|
 Book
Review:
Author: Mohamed Osman Omar
Format: Paperback, 265 pages, including foldout maps
Publisher: Somalia Publications Pvt Ltd, Mogadishu
Review by: William Hawke, Pres, Indo-African Society
|
|
Accomplished author and Somalia’s
Ambassador to India, Mohamed Osman Omar has done it again. He has published
another informative book about his beloved Somalia. This time the title is “SOMALIA Past and Present.”
When His Excellency asked me to review his book I must admit that I had a
feeling of, ‘Here we go; a bunch of belly-aching about how the international
community and the UN have betrayed the people of Somalia, without the turning of
eyes inward (towards the perpetrators of Somalia’s afflictions within the
country). As I delved into the book, my skepticism (or you might say pessimism)
was soon alleviated.
This is a well researched chronicle of how this relatively small African
country, at the pointy end of the Horn of Africa, was trampled upon, sliced up,
parceled out and abused before achieving independence. It goes on to describe
the suffering of the Somali people through an abusive dictatorship, which was
ousted by internal factions with a common mission (to oust the dictator), but no
common vision as to the future of this war stricken country. This led to
internal brinkmanship of warlords, disastrous international intervention (Did
anyone not see Black Hawk Down) and
the state of Somalia today.
Specifically: The new book covers the history of Somalia from the 19th to the
21st century including the establishment of the new government and the Aden
Declaration, which brought together the rival groups of the state institutions
and the first meeting of the Federal Parliament in the country after 14 months
of disagreement as to the location of the seat of the government and parliament.
It covers the history of the past and the present Somalia very well, dealing in
detail with the early occupation of foreign powers of Somali territories and the
struggle of the Somali Hero, Mohamed Abdulle Hassan against colonial rule and
the reason for his tragic end. The UN Trusteeship period starting from 1950
until independence of the former British and Italian Somalilands in 1960 is also
covered. The history of the occupation of former French Somali Coast from 1862
until it gained its independence on 27 June 1977 is vividly recorded. The
unilateral declaration of independence of the breakaway region of Somalia,
former British Protectorate is also taken up in the book.
The birth, the rise and the fall of the famous “Bloodless Revolution”
or “Kacaankii Barakaysnaa” and the end of the father of the 21 October 1969
Revolution, General Mohamed Siad Barre and the failure of the factions who
forced the “Revolutionary Government” out of power and the hardship they
caused to the people and the country is widely discussed in the book. The
book also details the other missing Somali territories and Islands – the bone
of contention between Somalia and its neighbours, particularly Ethiopia and
Kenya.
The question of deployment of foreign forces in Somalia, particularly the
objection of a large section of the Somali society to the inclusion of
peacekeepers from frontline states which caused disagreement within the
government institutions has been widely covered in the book.
Finally, at the end of the book, and before its biding, the dramatic events
occurred in Somalia in early June of 2006. Unexpected as it was, the news of the
victory of the Union of Islamic Courts over the despotic warlords, who held
hostage the capital city of Mogadishu and some parts of the country, for over
fifteen years, killing and maiming, looting and raping, caught the world on the
wrong foot. As it was a very important and highly significant event, the author
stopped the binding of the book and included a chapter as Postscript at the end
of the book.
This is an ideal book for those who are interested in Somali history and
particularly for the young generation in the country and abroad who are
interested in learning the past and presents events of their motherland. It
gives a glimpse of Somali history to whoever is interested in knowing about this
turbulent corner of the continent of Africa and its people which so harshly
suffered in the hands of both foreign and internal forces.
I sincerely believe that this book will be beneficial to those who will have
time to read it. The author (Mohamed Osman Omar) tells me that a Somali version
of the same book will be published very soon. Earlier books of Mohamed Osman
Omar include: The Road to Zero – Somalia’s Self Destruction; SOMALIA: A
Nation Driven to Despair; The Scramble in the Horn of Africa; and, SOMALIA
Between Devils and Deep Sea. For further information about Somalia Past and
Present, or any other of his books, please contact the author at:
mosman65@yahoo.com or mosman61@hotmail.com
|
