Speech given by Dr. Berhan Ahmed to the Somali Community on the celebration of Somalia Independence Day, July 1, 2009.
Thank you for inviting me here today, I would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we meet.
Today we are here to celebrate Somalia Independence Day.
There is a great deal of disagreement and disunity in Somalia. There is not even agreement on which should be the National Day, with come supporting June the 26th, the date of independence from the colonial British, and some supporting October the 21st. However, today we are celebrating the date accepted by most, July the first, the day in 1960 when British and Italian Somalia united to form the Somali Republic.
Somalians have a common race, language and religion
Because of the amount of disagreement and disunity, let us first reflect on what Somalians have in common. In many ways Somalia is one of the most united countries in Africa, or could be one of the most united countries. It is inhabited by one people, with one language and almost all one religion.
Somalians have a wonderful ancient culture and history
First I would like to pay tribute to Somalia’s long history and culture. Somalia’s history is very ancient. Cave paintings date back over ten thousand years. It has one of the most ancient systems of writing found anywhere. It was in Somalia that the camel was first domesticated by man. For thousands of years, Somalia was an important trading civilisation. It had many strong city states and traded with Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece and Persia and the Mediterranean states. Somalia was one of the earliest countries to peacefully convert to Islam and during the Middle Ages period was one of the most advanced and strongest parts of Africa.
Somalians also have a proud recent history
Somalia also has a great deal to be proud of in more recent times. It was one of the countries that fought against colonialism for longest and was unconquered until the development of aerial warfare. Then during the Second World War, Somali forces played a great part in fighting the Axis powers. Somalian soldiers have always been feared and respected. But Somalia does not only have a great military history, but it also has a great culture of peace. Somalia is very strong in all of the arts, most especially in music. The instability in Somalia has created a diaspora and now Somalians have formed strong communities all over the world, especially in Toronto, London, Minneapolis and other cities. Somalian musicians such as K’Nann are becoming increasingly popular, and I am proud and happy to see the Somali community in Melbourne contributing to this tradition. Music and the arts is one way in which we can tell our stories and make people listen to us and respect us, and I am very happy when I see our communities contribute in this way.
The world is now seeking a solution to the problems in Somalia
Now let’s talk about the political situation in Somalia. Not only Somalia, but also we have to look at the political situation in the West as well. So it’s very appropriate for us to try now to seek some kind of solutions for Somalia. Not only have there been recent political and military changes in Somalia, but the United Nations and the European Parliament and the United States Congress is devoting a lot of time to this issue at the moment. It’s not only that they are worried by the growth of piracy and terrorism, but they also are worried by the potential for a huge human rights disaster in the region, as we all are.
At first it looks too difficult to figure out. But the world now knows that it has to be fixed
So at first sight the situation in Somalia looks extremely complex. It is almost impossible to figure out, the different factions and the different names. Somalia is split into a number of different countries and it seems like every month there is another new country. And not only that, but bandits and warlords are taking advantage of the absence of military and police control to terrorise, rob and murder the people. At first glance, it just looks so complicated that you want to throw up your hands and cry “It’s just all too complicated!” That’s pretty much what the world has been doing and now the world is becoming aware that you can’t do that. You just can’t let any part of the world be given over to anarchy and robbers. Because they will bring the rest of the world down with them. So how can we simplify that. How can we make it make sense?
The reason we may be able to find a peaceful solution is that everyone is tired of fighting
Now historically, how have these sorts of situations been resolved? Well, one way is that someone arises who is so strong that they basically beat everybody else. It can be a military person, or a political or a religious person. Some people hoped that Sheikh Ahmed would be such a person. However, if we look at history, such people aren’t very common. It can take centuries for someone like that to arise. And at the moment we can’t see anyone in Somalia like that. And then the second way that these things are solved is when internal disunity makes a place so weak that someone else can invade it. Well that isn’t going to happen either, because if someone came from the north, someone else would come from the south, someone from the west, and pretty soon all you have is a battleground and that’s horror for ordinary people. And then the third way is that basically everybody gets sick of fighting. Everybody, or anyway most people, get to a point where they realise they are getting absolutely nowhere. That’s pretty much where we are at in Somalia now. Now we are at a place where there is a chance for peace.
We can simplify the complexities by making a distinction between those who want to negotiate and compromise and those who don’t
So because there is this chance for peace, it does allow us to make a simplification. Because the fact is that as mature people, as adults, we know that when there is a dispute, we never get everything we want. We have to compromise. When we sit down to negotiate with other people, we know that each person will get something that they want, but they will also have to give up something they want. So the distinction that we can make is that there are people who will commit to this process and there are people who will not. So right now, we are in quite a good place, because most of the parties in the area that we call Somalia are supporting the transitional government. Even many of the parties that don’t want to be a part of a united Somalia, who want their own government, are prepared to sit and talk and support the transitional government. Most of the people are longing for some sort of peace and stability. So we must start by recognising that the people who want peace and who are prepared to negotiate, are a positive factor. Even if we disagree with them, if they will talk and will also listen and compromise, we can get somewhere.
The people who don’t want to compromise are divided into bandits and fanatics. People follow fanatics because they seem to offer a chance. But history shows us that this turns out very badly
Then there are people who really don’t want to compromise. They are really of two types. First there are people who are doing very well at the moment – I mean bandits, warlords, organised crime, people who do very well for a little while when the government is weak. Not only bandits, but even some businesses and corporations also do well when the government is weak. Then secondly, there are fanatics. Now the problem is that when there is no infrastructure or security, people sometimes feel that there only safety is in organisations which are very uncompromising and intolerant. Sometimes those are the only people around that really have some sort of organisation or that seem to offer some sort of stability. Last century that was often communists. They had very efficient systems of organisation and training and overseas support. Nowadays we have the radical Islamists, but there’s really not that much difference. The Islamists actually copied the organisational structure and training that the communists develop. During times of great instability, groups like that seem to offer the only hope and protection, because everything is falling apart. So people feel that they can support them and later, when the situation is under control, they can control those fanatics. I have to tell you that history shows this never happens. What history shows us – with the nazis, with the communists, in my own country of Eritrea, everywhere, that once those people get control it takes a lifetime or more to get them out. The more power they get, the harsher and more paranoid they become. So these people, the bandits and the fanatics, are negatives. They don’t offer hope. Support them and life will only become worse and more miserable for everyone. So one example is the Taliban in Afghanistan. Ten years ago quite a lot of people were supporting them. But now they have lost almost all their support, because people see their way has only led to more violence and killing.
Everybody needs help sometimes. Now, Somalia needs help
Now one thing in Somalia, is that Somalians are very proud. They want to run their own affairs – even more so than most countries – and they don’t want outside interference. I have to say that at the moment, this won’t work. You know, as human beings, we really like to be independent, and we don’t like to ask for help. Especially if we have a lot of pride, and Somalians have a lot of pride. But nobody can live like this. Sooner or later, in all our lives, when we are babies, when we are sick, when we are old, we have to ask for help. There isn’t anyone that doesn’t sometimes need help. And Somalia at the moment is like a sick person. Really, we have to admit at this point that in order to suppress the bandits and fanatics, in order to establish some basic infrastructure, in order to give people hope, we have to ask for help. And the world is reluctant to give this help. That’s not surprising. We are asking them to risk the lives of their sons and daughters. We are asking for things that will cost them a lot of money. But just right now, the world is prepared to give that help, because the situation in Somalia is so dangerous and destabilising for everyone.
You can’t hope for personal justice, but you can look for justice for the country and for the children and for the future
Now, before we turn to the situation here, I have to say one more thing. You can’t repair things if you are looking for revenge. Sometimes it is too much even to look for justice. In the course of a conflict, many terrible things are done. We all have wounds. We all have terrible hurts. And we can get justice, but we can only get a particular sort of justice. We can get the justice of a country which once again has law, which once again has services, which once again has hope. That is the justice that we can find. But if we go looking for specific justice, to even the score in some way, we can’t find that. Sometimes we have to recognise that the only way to move forward is to let go of the past altogether, because that is the only way that we can ever have a future for our children.
There are things you can do here in Australia
Now before I close there are some things that you can do here. There are some things you can do in Australia, and they will help improve things in Somalia. So now let’s talk about those things.
Develop a living art and culture and educate your children
The first thing that you can do is to take a pride in developing your art and culture. And I do mean develop. I don’t mean preserve. You can’t just preserve the art and culture of the past, because then it becomes a cold, dead thing, like a fish in a bottle. Art and culture must live and develop. You have to find a way to keep your art and culture living and breathing, and you have to share that with everyone. This is a big secret. Art and culture only live by being shared. I want to share that with you today. And also, educate your kids. Make sure they go to school and to university, so that they have pride and they understand the world they are living in. If we really want to help others, then first we have to develop our own knowledge and our own skills and help our families develop them. Then we will have something to give.
Take personal responsibility for climate change
And then I want you to work against climate change. Now I know there is a lot of confusion about climate change. Climate change now is like the debate about smoking twenty years ago. There were people making a lot of money about smoking, so they worked very hard to try to conceal the truth and confuse the issue. With climate change it is even more so. A lot of businesses are making a lot of money out of pollution. A huge amount of money is going to try to confuse people. But I’ll tell you, it’s very simple. It is actually quite like smoking. If you have smoke in a room, and you have a window for fresh air. If the smoke is made faster than the fresh air can get in the window, the room will get smokier. That is what is happening to the Earth now.
Why should this issue concern Somalia particularly? Somalia is one of the countries in the world that will be hardest hit by climate change. We can see this in history. Although Somalia has always had a lot of desert, a long time ago, when Somalia was one of the most powerful countries in the world, it was a lot more fertile. Climate change has made the desert bigger. And also, I have seen the maps of the way that the world will change when sea levels rise. Somalia will be one of the countries which is hardest hit by rising sea levels. Actually, that applies to Australia as well. Somalia and Australia are both countries with a bit of fertile land mostly near the sea, and a lot of desert inside. So losing any of that fertile land will be really hard. So please, in your own lives, do what you can. Eat less meat, use less water, catch public transport, things like that.
I ask you for your support
And then the final thing that you can do is you can support those politicians and people who are trying to make things better. One reason I am here today is that I need your support and I want to ask for your support. I don’t want you to support me because I am African-Australian. I don’t think anybody should be supported just on the basis of their race or religion. The reason I want you to support me is because I am really committed to increasing the dialogue between Australia and Africa. I want Africa to be a healthy, strong part of the world. And I am a migrant, and I know also what migrants need to be able to live in Australia and succeed and have their families succeed.
There is one thing about myself that I really believe, and it is what makes me know that I can ask you for your support today. And that is this. I don’t play favourites. I am an African and a Muslim, yes, but what I really believe in is human beings. The human family. I always try to listen to everyone as much as I can, and I am not pushing any ideology, or clan loyalty, or nation loyalty. What I really want is to see peace and harmony between all races and religions and human beings.
That is what I am working for, and I want all of us, together, to work for that. Because that is the way forward. That is where hope lies. That is the only place that hope lies.
I hope you have enjoyed listening to me today. Thank you for your time and your attention.