By Mohamoud Aw Ali
It is not rare to see Somali women emerge as reputed lyric poets but seldom are their harmonious compositions published. “Saa Waxay Tiri” (And Then She Said) is a bilingual book dedicated to the life and the poetical work of Hawa Jibril.
Hawa Jibril was born in the Somali plateau of Mudug at a time when poetry still played a central role in the Somali life. At the time, poems were the central means of public communication. A skilful poet could rally massive support to wage war against enemy or persuade fighting sides to completely swallow their anger and embrace one another simply by dictating poetic verses. Poetry also served as deterrent to rape, burning properties, public execution of prisoners and other war misconduct as such acts would leave the whole tribe fall prey to the canine teeth of the opposing composer constantly on the look for any vulnerable point he can employ to tear down the reputation of his opponents.
Hawa is revered for using various genres such as
gabay,
buraanbur and
geeraar, the first of
which is considered men’s territory of rhyme.
As a nomad child, she
chants her verses out loud to entertain goat kids. As a well-grown girl,
she uses her poetry to protest against her father over an arranged
marriage. She expresses her feelings while conveying influential
messages when she confronts a mistreating husband, a public service
inefficiency or even a totalitarian and corrupt government. Over the
course of her life, she continues to advocate for peace, put
emphasis on the role of women within the society, reject and shed
guilt about a harmful cultural practice known as FGM and give advice
to her children and grandchildren.
Compiled and translated into English by her daughter, Fadumo Ahmed Alim, the book contains selected 41 poems that span over 70 years of Hawa’s lifetime from when she herd goats in the grasslands of Hawd to when she lived in the coastal and the nation’s capital city, Mogadishu; from when she lived in refugee camps to when she dwelled in the rising buildings of Canada. Available here, the book is for everyone who would like to enjoy the work of a poet who stood up to women’s rights since adulthood and more importantly, to the young Somali immigrants who would like keep the oral tradition alive and therefore, follow the footsteps of their ancestors, once known as the nation of poets.
