Improvingsomalia’s Image
Mohamed Diini Ahmed talks with out to achieve
Chinafrica: What do you hope to achieve with this new annual landmark event? Mohamed Diini Ahmed: Change the negative narrative about Somalia. Harness the talents of Somali authors, writers, scholars, poets, playwrights and motivational speakers to build a better, more literate, more tolerant and more peaceful Somali society. We hope for this to be an annual event where Somali authors, cultural specialists, and scholars - as well as their nonsomali counterparts - from around the world meet, share ideas and learn from each other.
What has been the discernible effect of the book fair? It has given hope to a new generation of writers and poets, especially within Somalia, whose talent was hidden due to war and conflict. It has brought out thousands upon thousands of youths and young professionals. Look at the images of #MBF2016 on social media and you may mistake the fair for a protest or voting lines.
This year, our youngest guest author was a 19-year-old girl from Mogadishu. Last year, we highlighted a 16-year-old with five books to his name with a profoundly moving story. Born in 1999 in the midst of war during Mogadishu’s darkest days, he grew up in the war years and never stepped out, and in the pain and untold tragedies of the brutal civil conflict, he has written five books. Last year’s book fair was the first platform for his talent and books. That is fundamentally the type of change and product we want the MBF to encourage and produce. about what the MBF has set
Osman Mohamed Ali, founder of the Somali Museum of Minnesota, had left Mogadishu 41 years ago. He came back this year for MBF. Yes, the MBF is perhaps one of the top motivators in bringing back a fairly educated class to Somalia, especially the literary community. It’s unfair to say that it is the only one but it is one of a few wide-impact events catering to a wide range of groups in the diaspora to come back, even temporarily.
how do people regard you when you go on your mission to sustain the book fair, especially as some of the terrorist groups are opposed to Western education? We haven’t had any contacts or threats from anyone. I suppose some don’t care and I suppose some do care and don’t like it. But we can’t control that. We take our precautions and try to go on with our work. It would be crazy if anyone has any problems with such noble initiative.
Don’t you fear that the book fair could be a terror attack target? Mogadishu has a checkered past, and to an extent, present. Bombings do happen but they don’t stop the lifeblood of this vibrant and amazingly fast-growing city. We do take precautions, yes. We take them very seriously. It’s strange that we must do so for an event that entirely nonpolitical but such is today’s world.