Amina Page 14

  1991 Somali Civil War: Barre’s regime falls, rival clan militias capture Mogadishu. Civil war erupts with struggle between war lords Mohamed Farah Aideed and Ali Mahdi Mohamed. Collapse of central government. Thousands of Somali civilians killed or wounded. Somaliland declares independence.

  1992–3 Estimated 350 000 Somalis die from disease, starvation or civil war. United Nations Operation in Somalia ‘Operation Restore Hope’ led by United States (US) airlifts food and supplies to Somalia.

  1993 First Battle of Mogadishu: Between US forces and Somali militia. Commonly known as ‘Black Hawk Down’.

  1994 US troops withdraw. 20 000 United Nations (UN) troops left behind to keep peace and facilitate nation building.

  1995 UN troops withdraw.

  2004 Transitional Federal Government (TFG) established. Islamic Courts Union assumes control in southern part of the country, imposing Sharia law. Fourteenth attempt since 1991 to restore central government.

  2006 Second Battle of Mogadishu: Al-Qaeda-linked militants hold sway over much of city, war rages with African Union troops. TFG assisted by Ethiopian troops; African Union Mission in Somalia and US military drive out rival Islamic Courts Union.

  2007 Battle of Ras Kamboni: TFG President and founder Abdullai Yusuf Ahmed enters Mogadishu and assumes presidency. Government relocates to Villa Somalia. First time since fall of the Barre regime that federal government controls most of the country.

  2008 Militant Islamist rebel group al-Shabaab, with ties to al-Qaeda, continues insurgency against TFG, seizes control of key towns and ports, including approximately a third of Mogadishu. President Ahmed resigns.

  2009 Al-Shabaab and militias force Ethiopian troops to retreat. Over 80% of south-central Somalia comes under control of Islamist insurgents. State of emergency declared as violence intensifies. Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmad is installed as new president of TFG.

  2011 African Union Mission in Somalia begins retaking Mogadishu. UN formally declares famine in southern Somalia as a result of worst drought in six decades. Millions of people on the verge of starvation. About 220 000 Somalis flee to Mogadishu and across borders to refugee camps in Kenya and Ethiopia. TFG, African Union Mission in Somalia and Kenyan army retake Mogadishu from al-Shabaab militants, who retreat south. First airlift of UN aid in five years arrives in Mogadishu. US military starts operating drone attacks in Somalia.

  2012 Federal Government of Somalia is established. Al-Shabaab loses Kismayo, their last urban stronghold. First elections held since 1967, with Hassan Sheikh Mohamud elected president. African Union Mission in Somalia troops remain in Mogadishu in an attempt to protect the still fragile peace.

  2013 Rebuilding of Mogadishu despite sporadic bomb and gun battles in the city.

  Glossary

  aabbe father

  adeer uncle; a polite way to address men who are your elders

  alhamdulillah thank God

  asalaam alaykum peace be upon you; the standard Muslim greeting

  awoowe grandfather

  ayeeyo grandmother

  buraanbur traditional Somali dance performed by women at weddings

  canjeero round flatbread; a food staple in Somali households

  dhaagdheer mythical woman with excessively long ears who takes children at night and eats them

  dugsi/duksi extracurricular school where kids learn to read, write and memorise the Quran

  eeddo aunt; a polite way to address women who are your elders

  Fajr first prayer Muslims offer between dawn and sunrise, as it begins to get light

  halal permissible according to Islamic law

  halwa sticky, jelly-like candy made of sugar, cornstarch and oil, and using nutmeg and cardamom for spice

  haram forbidden by Islamic law

  hooyo mother

  imam Muslim religious leader

  insha’Allah God willing

  Isha final, fifth prayer Muslims offer at night

  jalbaab (s)/jalabeeb (pl) long, loose outer garment that covers the entire body except the hands, face and hair

  joodari sleeping mat

  keffiyeh traditional Arab headdress worn by men

  khat mild drug; consumed by chewing the leaves and tops of the flowering plant catha edulis

  khimar preferred headscarf for Muslim women in Somalia

  maraq stew

  maariin word Somalis use to describe the rich, almost coffee-coloured skin unique to the Somali people

  Maghrib fourth daily prayer Muslims offer after sunset

  muezzin someone who calls the faithful to prayer five times daily from a mosque

  Quran holy book for Muslims

  Ramadan ninth month of the year in the Islamic calendar; during this month Muslims fast from dawn until sunset

  Sharia moral code and religious law of Islam

  sijaayad prayer mat

  soor corn meal mush

  suhuur meal that is eaten before sunrise during Ramadan

  Sunnah sayings and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad which prescribe the way of life – customs and norms – for Muslims

  suras chapters in the Quran

  tasbih Muslim prayer beads

  wa ’alaykum asalaam and peace be upon you as well; the standard response to ‘Asalaam alaykum’

  Find out more about …

  Somalia and Mogadishu

  Hamilton, Janice. Somalia in Pictures, Twenty-First Century Books, Minneapolis, 2007

  http://www.unicef.org/somalia

  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19112530

  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14094632

  Somali youth

  Hoffman, Mary. The Colour of Home, Phyllis Fogelman Books, New York, 2002

  Robert, Na’ima B. From Somalia with Love, Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, London, 2008

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4yPAArtRN0

  http://www.unicef.org/somalia/reallives_8480.html

  Kafiya’s story: http://www.unicef.org/somalia/7734.html

  Abderahman’s story: http://www.unicef.org/somalia/7847.html

  http://www.unicef.org/somalia/reallives_11817.html

  Street artists in Mogadishu

  http://articles.latimes.com/2012/sep/19/world/la-fg-somalia-artists-20120920

  http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2013/01/28/262970.html

  Child soldiers

  Beah, Ishmael. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, Sarah Crichton Books, New York, 2007

  http://www.unicef.org/somalia/SOM_Carruurteena29Jan09FNLa.pdf

  Acknowledgements

  The Somali community of San Diego, California, welcomed me into their homes and lives with warmth, offering me thought-provoking conversations, delicious Somali food and friendship. In particular, I wish to thank Ahmed Farah, Abdisalam Farah, Rahmo Abdi, Fatuma Zahra Aideed, Lucky Farah, Nasteha Mohamed, Yasmin Farah and Mohammad Aidad.

  I also wish to thank Andrew Bogrand from Refugee Transitions in San Jose, California, and Erika Berg and Ann El-Moslimany for connecting me to the Somali community in Seattle, Washington. I met with many Somalis in Seattle, including Hassan, Abdullahi, Abdillahi, Abdikadir, Anisa, Amran and others who may not wish to be named. Also in Seattle, Merna Hecht, Elizabeth Norville and Carrie Stradley helped to facilitate meetings with Somali teens, for which I am enormously grateful. Merna was also the inspiration for the poem beginning with the line, ‘In my box of memories … ’ Thank you!

  Mason Cornelius of Nova Midwifery helped with details about complications with Hooyo’s pregnancy and possible herbal remedies.

  Scholars and other writers who helped provide information or contacts include Keren Weitzburg, Richard Roberts and Abdi Latif Ega. Abdi answered many questions and, in particular, helped me to understand that while artistic practices in Somalia have changed as a result of Saudi influence, memories of Somali culture and artistic theories and practices would have survived the civil war.

  For help with the finer points of Muslim thought, traditions and r
eligious practice, I must gratefully thank both Ann El-Moslimany and Margari Aziza Hill. Both women quickly and thoughtfully answered questions ranging from ‘Are beetles considered a halal food if a family is starving?’ to ‘As a Muslim woman, do you need pins to keep your headscarf on?’ I am grateful for their patience. Any errors in the book regarding Muslim thought and practice, particularly in regards to Somali religious culture and practice, are all mine.

  For reading drafts and/or discussing the book’s plot, characters and related points: Siphiwe Ndlovu, Vaidehi Chitre, Emily Jiang, Matt Powers and Becky Powers. Special thanks to Abdillahi Muse for reading the final draft and marking up errors related to Somali culture and belief as well as daily life in Mogadishu.

  While writing this book, I listened to a lot of Somalia’s most prominent expatriate hip-hop artist, K’naan. I first heard K’naan before he was big, in Oakland in 2009, long before I became interested in Somalia. Thanks, K’naan, for your accessible, socially conscious hip-hop/reggae/dancehall music.

  Many thanks to my husband Chris, my parents (Becky and Dennis), and my mother-in-law Darlaine for watching Nesta while I worked. Thanks also to my team of babysitters and friends who helped out – Becky, Marci, Alex and Natty.

  As always, I am grateful to my agent Jennifer Carlson, an extraordinary business partner and friend, and to the series creator and editor, Lyn White, and publisher at Allen & Unwin, Eva Mills.

  www.throughmyeyesbooks.com.au