Final Report

MOVING LIBRARY TOUR - SOMALILAND6 - 16 July 2011

&FOURTH HARGEYSA

INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR22-27 July 2011

Beerta Xorriyadda, Hargeysa

Project Coordinator: Jama Musse JamaREDSEA-ONLINE Cultural Foundation

Contact: tel. ++39 3389679505c/o ex Vetaid Office – Hargeysa – Somaliland

Main office: Via Pietro Giordani 4, 56123, Pisa, Italyadmin@redsea-online.com | www.redsea-online.com

FOURTH HARGEYSA INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR

1. Introduction......................................................................2

2. Aims and Achievements ....................................................3

3. Highlights ........................................................................4

4. Achievements and Activities ..............................................5

5. Conclusion and Follows-ups ..............................................8

6. Final Note of Gratitude ...................................................10

7. Articles ..........................................................................11

Contents

MOVING LIBRARY TOUR JULY 2011 02

REDSEA-ONLINE Cultural Foundation and partners, Ilays and Kayd are pleased to report that the 4th HargeysaInternational Book Fair and Moving Library Tour 2011 proved to be a highly successful and popular event inSomaliland. This year, the theme we build the Book Fair and Library Tour around was the concept of ‘collectivememory’ and the debates, books launches and activities revolved around it. It was great to launch for the first timethis year the book fair at Freedom Square as it provided greater access and space to enjoy the event.

This report sets out the main highlights of the fair and the moving library tour, bringing together information aboutthe events that took place and the experiences of those who took part.

The Moving Library Tour took place between 6th July 2011 and 16th July 2011 and visited the major towns andcities in Somaliland . The main aim of the moving library tour was to bring books to towns and cities and facilitateaccess to literature through local reading clubs. Furthermore, we visited local authorities to seek their pledges toestablish local public libraries and to our delight, we were successful in gaining commitment from local governmentsin all the towns and cities that we visited. We also donated 50 books to each town/city we visited so that they havethe start up stock for their new libraries.

The moving library toured Somaliland, bringing a range of literature tothe local people in their towns and cities. The tour also included debates,discussions and interactive sessions, incorporating group readingsessions all focused around the theme of ‘collective memory’. The tourproved to be an enormous success. It is worth noting that in the cities ofBerbera, Shiekh, Burco, Gabiley, Borama, Ceerigaabo andLaascaanood the meeting halls were crammed by hundreds of peopleeager to explore the displayed literature, and many others were leftoutside.

There were three routes in total, bringing new books to people and enabling them to explore literature over tendays. Cross-sectoral society groups followed the tour with great interest and participation. The tour also inspiredlocal authorities to take action, with a large number of towns and cities committing to establishing a local publiclibrary.

The Moving Library Tour was followed by the 4th Hargeysa Book Fair which took place between 22nd and 26thJuly 2011 and attracted a large and diverse audience over a period of five days.

The highlight of our exploration of the theme ‘collective memory’ was the well received drama called ‘A Glimpse ofour Collective Memory’ by Abdirahman Yusuf Arten and the debatesand discussions which followed the play. The impact of the play wasenormous and it was one of the main focal points in defining andunderstanding this very abstract concept. Arten, who is famous for hispassionate and balance approach to his production, managed toaddress in this play a painful history and at times very complexperceptions and realities in an objective and accessible manner. Theplay highlighted events which defined the social, political and culturallife of the nation and it weaved together traditional folk songs anddances from the distant past. It also told the story of critical political,social and cultural events which make up our collective memoryincluding the current democratization process and building of moderninstitutions.

This piece of drama encouraged the younger generation to take a more active and visible role in the preservationand enrichment of the national heritage.

INTRODUCTION

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Aims and Achievements The main aim of Hargeysa International Book Fair and the Moving Library is to

promote a culture of reading and writing and we do so by showcasing high qualitySomali literature and translated Somali international classical literature. Ultimatelyour intention is to stimulate a culture of reading and writing in Somaliland andrevive other forms of art and human expression, including painting, poetry, story-telling, and drama composition.

Hargeysa International Book Fair (HIBF) brings together writers, poets, artists andthinkers from Somaliland and from all over the world, and provides them with a

platform to share and discuss their art and literary productions with wider audiences.In order to meet our aims this year, we delivered one of our most ambitious and

successful projects to date, which combines the HIBF and the new Moving Library Tourproject. We are pleased to report a successful programme of activities:

• The Hargeysa International Book Fair and Moving Library Tour attracted a diverse audience of people fromSomaliland and the surrounding regions and reached out to towns and cities across the Country.

• Young people were given a platform to showcase their talents and abilities and to experience artistic andcultural activities through the Show Your Talent event.

• The chosen theme encouraged people to come together to share, discuss and contribute to the building of a‘collective memory’ specific to the cultural history of Somaliland through the arts and literature.

• Readers’ clubs were more proactive and contributed to the creation of networks which facilitated access toliterature, discussions and debates through the Moving Library Tour.

• Our representatives successfully engaged local authorities to commit establish and maintain local publiclibraries.

• Young people had greater access to literature and were encouraged to explore arts andliterature and to actively participate themselves in interactive workshops.

• The project encouraged intergenerational activities where the older generationshared their past experiences and events of a significant relevance to theSomaliland youth. As part of the project, we screened last year’s videodocumentation which captured the views of the youth about the concept ofcitizenship. These young people expressed their views in their own words andusing their definitions which was empowering.

• We published and distributed a magazine to event attendees covering themoving library tour and the theme of ‘collective memory’.

• Through these projects, we facilitated a safe an open environment of artistic expressionand provided the opportunity for people to come together and discuss with some ofSomaliland’s most renowned artists, writers and scholars.

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The Book Fair and the Moving Library brought together writers, poets, artists and thinkers fromSomaliland and the wider world to share and discuss their art and literary productions with

wider audiences. It was especially a great opportunity for the young writers to meet andhear from our main visiting writer Yasmeen Maxamud, author of Nomad Diaries. It was adelight for both Yasmeen and ourselves to be able to launch her book for the first time inAfrica and to have Yasmeen return to her home country after 20 years. The interactivesession with Yasmeen was particularly interesting for young female authors who wereable to learn more about Yasmeen’s experiencesas a female writer in the Diaspora. Yasmeen’scontribution to other sessions such as thewomen’s literature night was very well received.

This event was a fusion of literature anddiscussions on gender issues and leadership. This

event also explored the reasons for the apparent lackof women writers and the need to inspire young female

writers to fill that gap in the future.

A translated publication of George Orwell's ‘Animal Farm’ was the primarybook promoted this year. The book was received with great enthusiasm by readers’ clubs and it triggered a greatdeal of debate around freedom of speech, thought and opinion, issues which are just as relevant today as they wereat the time of the book’s publication. It was another milestone to bring good quality literature to avid readers inSomaliland.

The launch of other books such as Said Jama’s short story collection ‘Shuf-beel’ was a great privilege for us. Amongstother books, we launched Baqayo rogad by Abdirahmaan Yusuf Cartan which is a collection of three plays, andthe work of Somaliland diaspora writer Abdi Bashir, titled ‘Hableheenna’.

HIBF is a platform for all Somali speaking artists and we were honoured to have so many visiting writers from theregion including Abdalah and Bellelo from Djibouti and Abdi Nasir Yuusuf Ma’allin from Mogadishu . But thegreatest privilege was to introduce Kaddare from Mogadishu and Ahmed Sheikh Jama from Garoowe to our youngaudience who benefited from their wisdom, wit and experiences.

Although the book Fair focuses greatly on young people, the short storycompetition event remains one of the most important activity and thehighlight of the fair. The competition together with the growing ReadersClubs Presentations and the yearly event Share Your Talent are testamentof the progress that young people are making and it also provides uswith an insight into their interests and views with regards to literature.

Another great highlight was the Sooyaal event on classical literaturewhich showcased four great experts in this field, Maxamed IbrahimWarsame Hadrawi, described as the Shakespeare of Somali culture,

Ahmed Sheikh Jama and Kaddare both visiting artists and Muuse Cali Faruur one of the oldest and the mosttraditional knowledgeable artists in Somaliland . Muuse Faruur recites and memorises all aspect of Somali culture.This session gave people great opportunity to discuss Somali classical literature and language.

Highlights of the Book Fair

Achievements and Activities:

Creative writing courseAs part of the preliminary activities leading to the Hargeysa International Book Fair2011, a two day course on creative writing and writing Somali was held for youngwriters, facilitated by Yasmeen Maxamud (author of Nomad Diaries) and Saed JaamacHusein (renowned short story writer and author of new short story book ‘Shufbeel’). Thecourse was chaired by Cabdilaahi Cawad Cige (author of the prominent Somali Novel ‘Roge’,among others) who also shared insightful wisdom throughout the course. Yasmeen Maxamud’ssession focussed on the creative writing process. Yasmeen spoke passionately about key ingredients for asuccessful write up – passion and discipline. She stressed the importance of understanding, investigating andanalysing the subjects of choice for the writers. Yasmeen discussed writing as a process, starting with the pre-writingstage and ending in the review stage. She also shared her experience and challenges writing Nomad Diaries andcreated an interactive environment where participants were able to questions as well as voiced their own challengesin writing and securing publishers.

The session proved to be highly interactive and successful becauseparticipants already brought their own views and ides on what it takesto write successfully for a wider audience. There were intense andpassionate words from the young writers about the barriers hinderingtheir promotion and the panel offered suggestions ranging from settingup blogs to co-reading each other’s work. The workshops anddiscussion it generated started to build the confidence required for theyoung writers to promote their work. Yasmeen ended her session withhomework for the young writers and the promise to follow up with themon their work and to continue to support them.

Saed Jama’s session was a master class in writing the Somali language professionally and to high standards. Saedtaught the essentials of the grammar, the punctuation, the nuances of the languages and most importantly writing ina beautiful and creative manner, because writing beautifully and ensuring that the language flows from the tongueis as part of the Somali language as writing in Somali itself! Both the sessions ended with young writers expressingprofound appreciation and gratitude for the writers and thanking them profusely. They reallywarmed the authors’ hearts!

The opening ceremonyThe opening ceremony introduced this year’s theme of ‘collective memory’. Thefestival was opened with a performance by SOCSA and was launched by theMinister of Culture. It included a short film which showcased the highlights of theMoving Library Tour 2011. Following the opening ceremony, the Book Fairofficially opened to the public at 11am, inviting everybody to explore the newbooks and enjoy an arts exhibition displayed by AfrikaNation arts.

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Sheeko iyo Shaahid CompetitionThe Sheeko iyo Shaahid Competition was a very well attended and

celebrated event where the winners of this year’s awards wereannounced. Our main guest-author Yasmeen Maxamudpresented the awards to the winners. A book containing thewinning stories of the 2010 winning stories were publishedand given to the participants of this year as well as theauthors of the winning stories of 2010 competition.

The book of the yearThis year, HIBF presented a translated publication of George

Orwell's Animal Farm. Somaliland readers’ clubs read GeorgeOrwell's Animal Farm with Saed Jama and the book was featured

during the Moving Library Tour.

Traditional gamesTraditional board games, Shax in Somali, were held following the popularity of this event last year. Once again weheld a Shax tournament which attracted a wide number of people eager to participate. The evening wasaccompanied with a performance by Somaliland Circus in collaboration with HAVOYOCO which is a youthorganisation.

Women’s Evening in collaboration with Negaad: This event was a fusion of literature, discussion on gender issues, women andleadership. It was especially interesting to see two generations of women sharethe same platform. The older generation of women focused on peace and therole of women in peace-making while the younger generation emphasisedthe importance of giving women a platform on a different level. Thediscussion also explored the lack of women writers and the need to inspireyoung female writers to fill that gap in the future. At this session there wereremarkable female poets such as Nimo Gabaydo and Saado Abdi Amarre.Saado is the female poet whose emotional verse laments the senselessnessof the successive civil wars which affected Somaliland in the aftermath ofliberation. Her recital of her masterpiece "Haddaba Deeqaay,dagaalkanimuxuuahaa" (roughly translated as O Deeqa! What is the meaning

of this war?) moved many people to tears. The poetessexpresses her sadness, wonder and surprise at the conflicts

that broke following the civil war. Addressing a fellow femalefriend by the name of Deeqa, she says: “I drank poison by tasting the bitterness of

war; Taken by the flood without knowing how to swim; Previous wars were nothingin comparison to this; O Deeqa! What is the meaning of this war? And why is thispart of the town fighting against that one?”

Readers Club Presentations –Nine readers clubs from across Somaliland were invited to present their latest

activities and share their insight into their current literature study.

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The Science Awareness Day – The Science Awareness Day had a significant importance to Somaliland's development in the long terms. The panelfor the day was made of six academics who discussed the challenges and opportunities for the higher educationinstitutions to improve science teachings in Somaliland. Somaliland needs to shift its emphasis on manufacturingand move away from relying on other nations' gift aids. With the motto "Science for Sustainable Development', theday mobilised the energy and resources of the diaspora community to effectively contribute to development ofSomaliland . The Science Awareness Day was very well attended andthere were excellent contributions from participants.

Guest-authors book presentations – Yasmeen Maxamud: Nomad Diaries – Yasmeen was delighted to launchher new book in her home country. The launch was followed by aninteractive discussion, book signing and the opportunity for two youngpeople to interview her.

Curisyo 5 -‘Shuf-beel’: Saeed Jama Hussein. 'Shufbeel' by Saed Jama. 'Shufbeel' is a collection of essays and short stories, including modernand traditional Somali wisdom and entertainment (murti iyo madaddaalo). The author, Saed Jamahas been vice president of Somali Speaking Pen and one of pilasters of the literary promotion in theSomali speaking society. 'Curisyo' is a series of books, covering a ranging set of topics, yet sharethe spirit of citizenship. This 5th book of the Curisyo series was launched by Cabdillaahi CawedCige, with author Saeed Jama who read passages from the book. The reading was followed by adiscussion about Somali literature.

Other new books and visiting artists: Author of ‘Hableheenna’ Abdibashir is a Diaspora writer from Sweden who attended with the book. Abdisharimade a valuable contribution to the fair, and alongside launching his book, he chaired several sessions.

‘Taariikhdii Andalus’ was presented by Abdalle Cismaan who lives in Denmark. This was his first trip to Somalilandin 30 years. Abdalle not only contributed to the Book Fair, but he also gave several presentations to young peopleat his home town Laasaanood and the university of Laas-aanood, Nugaal University. During the Book Fair, Abdallecontributed a lot of the discussions, mainly one in regard to writing and how to improve the reading culture of theyouth in Somaliland and wider society.

Cabdi Nasir Yuusuf Macallin who works for the University of Mogadishu shared withus his upcoming new book. The Book Fair was delighted to have Cabdinasirtogether with Kaddare as visiting artists from Mogadishu.

Featured Young Artists - The Share Your Talent event provided the opportunityfor young and emerging artists to perform and contribute to the fair and toshowcase their own works. This year, we are pleased to report that more than15 young artists took part at in the Share Your Talent event.

Ahmed Sheikh Jama was an Arabic teacher in the Ministry of Education of formerSomalia - after the collapse of Siyad Barre regime, Ahmed moved to Yemen andworked at Al-Miithaaq, a Yemeni journal in which he had published weekly articles.He is a great poet and composes his poems in the traditional ‘gabay’ form. His poetrymight be characterized by the rich imagery widely drawn from Somali pastoral culture.

Kaddare was born and still leaves in Mogadishu. He is an expert in and he created one of the alternative Somalilanguage scripts in 1953. There is a strong belief by many Somalis that because of the tribe Kaddare belongs to,he was denied the opportunity to share his work and contributions to the Somali language. Furthermore, the situationin Kaddare’s home town and region does not provide the opportunity to expand and promote his work. In the sessionhe facilitated as part of the book fair, Kaddare gave people a great occasion to discuss Somali language andclassical art-forms.

Our partnership approach The established partnership between Redsea Online, Kayd Somali Arts and Culture and Ilays remains strong with ashared focus and vision on delivering arts and culture projects in Somaliland . This year, we continued to develop our relationship with Universities by holding a science awareness day. The dayexplored different ways to transform Somaliland into a manufacturing country to create a sustainable future andparticularly targeted the Diaspora community to contribute to the developmentof Somaliland.

SomTel, a local telecommunication business took part in the HIBF marking theagreement of Somaliland telephone operators to improve communication byallowing greater network coverage across the Country. We also developed a greater team of volunteers to enable us to deliver a largerevent to encompass the moving library tour. The lessons we have learned in2010 allowed us to better manage and coordinate a bigger team.

Areas for improvements/Learning Opportunities Our previous experiences have enabled us to learn and develop the events of the HIBF and expand on our existingwork by introducing the Moving Library Tour. The 4th Hargeysa International Book Fair was planned and tookaccount of our previous lessons learned, these included:

• Early project planning and design to enable more time to seek external funding. The creative photographycourse initially announces could not take place because of the lack of professional photographer to volunteerto give lessons and because of the low number of registrations. Early announcement of the courses would ableto young artists to register themselves for such a course.

• The deadline given to Sheeko iyo Shaahid competition was very limited this year. Many interesting short storiesreached the committee after the deadline. We need to improve the announcement of the deadlines. Improve the collaboration with public and private schools to permit their students and teachers to come as agroup, and spare for them specific timetable during the book fair.

Conclusion and follow-upsThe Book Fair and Moving Library tour has this year illustrated the popularity ofliterature in Somaliland. It has been noted that the rate of literacy has markedlyincreased over the last 20 years. This is encouraging, but we have a long way togo as over half of the population is still unable to read or write. Our partnershipis dedicated to contribute to decreasing the illiteracy rates further by makingliterature more accessible to local people and by producing and publishingmore works.

The enthusiasm and interest in our project of local people was evident throughoutthe moving library tour, highlighting the motivation of people to learn and become

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involved in literacy. The moving library tour and book fair attracted thousands ofpeople who enjoyed the books and took part in the interactive workshops and

discussions focusing on ‘collective memory’ theme. We consider the annual Hargeysa International Book Fair to be an essentialdriving force in nurturing the artistic and cultural development inSomaliland as well as a key contributor to improving literacy rates. Thebook fair has become a renowned event in Somaliland capable ofreaching and influencing large audiences. It is essential to sustain boththe pressure and commitment to ensure that this development takes placewith the input and contribution of the local population.

Follow-up 1: the Moving Library in major cities of the country

Public Libraries project in major cities visited by the Moving Library became in themeantime a national campaign for local libraries which is spearheaded by Redsea-online

Cultural Foundation. The mayors of several cities have already allocated land for the establishment of this libraryand the local municipality has been given the role to maintainit once it is up. HIBF organizers are encouraging the RegionalReaders Clubs to advocate this campaign and the DiasporaCommunity to fund-raise to support the construction of theselibraries.

Follow-up 2: Hargeysa International Book fair withDiaspora

To follow up on some of the important issues raised at the BookFair with the Diaspora, we have invited Ahmed Shiekh andSaado Cabdi Amarre to the Somali Week Festival to furtherexplore and create more links between the people in eastAfrican and Diaspora.

Follow-up 3: Production of good quality literature and the inspiring of future authors in Somaliland

The translated publication of George Orwell's Animal Farm was the primary book promoted this year during themoving library and the book fair. The book begins a new series of books called "Iswaydaarsi" (exchange) whichintends to provide specific knowledge of the international classical literature to the young Somali speaking readership.

Since the book fair we are publishing 2 new books one which is a translation of short storiesby Anton Chekhov and the other one is a translation of a selection of Somali poem. We

endeavour to continue with the translations of good international and Somaliliterature.

Follow-up 4: Establishment of a low-cost social enterprise to print bookslocally The cost of printing our own publications in Europe and then bringing them toSomaliland is costly and logistically difficult. We also noted that there are numerous

manuscripts which reach us from local emerging authors. Therefore, we areplanning this year to transfer printing equipment to Somaliland and establish a new

printing center in Hargeysa. This initially will be helpful in printing our magazine and

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Sheeko iyo Shaahid publications which are short stories by youngpeople. Having a low-cost printing locally will spread the benefit ofliterature by publishing academic and none academic quality literaturethat meet the educational, business and social needs of our society. Itwill finally help us to inspire and develop future writers in our society,which is the ultimate goal of Hargeysa International Book Fair.

Follow-up on this year’s theme ‘collective memory’: Heading for thefuture

HIBF 2012 will focus on the theme of “Heading for the future” in the wake of the theme of thisyear “collective memory.” Through this theme, we intend to empower young people so they areable to express their expectations. We would like to hear the voice of the youth and allowmajor opinion makers to speak about the future of the society. We wish to generate discussionson the role of women, sciences and the state of the environment and to consider its majorimpacts. We want to give a platform to all sectors of the society to discuss and create acommon vision for the future.

A final note of gratitudeAgain this year we are very grateful for the support we received from local NGOs inSomaliland, readers’ clubs, the private sector (in particular Daallo Airlines, TELESOM and SOMTEL),individual artists, and arts organisations. We appreciate and thank Oxfam NOVIB, Prince Clause Fund and theBritish Embassy in Addis Ababa for their support to the Moving Library Tour and Hargeysa International Book Fair2011.

At first glance, Hargeisa and the book fair and cultural festival ithosts each year are an odd match. Hargeisa, which lacks anational theatre, public library, cinema, museum or for that matterany dedicated building which could provide a platform for the artshas unexpectedly become a generous patron to Hargeisa InternationalBook Fair & Mooge Festival. Try describing this, rather unusual marriage,to someone who hasn’t visited and you are sure to do insufficient justice to aremarkable accomplishment of vision, leadership and talent. What the city (andthe country more generally) lacks in infrastructure, it certainly compensates for in the richpool of talent and creativity of its young population. It was therefore all the more meaningful and rewardingfor me to experience Hargeysa International Book Fair this year and to have gained a bird’s eye view.

Staging HIBF & Mooge festival is no easy accomplishment, but somehow, the two inspirational charactersbehind this project, find the energy and spirit to tackle the daunting task of organising a book fair and culturalfestival on par with the best in the world. They (and their large cohort of volunteers and friends) have set out toimprove literacy, encourage writing, provide an archive and documentation for the literary output of apredominantly oral society, whilst also broadening perceptions and challenging conservative attitudes towardsthe arts. Ambitious indeed, but not entirely impossible as evidenced by the huge numbers the fair and festivalattract. A healthy dose of stubbornness is matched by the sincerity, imagination and uncanny eye for potentialand talent by the organisers.

It also helps that HIBF and Mooge Festival project can rely on and mobilise humanresources at the click of an email. Visitors to the fair may be mistaken to think that

there is a surplus of volunteerism and community self-help in Somaliland, thereis of course some, but the beauty of this project is that it is anchored in local

ownership and the conscientious efforts over the years in building regionalreaders clubs has enabled rapid self-organisation when called upon. Itis also incredibly valuable that the project has earned the respect andadmiration of many Somali speaking artists in the region and globally,resulting in the stellar line up each year. HIBF & Mooge festival operateas a forum for cultural, intellectual and friendly exchange and withcolleagues visiting Hargeisa from Mogadishu, Garowe, Jigjiga and

Djibouti it is an exciting platform for hope and a promising outlook forthe future of Somali speaking communities more generally.

I was particularly impressed with the sense of goodwill and camaraderiebetween the many people who contribute to the successful implementation of

the book fair and their exhibition of an unfaltering desire to build on the previousyears success. Their tireless effort is reflected in the high quality outputs of the project

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Culture as a right: Revival of the arts in theHorn of Africa. By Quman Akli

MOVING LIBRARY TOUR JULY 2011 12

which include books, plays and literary competitions and the July 2011 fair was nodifferent. Packed with a wide range of activities, debates, poetry sessions, bookpresentations etc there were many highlights, stimulating and engaging eventsand friendships formed that it is impossible to describe all.

However, one aspect of this year’s fair is particularly worth highlighting.The short course on writing, convened and taught by three of the fair’svisiting authors, was a new and exciting component to this year’s fair. Theorganisers of the HIBF recognised early on that there was a real lack ofsupport and encouragement for aspiring short story writers in Somaliland andas a result initiated a short stories writing competition in 2009. This competitionhas indeed provided an important platform enabling young writers to share theirmaterial and to gain recognition for their talent, but many challenges still remain. Those challenges relate to structural obstacles regarding the availability of qualified teachers, study materialand arts colleges which are desperately lacking in Hargeisa, but also, ironically, for a community obsessed

with story telling, there is an inherent artistic bias in favour of poetry in the Somali communitywhich has dissuaded young writers from pursuing other literary forms. Somalis are

legitimately famed for their poetic prowess, but to limit the linguistic richness of theSomali language and creativity of artists to one literary form is unnecessary and

stifling.

The short course on writing therefore was a welcome contribution to alleviatesome of those challenges. The visiting authors touched on a broad range ofissues, tutoring on language, grammar, character building etc. For two days,the authors intensively guided a small group of young short story writers on

the intricacies, pitfalls and rewards of writing. And really, who is better placedto pace young authors through a course on creative writing than novelist Yasmin

Mahamoud? Or explain the history of the Somali language and provide practicaltools than the great scholar Said Jama? Or who is better to inspire,

entertain and champion students than Abdulahi Cawad Cige?

The short course was a resounding success and after the initial elation of havinglearned, laughed and socialised with writers of such extraordinary calibre,there soon was a sense of sadness among the students when it daunt on themthat the course was coming to a close. There has to be serious thought givento ways on extending and ensuring the continuation of this rewarding course.The mentoring of young talent by more established writers is of such greatvalue that a real effort has to be made in order to develop and sustain thisgem of an initiative.

Overall, the impressions and memories I have of the book fair and the impact thisexchange of experience and knowledge has had on all those who got to participatewas truly remarkable.

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Moving Library Diaries 8th July- 10th July: Burco to Ceerigaaboby Zahra Jibril

Burco is where the essence of the moving library truly materialised.It is where the audience chose to turn their backs to speakers andexplore the books. It is where attentees sat in small groups andenthusiastically examined books. It is where the honoured guests,Hadraawi, Ahmad Awale and Saeed Jama, sat around the table withthe groups and had warm discussion.

Burco is the first place where the crowd was too large, the readers too many. It is where people left outsidestood straining to hear, and peeping through the windows to catch a glimpse of the speakers. Burco iswhere we were obliged to extend the reading slot to give people more chance to browse. It is where wesaw for the first time the immense interest the BOOKS generated. It was where I saw five niqaab wearingwomen reading together out loud. It is where I saw a group of 8-year olds reading the Animal Farm. Itis where I saw the patience of volunteers tested with a queue of people.

“On the 8th of July I stood at the Burco event, feeling overwhelmed with emotions, thinking that this mustbe the peak, the essence of the tour and the heart of this campaign. I thought that it could not be mached,let alone being out shined.“

The road to Ceerigaabo

The road to Ceerigaabo longer than I had imagined.along the path lay villages and towns, some homes tofew people, some deserted and some teeming withresidents. On the road to Ceerigaabo I saw wildlife, wellfed livestock, vast green land and enormous mountainsthat stretch as far as the eye can see and as high as theclouds - literally! I saw both the beauty and potentialityof Somaliland.

My mind was trying to record and register everything. My fingers could not snap enough pictures! It wasrough, far-streched and tiring but absolutely stunning. On the way, we briefly stopped in the town of Yufleyfor tea. The elders of the town demanded their share of the moving library. They wanted an event held

MOVING LIBRARY TOUR JULY 2011 14

specially for them so they too could meet the books. We promised we would pass on our way back fromCeerigaabo for a brief introduction and they promised to be prepared.

On the outskirts of Ceerigaabo at 8pm, we were welcomed and met bythe Ceerigaabo Reading Club. Packed into four cars, the members ofthe reading club blared their car horns, playing popular anthems, tookus on a driving tour around Ceerigaabo before taking us to dinner andthen leaving us to rest. Completely surprised and so grateful for thewelcoming gesture and enthusiastic youngsters we met, we forgot aboutour tiring journey and prepared for our morning event before going tosleep.

On the 10th of July at the Ceerigaabo event, I was looking at a perfect replicate of Burco’s event. Peoplethere were eager to read, circling the tables as individuals and groups, flicking through the pages, lookingat the pictures, enquiring about authors, translations and most importantly how soon they could haveaccess to their library. The crowd was so large we had to move the speakers outside so the people whocould not get inside can still hear the speeches. We extended the reading periods and moved two tablesof books outside, under the trees so people can sit and read.

The participants were grateful we managed to make the journey that not many people make. They werethrilled that the moving library will have a base in Ceerigaabo and like all other events, a place wassecured for the public library.

After the difficult journey, we found our reward in Ceerigaabo, in a young crowd that was desperate toread, passionate about having the opportunity to read and overwhelmed about meeting some of theauthors.

Once again I stood back reflecting, looking at the buzz created by the books and the queues of peoplewaiting to speak to the authors. Surely it cannot get any better! Surely we would not see a more vividdisplay of passion and interest in our journey!

REGIONAL READERS CLUBSAPD, SONYO, SOCSA, HAVOYOCO, ODHA, CANDLELIGHT, NEGAAD

MURTIMAAL, UNUGGA WADDANIYADDA SOMALILAND

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