakr Islamic Center to open a shelter site for families. Ali and the Executive Director of the Islamic Center even rented 4-wheel drive vehicles to deliver hot meals and bring people to warm shelter.Ali, a refugee from Somalia with a master’s degree in public health, has facilitated communications between Public Health and the Somali community over the past several years, and helped establish a Somali Health Board to provide input on effective ways to share important health information with the community.Ali’s award was one of FEMA’s national Individual and Community Preparedness Awards. These Awards recognize the innovative practices and achievements of individuals, Citizen Corps Councils, and non-profit, faith-based, and private sector organizations working throughout the nation to make our communities safer, stronger, and better prepared to manage any disaster or emergency event.

Lobying for Jay Inslee!Lobying for Jay Inslee!Henry Yates who was one of the main organizers of the meeting between Jay Inslee and African communities in the State of Washington shakes hands with the gover-nor hopeful during his cam-paign. The meeting between

Jay and the African was held

at African American Museum

in Seattle on October 25, and

Yates was able to collect a

large number of Africans

mainly taxi drivers for whom

he lobbies.

Labo Magaalada la Soo Galay Dar-Dar Cusub!

Sayid Cali Xaaji (bidix) iyo Nuradin Maxamed Cali waxa ay bulshada Seattle ku soo biireen muddo gaaban oo gacan kaliya faraheeda lagu tirin karo. Cali waxaa uu daadaheeyaa idaacad cusub oo lagu magacaabo African Diaspora Press oo ka baxda mowjadda KXPA 1540 Seattle galab kasta oo Sabti ah. Nuradin oo sida ka muuqata ku faraxsan howlihiisa una ilko caddeynaya kaamerada, waxa uu isna magaalada ku soo kordhiyey komiyuuniti cusub ee lagu magac daray Raja for Africa oo inta badan wax u qabata Soomaalida ku nool agagaarka xaafadda Yesler ee u dhow bartamaha iyo down town-

ka Seattle. Soomaalida oo ah dad qof-qof u shaqeysta (individualistic) howla-hooda ma kobcaan, balse labadan waxad mooddaa iney ka baxay-aan xeyn daabkaasi. Cali waxa la shaqeeya saaxiibadiis kala ah Ganey iyo Awdoon. Nuradin waxa kala shaqeeya xarunta xafi iska cusub dad Soomaali iyo ajnabi isugu jira. Ilaa iyo hadda waxa ay u muuqdaan kuwa dhaqaaqi kara, lamase oga halka naftu gaarsiin doonto muddooyinka soo socda oo ay ugu soo horreeyso sannadka cusub ee 2013 oo ay bil qura inaga xigto.


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Nairobi — The guilty verdict on October 30, 2012, in the case of opposition party leader Victoire Ingabire is the culmination of a flawed trial that included politically motivated charges. The High Court in Kigali found her guilty of conspiracy to undermine the established government and denying the genocide, and sentenced her to eight years in prison.Ingabire, president of the FDU-Inkingi opposition party, was arrested in the capital, Kigali, on October 14, 2010. She was charged with six offenses. Three were linked to "terrorist acts" - creating an armed group, complicity in terrorist acts, and complicity in endangering the state through terrorism and armed violence.The remaining three - "genocide ideology," divisionism, and spreading rumors intended to incite the public to rise up against the state - were linked to her public criticism of the government in the period before the 2010 presidential elections. In its judgment, the court changed two of these charges and acquitted her of four others."The prosecution of Ingabire for "genocide ideology" and divisionism illustrates the Rwandan government's unwillingness to tolerate criticism and to accept the role of opposition parties in a democratic society," said Daniel Bekele, Africa director at Human Rights Watch. "The courts should not be used for such political purposes."

Human Rights Watch cannot comment on the veracity of the charges relating to Ingabire's alleged collaboration with armed groups, but is concerned that some of the evidence used to convict her appears to be unreliable.The trial, which began in September 2011 and closed on April 25, was complex and marred by setbacks and delays. Ingabire, who pleaded not guilty, was tried alongside four co-defendants - Vital Uwumuremyi, Jean-Marie Vianney Karuta, Tharcisse Nditurende, and Noel Habiyaremye - who implicated her in alleged collaboration with armed groups.All four pleaded guilty to charges of belonging to a terrorist movement, participating in terrorist acts, and creating an armed group. Uwumuremyi was sentenced to four years and six months in prison, Nditurende and Habiyaremye to three years and six months each, and Karuta to two years and seven months.

Rwanda - Eight-Year Sentence for Opposition LeaderRwanda - Eight-Year Sentence for Opposition Leader

Nairobi The guilty verdict on October 300

Rwanda Eight Year SentenceRwanda Eight Year SentenceRwwwaVictoire Ingabire Found Guilty of Two Charges in Flawed Trial

Victoire Ingabire Found Guilty of Two Charges in Flawed Trial

African Diaspora in Seattle Area showed strong support to Jay Inslee, the Democratic Candidate for Gover-nor, during his election campaign. They donated money and they were organizing a higher turn out to make Jay Inslee the next governor of Wash-ington State. The meeting was held at the African American Museum in Seattle in the evening of October 25. Somali community provided the food. It went well and all African members who organized the event showed no slight disagreement over their support to him.

African Diaspora in Seattle a in Seattle Area tt AAshowed strong support to Jay Insg support to Jay Inslee, sle

JAY INSLEEReceives th e

Afri can Commun ityof

Wash in gton State’s En d orsement

JAY INSLEEReceives th e

Afri can Commun ityof

Wash in gton State’s En d orsement

Soomaalida ku nool Mareykanka waxa lagu amaanay in aaney si cabsi ku jirta ugu dabaal degin ciidahooda, una muujiyaan shicaarkooda diiniga ah. Cumar Xasan iyo qoyskiisa waxa ay maalintii ciidda ku tukadeen Mas-jidka Al Noor ee saaran wad-dada MLK Jr. Way. Salaadda Cumar halkaa ku tukaday waxa u dheereyd inuu dadka Mus-limiinta ku guubaabiyey iney u codeeyaan qodobka 1240 ee wax u taray iskuulada gaarka ah, iyo iney sidoo kale ka hortagaan ansaxinta qodobka 74 ee ban-neyanaya waxa lagu sheegay “is-guursiga” dadka isku nooca ama jinisiga ah. Cumar waa aqoonya-han ay qalbigiisa ka buuxdo xishood iyo damiir Islaanimo iyo

Soomaalinimo. Noociisa lagama helo bulshada Soomaaliyeed, balse su’aashu waxa ay tahay bulshadeenu ma qaddariyaan qof doonaya inuu wax la qabto. Taariikhada Cumar iyo how-lihii uu u soo qabtay bulshada waxanu ku soo bandhigi doonaa boggageena dambe. Ciidaha agagaarka Seattle waxa inta badan camira Soomaalida oo ah dadka ugu badan ee Muslim ah ama ka yimid qaaradda Africa.

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COMMUNITYNOV, 2012 | Issue 57


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Jay Inslee oo la Kulmay Komunitiyada Afrikaanka oo ay Horboodayeen SoomaalidaJay Inslee oo la Kulmay Komunitiyada Afrikaanka oo ay Horboodayeen SoomaalidaSida sawirka aad ka argataanba Jay Inlsee oo u tartamayey madax-tinimada gobolka wuxuu la kulmay bulshada Afrikaanka ah ee gobolka ku dhaqan. Kulankaasi waxa isku soo hagaajiyey Cabdis-laam Yusuf oo ah madaxa shirkadda taksiga cusub ee loo yaqaano CNG. Jay Inslee oo uu dhinaca mid ka fadhiyo Maxamed Sheikh Xasan, geeska bidixna uu ka muuqdo Michael Neguse waxa uu dhageysanaa warbixintii horu dhaca aheyd ee Cabdislaam ka siinayey xaaladda umadaha Afrikaanka ah ee ku dhaqan ee gobolka.Jay waxa xarunta ku soo dhoweeyey xubno is boqray oo bulshada Afrikaanka ah horbooda oo ay ka mid yihiin Saleebaan oo dhinaca soke ka muuqda, Habtamu oo ay is gacan qaadayaan Jay iyo Yamane oo ah ninka gashan muraayadaha.Dumarka Soomaaliyeed kaalin wacan bay ku lahaayeen la kulankii Jay Inslee, waxana k muuqatay sida lagu yaqaano aadaabtaa, labiskii, iyo xishoodkii hooyooyinka Soomaaliyeed lagu yiqiin. Abdulsalaam oo si wanaa-gsan u hagayey kulanka waxa uu isna muujiyey hoggaan adag oo maskax ku dhisan. Waxa ay innagu innagula muuqatay in kulanku ahaa mid si qalbad ay ugu mideys-naayeen xubnihii Afrkaanka ahaa ee ka soo qeyb galay. Jay inta uu sugayey inuu bulshada la kulmo waxa uu ku baashaalayey wargey-ska Runta oo ah mid matala dhammaan ummadaha Afrika eek u nool gobolka.Cabdisalaam Yusuf oo sii sagooti-naya Jay Inlsee ka dib markii uu xafladda dhameystay.

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Energy, Utility & Resource SummitEnergy, Utility & Resource Summit

The City of Seattle held its annual Energy, Utility & Resource Summit on the 25th of October at the Asian Counsel and Referral Center where many organizations gathered and shared information that was very much helpful to their clients. The summit which was convened by the Department of Human Services gave resourceful organization the oppor-tunity to present their services to all other social services orgs during the Summit.

The Energy, Utility & Resources Sum-mit is an opportunity for community program providers to learn more in depth of the many programs avail-able to the greater Seattle residents. Our communities are becoming more and more diverse and it is crucial for all of all to collaborate eff ectively and affi rm strong partnership with the grassroots & non-profi t community organizations.

The City Initiatives support;Builds Strong Families & Healthy Communities-Builds awareness of the many social services programs and helps to alleviate some of their fi nancial worries. In turn, this eff ort improves their quality of life as well as helps to improve their health and beyond. Immigrants & Refugee Initia-tive – Many of the City programs

provide various translations and services to immigrant & refugee customers. This summit will have some information in various languages that will help to improve communication & connection to our growing popu-lations that’s rich with culture and abundant diversity.

Socio-Economic Equity - This summit helps to fi ght poverty in the greater Seattle areas by connecting program managers & community organizations to vital resources that is important to their clients & cus-tomers. Programs such as: utility assistance; energy & water conserva-tion; weatherization; food assistance; health insurance, etc. are all basic needs and helps to keep the custom-er’s roof over their head. This event strongly supports socio-economic justice eff orts.

Eff ective Public Engagement - Engaging our diverse communities in a resourceful and respectful way are very important.

Protecting our Precious Re-sources - Conservation is most important resource and a resource of choice. This summit will provide information on how to conserve energy, water and build conscious ef-forts about recycling, composting and waste management.

Fouzia Ali was one of those who spoke at the Summit on behalf the City of Seattle. This other photo can be seen from left Micah Philips of Jewish Family Services, Mohamud Yussuf, the Chief Editor of Runta News, Fouzia Ali and Laura Beck of the Dept. of Human Service of City of Seattle and who presented together at the their department’s jobs and services.

Also the photo below shows again Mohamud Yussuf ( left) with Diane Naraski, the Excutive Director of Asian Counseling and Referral Center (in the center), and Seattle’s Director of Offi ce of Immigrant and Refugee Aff airs (OIRA), Magdaleno Rose-Avila aka Leno. Leno who also spoke at the Summit recognized in his speech the work that Runta and ARCS have been doing for immigrant communities in Seattle. This photo was taken by Brenda right after Leno’s speech.


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Islamic Home and Business Finance in the USA and Canada

Update on Seattle Jobs Plan

Our goal here at ijaraloans.com is to be your source for Islamic loan and fi nance solutions through LaRiba or Shariah compliant no interest fi nancing programs. It doesn’t matter whether you’re looking for an Islamic loan for your home or business, we have the competitive solution to meet your needs. We off er Murabaha, Musharaka or Ijara wa Iqtina Islamic mortgage alternatives, all of which are Sha-riah compliant. Looking for a Halal mortgage that is Riba Free? We can help. Home Finance from $100,000 up to $4,000,000 | Fixed & Variable Purchase or Refi nance | Cash Out PossibleAs little as 3.5% down payment if qualifi edIslamic Mortgage OverviewWhen it comes to Islamic fi nance and Muslim mort-gages, the primary goal is to make sure that no-body profi ts unreasonably from any sale or leasing agreement. Both the buyer and seller or the lender and borrower should benefi t from any transaction, as dictated by Shariah or Islamic law. The Islamic law system is designed to be completely just and

fair so that no one is taken advantage of, and so there are many specifi c provisions to consider when engaging in this type of transaction.One of the biggest considerations that you are going to want to make when it comes to a Muslim mortgage is that Muslim mortgages cannot charge interest payments from the borrower. The reason is because interest payments allow the lender or bank to profi t unreasonably from the sale of the home. Muslim fi nancing, then, should always be interest free fi nancing or free of Riba. The bank or lender is still going to earn a commission or a profi t on the sale of the home, because every business should earn a profi t, but by avoiding charging interest, the lender or bank is going to earn a fair profi t and the home buyer or borrower is not going to pay a fair price in the process.Islamic fi nance follows Shariah, the rules of Islamic law, and so this area of fi nancing is quite unlike traditional western world fi nancing. If you are a Muslim home buyer, or a lender trying to work with Islamic home buyers, then you need to become

well versed in this type of fi nancing so that you can make sure your transactions are conducted in ac-cordance with Islamic law. It will take a little bit of research and understanding to grasp how this type of fi nancing works, but the eff ort is well worth-while when you consider the benefi ts. Ijaraloans.com can assist you by providing a system that is Sharia Compliant and fi ts easily within traditional banking systems.Regular mortgages and Muslim mortgages are quite diff erent for several reasons. Make sure that you understand what these diff erences are, because you have to follow Islamic law and avoid Riba while conducting this type of fi nancial trans-action. A little bit of research on the ijaraloans.com website will help your understanding of the Islamic Finance process and can really go a long way in making sure that you conduct these types of transactions safely and in a manner that benefi ts all involved parties equally.

Standing with business, labor and community leaders two years after the launch of the Seattle Jobs Plan, Mayor Mike McGinn updated the public on progress made and future eff orts to support job creation in Seattle. Since 2010, the City has made signifi cant investments in youth and young adults, entrepreneurs, economic strengths and infrastruc-ture.“This year has brought some of the most favorable economic news we’ve seen in Seattle since the Great Recession began in 2007,” said McGinn. “Seat-tle’s diverse economy is outperforming the region, the state, and the country in our rate of job growth and our retail sales. Existing businesses are expand-ing and new ones are being launched. This positive news is a testament to the hard work and creative thinking of Seattle residents and businesses.”An August report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics claims Seattle is fourth in the U.S. for job growth this year.

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COMMUNITYNOV, 2012 | Issue 57

Ma ogtahay… 40% guryuhu waxay leeyihiin musqul biyaha sii deynaysa?

Musqusha biyaha sii deynaysaa waxay kugu kici kartaa $200 sanadkii!

Dayactirka mushqusha biyaha daadinaysaa waxay kuu dhaqaalayn kartaa biilka, kuuna badbaadinaysaa hanti qiimo leh – biyaha.

U isticmaal fiidiyoowgeena sida lagu ogaado ama/iyo loo sameeyo biyo daadinta guud ee guryaha.

Xataa Dhibic Yar oo Biyo ah Waxay Biilka Ku Dari Kartaa WAX BADAN

www.savingwater.org

KA FIIRSO FIIDIYOOW-GAAN SIDA LOO SAMEEYO

MEELAHA BIYAHU KA DAADANAYAAN


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Thursday, September 20, 2012By Robyn DixonMOGADISHU, Somalia — The guerrilla artists come out in the darkness of the Mogadishu night. Three of them are old hands with a brush, but they’ve never been out on such a crazy mission at a time when sensible people stay indoors.They gather for work in a converted garage, with a wildly paved fl oor and clutter of paint pots dribbling gaudy colors. Muhiyidin Sharif Ibrahim, 62, uses an old car seat as a chair, refl ectively sharpening a pencil with a razor, then honing it to a perfect point by scraping it on the stone fl oor. He deli-cately sketches out his next work on a scrap of cardboard with his long, thin fi ngers. The artists paint by daylight, then load the canvases on a big truck and, with the help of students they’ve taken under their wing, plant them around the city.No one here has seen anything like it. The political paintings that pop up every few days are like brave fl ags, cheeky and revolutionary.They take potshots at the most dangerous people, like Somalia’s blood-sodden clan warlords and its ever-present Islamic militants, who still maintain a shadowy presence here.The men have lived their lives in a country with no tradition of artistic freedom or democracy. When a tiny window of freedom cracked open in recent months in Mogadishu, it seemed like a last chance to be who they really wanted to be.Ibrahim, who once was among Somalia’s most famous art-ists, claims to have painted the fi rst offi cial portrait of the country’s fi rst president. Adan Farah Aff ey, 50, started out as a young artist in the propaganda department of the ruling party but resigned because he wasn’t allowed to depict the truth. As for Mohamed Ali Tohow, 57, his real passion was portraits, but he enjoyed his day job, painting advertising billboards, until the day the Islamists threatened to kill him.The walls of their garage studio are decked out with giant canvases, ready to hang in the streets of the capital. One de-picts a crowded city street with men on bicycles or pushing wheelbarrows, women in traditional Somali dress, buildings free of bullet holes and destruction, and a giant yellow sun like a beach ball. Its message is peace.Another depicts a rural woman with a generous basket of fruit, a pretty red necklace and a wisp of hair straying idly from under her head scarf. There’s an undercurrent of socialist realism in its idyllic vision of rural womanhood and agricultural bounty. But the woman’s lush beauty would be enough to get an artist killed if it was displayed in an area controlled by the Shabab, the Al Qaeda-linked militia that until recently imposed a reign of terror on Mogadishu and still controls much of the country’s south. The Shabab be-lieves women must be fully covered in billowing garments.As Mogadishu slowly staggered back onto its feet, a non-governmental organization, the Center for Research and Dialogue, developed a plan to commission its artists to paint posters promoting peace, and provide support for their work.Ahmed Adde, 45, was given the task of tracking down the well-known artists from the old days. Adde, an artist himself, didn’t know whether they were alive, dead or had fl ed. When he got in touch with them, they tried to brush him off .“The old man was afraid,” Adde says, referring to Ibrahim. “Actually, we were all afraid. We were reluctant.”“I’ve seen their trouble, how they’re harassing people and killing people,” Ibrahim breaks in, referring to the Shabab, which still carries out regular suicide bombings and political assassinations in Mogadishu, even though it has fl ed the city.Still, Ibrahim says he is optimistic. “I want to return to my career,” he says, off ering his shy, gap-toothed smile like a gift. “I want to show the people how bad the troubles were and

how bad the wars were and how bad it is when everything’s destroyed. That’s the message we’re going to send to people.”Ibrahim never fi nished high school, but was plucked from obscurity as a talented artist, given a post in the government’s Information Ministry and promoted because of his abilities.He was 19 when Maj. Gen. Mohamed Siad Barre, or Comrade Siad, as he was known, seized power. The dictator’s cult of personality meant there was plenty of work for artists, who would paint him in Stalinist poses, looking serious and stately, or laughing, or holding children and looking paternal. But artistic freedom was a mirage.“I painted Barre hundreds of times. There had to be a portrait of him in every offi ce. People were constant-ly coming saying, ‘I want a portrait of the president,’” Ibrahim says. “You had to be careful. You had to try to make him as handsome as possible. You had to paint him looking elegant. You could not show any signs of age.“You’d attempt it many times. Before you showed people, you had to check it again and again.”After Barre was ousted in 1991, all semblance of governance disappeared, clan warlords held sway, and the only way to make a living was to paint shop-front signs and advertise-ments. A transition government controlled little territory. Then came the Shabab, which won control of most of the country in 2009 and banned the depiction of the living form as un-Islamic.Ibrahim went into hiding, but in secret he kept painting his favorite subject, camels, which in Somali’s oral poetic tradi-tion have always represented nationhood: tough, indepen-dent and willful. He worked in a little room at home, hiding his art, which he covertly sent to friends overseas.“I had to do it. I had a will and a passion to draw. It’s some-thing that comes from the heart,” he says.Aff ey practiced and practiced drawing as a boy. It was only when people began praising his work that he realized he was an artist. He got a job as a political cartoonist in the propaganda department of Barre’s Somali Revolutionary So-cialist Party, but didn’t last long. When he tried to lampoon the problems of clanism and nepotism, he was ordered to stop. He resigned and tried farming for a while.After the collapse of the state in 1991, he barely eked out a living drawing political cartoons for magazines, and says his marriage failed because there was never any money.From then on, artists worked on a knife edge.“We were free to do posters and draw cartoons, but you had to be very careful not to insult somebody,” says his col-league, Tohow. “I had to consider what I was doing.”After years of war, famine and plunder by warlords, radical Islamists began to emerge around 2000, including groups that later morphed into the Shabab. In some cases, the Islamic leaders improved security. But after a while, their harsh punishments and rigid social control made them unpopular.“When the Shabab came, I had to shut my door and work in secret because they were killing people,” Aff rey says. “I was so scared. At the time, staying alive was all that mattered. The Shabab was against artists and intellectuals.”Roadblocks around the city were manned by trigger-happy militias, mostly teenagers. Under the warlords and later the Shabab, youths were associated with sudden, unpredictable violence.“If you saw a youth, you’d feel frightened,” Aff ey says. “A young guy who you’d never believe could kill you, could just come and assassinate you.”In 1997 in the central town of Galkayo, an artist painting a billboard was dragged down and beheaded because his work gave off ense to a religious sheik. The man had been

Tohow’s teacher.In 2000, Tohow narrowly escaped the same fate. He and others had depicted a woman on a billboard clad in the tra-

ditional rural Somali style, her shoulders and neck showing. A group of religious men ordered him to take it down.“They came to me and said, ‘If we see this hanging again we’ll arrest you,’ so we decided to turn the billboard over. It scared me so much because I knew these people were against artists and poetry. It showed me how easily they could come and kill me.”When the Shabab abandoned Mogadishu a year ago, the artists cautiously emerged, looking for jobs painting adver-tising murals on small shops and businesses.“I came out of hiding … but people didn’t know me any-more,” Ibrahim says. “They’d forgotten me.”Despite the risks they take with their guerrilla art, the three men have more freedom than they have ever known.“We can paint. We can draw. If you go into the street you can see what we did,” Tohow says. “Of course, something could easily happen to us. We heard some assassinations are tak-ing place. But it’s better than it was.”“It’s like you’ve been dead and you’re back to life again,” Aff ey says.The artists know they won’t be around forever. So they are training a new generation, apprentices who also provide a lot of the muscle power to put up the canvases at night. The older men fi nd themselves sharing paint pots with the kind of young men who once terrifi ed them, like Suleyman Yusuf, 20, who never went to school, but is one of their best students.Yusuf was paid $2 a day as a member of a militia in Mogadi-shu from 2009 to 2011 and manned a checkpoint.“Everyone was afraid of people at the checkpoint because we had guns and we could shoot at them at any time. It made you feel powerful. At the time, I believed I was the most powerful man in the city. It felt good to have that kind of power.”Now that Mogadishu is more peaceful, Yusuf is hoping to work as a commercial artist after training with Ibrahim, Aff ey and Tohow.“I feel great when I’m with them and they’re showing me what to do. We learn how they mix paint and how human beings’ faces are shaped. We’re improving and later we will be able to do what they do.”Aff ey believes he can help change Yusuf, and others like him, by teaching him.“For art, you have to focus. Art teaches you about life. You’re drawing life, so you can’t just go and kill someone. If you want to be an artist, you have to learn to be gentle and wise.”The teachers, Yusuf says, have taught him respect.“If I didn’t admire them, I wouldn’t bother to turn up. These are the only guys I have ever really admired.”


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