RESOURCES
Unfortunately, Somalia (like many African countries) is underrepresented in written history and commentary. Listed here are some resources to give you more perspective on what you are doing and why it matters, including websites on Somalia’s culture and history and recommended reading that offer a sampling of perspectives on issues related to refugees, Somalia, and developing countries. If you know of something that should be listed on this page, we would welcome your contribution!
Two summaries of Somalia’s culture, the first with a short background piece on Somali history, the second with a public health focus: http://ethnomed.org/ethnomed/cultures/somali/somali_cp.html http://ethnomed.org/etnomed/voices/somali.html
Two staples for quick summaries of current conditions—the BBC’s and the CIA’s Country Profiles for Somalia:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/1072592.stm https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/so.html
For the dedicated, an online book on Somali culture: http://www.cal.org/co/somali/index.html
A very popular website gathering current news on Somalia—skim through for a cultural experience:
Two think-tank sites that give some insight into Somalia’s current crisis with links to policy recommendation documents with what can be done to help:
http://www.refugeesinternational.org/where-we-work/africa/somalia http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?l=1&id=5836&m=1
Refugee Resettlement Watch:
http://refugeeresettlementwatch.wordpress.com/
A community of bloggers monitoring refugee issues and resettlement in the United States, this site covers a variety of critical issues. Change.org Blogs - http://www.change.org Change.org is a social networking site for aspiring change-makers. Though it’s easy to spend hours networking to good causes and finding meaningful actions to get involved with (such as sending letters to congresspeople), the best part is the recently-launched 17 blogs focused on world issues. I would especially check out:
o http://genocide.change.org Genocide
o http://immigration.change.org Immigration Issues
o http://humanitarianrelief.change.org Humanitarian Relief
o http://humantrafficking.change.org Human trafficking
Links – Nuruddin Farah & From a Crooked Rib – Nuruddin Farah
Try any book by this Somali novelist. Living now in South Africa, Farah tackles tough subjects in a readable way, including female genital cutting (a widespread practice in Somalia, though his take on it is controversial), clan warfare, refugees, resettlement, and displacement. I especially like that his books include references to African fables and proverbs, so though accessible to anyone, you feel as if you are hearing the stories of a village elder.
What is the What? – Dave Eggers
Based on the true story of a Lost Boy from Sudan, this book traces the refugee journey from the south of Sudan to Atlanta. It is an epic novel, and will keep you turning pages for a long time. Perhaps it is most unique for the way it looks at the refugee-post-resettlement experience; the special vulnerability that a young refugee experiences when struggling to learn a new culture, a new language, a new way of life while coping with the loss of family and culture.
Poisonwood Bible – Barbara Kingsolver & Things Fall Apart – Chinua Achebe
One classic and one new, these novels both take place in the 1950s and look at Africans in the Belgian Congo and Nigeria coping with the influence—and grappling with the ethics—of colonialism.
Yesterday, Tomorrow: Voices from the Somali Diaspora – Nuruddin Farah
Written by a well-established Somali novelist, this eloquent and emotional book is a mix of personal memoir and interviews with Somali refugees from 1991-1998. Now out of print, Seattle Public Library has it, including the NewHolly branch (call number: 325.21092).
Desert Flower – Waris Dirie (2001) & Desert Dawn – Waris Dirie (2002)
These tell the story of a camel-herding nomad girl who flees a forced marriage in Somalia, ends up a supermodel and special ambassador to the UN, and journeys back to Somalia to find her mother. Somalis, a beautiful people, are not undiscovered by the beauty industry, as exemplified by beauty icon Iman (see her book as well, I am Iman).
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier – Ishmael Beah
Introduced to many American readers when Starbucks picked it up, this book tells the story of a 12-year-old boy in Sierra Leonne who is caught in the violence sweeping his country for 5 years before coming to the US as a refugee. Although child soldiers are not as prevalent in the Horn of Africa, this book gives insight into the kinds of horror that children in war-torn countries face and the trauma of resettling in a new place.
Emma’s War – Deborah Scroggins
Slated to be released on film in 2009, this memoir describes the life of a British aid worker in Sudan who married a warlord. It is an important work, because it touches on the potential danger of aid work when you walk the line between serving the oppressed and enabling the oppressors. Highly recommended!
Ciao, Asmara – Justin Hill
This little book tells the story of one British volunteer’s experience in the capital city of Eritrea from 1996-1998. Part memoir and part history, it gives a lot of helpful background information on the war between Eritrea and Ethiopia, as well as painting beautiful vignettes of everyday life in East Africa.
Rebel without Borders – Marc Vachon
An inside look at Doctors without Borders, the incredibly hostile conditions they work in, and the kind of people that work for them. The author writes transparently, not glorifying himself or painting his motives as more altruistic than they are. This book, like Emma’s War, highlights how people who devote themselves to aid work may be working from adrenaline-craving guilt-fleeing motives as much as an extreme skateboarder; but their drive has the potential to create a lot of good in the world if they do not lose themselves in it. I would recommend any book that looks closely at Doctors without Borders (MSF), including Hope in Hell.
Human Cargo: A Journey Among Refugees – Caroline Moorehead
This book is a well-rounded introduction to the challenges faced by refugees around the world. It includes descriptions of the crises that cause people to become refugees; refugee camps that hold them interminably; plights to escape the camps; internment centers for illegal refugees; and the resettlement and integration processes of refugees in developed countries. Highly recommended for EACS volunteers (Seattle Public Library—including the branch in New Holly—has several copies).
One Day the Soldiers Came – Charles London
Beautiful and brutal, these are the stories of children around the world displaced by war, full of hope and tragedy. It includes full-color reproductions of the pictures children from Congo to Bosnia drew about their experiences and desires. If you are interested in working in humanitarian emergency crises, read this book.
Famine Crimes – Alex de Waal
A little hard to find, this is a fascinating expose on the politics of famine from a well-respected author on African politics and modern history. It was written in the 1990s, during the terrible droughts in Somalia that were shown on news reports around the world. A dense read, but worth it if you are interested in political tensions at play between humanitarian work and guerrilla governments.
The End of Poverty – Jeffrey Sachs & The White Man’s Burden
William Easterly William Easterly (professor at NYU) and Jeffrey Sachs (professor at Columbia) have a notorious rivalry in the academic and international development world. Easterly’s book was, in part, written in response to the End of Poverty, and neither book should be read without the other to balance it. The End of Poverty asks tough questions about why some countries are impoverished, and offers practical suggestions for what might be done about it. The White Man’s Burden is possibly the one book everyone interested in development work should read. It clearly presents the pitfalls of aid, and where we should invest our energy for the decades to come if we want to see the end of poverty.
Guns, Germs and Steel – Jared Diamond
A modern classic, this book (part history, part science, part economics) offers a fascinating theory about why we see such disparity in wealth today across different continents. His theories are borrowed heavily by Jeffrey Sachs’ book End of Poverty (see above), so if you are interested, check this book.
Disposable People – Kevin Bales
This book offers fundamental reading on human trafficking and slavery in our world. Did you know that more slaves exist today in our world than the total from history combined? Trafficking is a problem that we cannot ignore; this book is one of many that will introduce you to the issues. I would also recommend: Not for Sale, by David Batstone (nice because of the upbeat “How We Can Change It” section at the end); Woman, Child for Sale by Gilbert King (nice because it is a quick read).