Homecoming: Communist Falxado from Ganaane

[Vivacious]

I have bookmarked this for reading later on. Welcome back though Lam

It was interesting and entertaining but reminds me my first undergraduate essay

It was indeed.

Lam, we are waiting for more stories

[Lamagoodle]

Rightwing, Ha kaa saarto

fiiri sheekade kale; waan kugu dul alifey.


Skippa, asxante saaxib.

Deeqa, soo dhowow

[Lamagoodle]

Falxado was expecting this ...

[Lamagoodle]

This was the Muqdisho Falxado left

[Lamagoodle]

Muqdisho airport had changed its name. It is now called ”Aden Cadde International Airport” to memorialise the best president Somalia has ever had, Aden Abdullahi Osman Daar.

Some of the airport’s buildings, the runway and hangers were still intact but the departure and arrival halls have been rebuilt. In fact, the airport has a better departure and arrivals hall then the last time Falxado was here.

Muqdisho is a vast city, a city of people and it has endured a torturous history of self-destructions. However, it continues to persevere under the burden of political instability, clan and social strife.

Falxado had read my chronicles on Somalia’s poverty, corruption, poor leadership and diseases. The images of marauding gangs, petty politicians, warlords and feminine did not erode from her mind. She was prepared for the worst.

As a Marxist, she deduced the problems of Muqdisho and Somalia to colonial heritage. Colonialism had put historical institutions of trust, cohesion and conflict resolutions in obsoleteness. In addition, she conjectured that it is the historical materialism that could explain the problems in Somalia. To her, material production and the ensuing consumerism has resulted in a mental slavery that has affected the intellectual and cultural life.

Like Marx , She viewed Muqdisho’s problem of warlordism, conflict entrepreneurship and weak/corrupt leadership as interrelated organic totality which lies in material economic foundation. Democracy and capitalism, she thought become the Mädchen für alles without any consideration for historical paths and cultural contexts.

Falxado left Aden Cade airport in a car that was driven by her cousin, Guleed, who never left Mogadishu. Judging by the car, the clothes he was wearing and his physic, Guleed was leading a happy life that was very different than what he had been telling her. He had called a myriad of times asking for financial help. She had provided him with school fees and a few hundred dollars each month. Yet, here he was driving an expensive car, looking healthy and wearing expensive brands.

Looking around the airport parking, Falxado noticed that people were getting on with their lives. They have risen gloriously above conditions that would crack most people.

There were poor women selling tea on the roadside, beggars and shaxaad entrepreneurs.

Muqdisho is like any city in the developing world. Even in worst of times – e.g. when bombs fall- you do not hear the doom and despair that has characterised media reports that Falxado read when she lived in Europe.

Falxado knew Muqdisho very well. The car from the airport will drive on the main road to KM 4 and then along Makatul-Mukarama road all the way to shabelle where it will turn left towards Bondheere. On the way to Bondheere, she hoped she would see a number of important landmarks. The Ahmed Gurey Statue on the roundabout in KM4, Sayid Mohamed Abdille’s statues in front of the parliament building, Xaawo Taako and the SYL and finally the statue of the unknown soldier (daljirka dahsoon) which is on the same square as the old parliament building.

In addition, she hoped to see the mattress factory, the soap factory, the technical college before they came to KM 4.
At the airport parking, she could see new high-rise and beautiful buildings. Guleed told her that the high-rise building was Hotel Jaziira and that the beautiful buildings are new constructions by a rich class of Somalis, which encompassed political leaders and people from the diaspora. Judging by the buildings near the airport, it was difficult to grasp that Mogadishu had been lawless for many decades.

They passed two checkpoints. One operated by Amisom and the other by Somali forces.

One thing never changed. The shaxaad. Everyone including security officials, porters, soldiers and even customs officials wanted some kind of “gift” (hadiyo).

She asked Guleed to stop at KM 4. She wanted to take a short walk and see Shineema Ekvator, Somali airlines buildings and the Chinese restaurant where she had dined and wined with friends decades ago.

“maya, maya, lama istaago. Niminkii sheydhaanka ahaa ayaa dadka ugaarsade” he told her and within 30 minutes they were in Bondheere,

[Vivacious]

Shineema ekvator intee ku taalay

[BlackVelvet]

Like always, inspires a desire to go there and experience it


And with a female character as well, looking forward to the rest

[Lamagoodle]

Shineema ekvator intee ku taalay

Deeqa, Ekwatoor (Equator) waxaay ku taali jirtay Lambar Afar. I