“Where are the Somali intellectuals?” a feeble voice said. I then turned to my right and saw an old Somali lady sitting on the uncomfortable red form at the bus stand where I was also waiting to take a bus to work. I could not fail to notice how the cold weather affected her dry skin and scales it left on her wrinkled forehead and cheeks. Looking at her and trying to understand the pain she was feeling, I tried to console her and politely said “what about the Somali intellectuals?” The woman pouted and rose reluctantly to catch her bus and said “nothing” inconsequentially.    

On the bus, I studied her face which was concern written all over for few moments. I opened my mouth to say something, shut it again, and then asked myself “where are the Somali intellectuals?” I racked the section of my brain which specializes to interpret the perplexing questions. A message came fast “The woman was saying where the Somali intellectuals are when we are in this hellhole weather?” That sounded distinctly less convincing since some of the intellectuals are in this notoriously unreliable weather too. Another message was received “The woman was saying what Somali intellectuals are doing about our plight?”

Before discussing what the intellectuals have or haven’t done throughout the civil war, which led the dire situation that Somalis are in, it is important to understand who an intellectual is? Are intellectuals organised in a manner that gives them a voice and clear sense of purpose that deals with the concurrent problems facing Somalia?

It is difficult to have a generally accepted definition of who is an intellectual. Certainly, everybody who holds a degree university or is a pen pusher does not necessarily qualify to be called an intellectual. Generally, there are two groups within any society, those who supply the thinking and those who act upon the supplied thought. Intellectuals make use their brain faculties and have abilities and skills to analyze events or current issues and help the society to develop programmes that are useful to their existence. They do not normally make decisions based on instincts and emotions. Intellectuals can be writers, academics, artists, community leaders, etc. with different backgrounds.

If you carefully examine the activities of Somali intellectuals, it is clear that they have been playing oddly and contradicting roles since the decomposition of Said Barre’s government. According to their roles, they can be divided into three groups, Progressive Intellectuals, Regressive Intellectuals and Opportunistic Intellectuals.

Progressive Intellectuals are true patriots who always try to make a meaningful contribution to the society and they are able to think beyond the immediate present. Regressive Intellectuals always try to satisfy their immense hunger for power and money. Telling the truth is a something that they have lost contact over the years. They covertly or overtly serve against common causes. Opportunistic Intellectuals have no agenda of their own since they are incapable to take any endeavour of their own. You see them initially supporting one policy, but later switching support to a contradictory policy. They are good at blaming others and make the loudest noises.

Of course, the woman was trying to reach out intellectuals who are capable to bringing solutions to our nation’s acute problems. Unfortunately, Somalia’s political systems only recognise intellectuals to the extent that they are merely the pawns and foot soldiers in pursuit of political power. This exclusion has been deliberate and systematic. The continued marginalisation of the intellectuals from the collective and constructive participation in the political, economic and social agenda of the nation is common knowledge. The current government is a case in point.

Sadly, under different and difficult circumstances, many intellectuals fled from their homeland and were forced to comment Somalia’s plight from a position of detached safety. However, there are growing numbers of intellectuals who are engaged with people at grass root level and those in the Diaspora in this critical time and they are trying to influence the course of events. Although the intellectuals are trying to address Somali ills, yet they have not managed to arrest the calamity that our country has been in for the past fifteen years, mainly for two reasons.

First, our unity has been severely damaged and we are in a state of disarray and bewilderment. We know that unity is strength while division is destructive and weakness. The strength of any society is measured by its unity and cohesiveness of its elite. Our society is never put to a greater test than when it is confronted with the task of creating united front against the evils that caused the deep social divisions among us. The existence of many uncooperative intellectual-based organizations that only exist by name is one of the main reasons why we are paying the heavy price of failing to end the internal strife and reconstitute the failed state of Somalia.

Secondly, the general public is failing to respond in good faith the calls coming from intellectuals in order to bring and establish a foundation upon which Somalis can rebuild their country. It may seem for the common people that there are conflicting messages coming from intellectuals but they need to ignore the voices of those whose foresights are blinded by materialistic things.

Somali people desperately need good Somali intellectuals that can stop the perpetual
battle and widespread famine that Somalia became notoriously famous for the last fifteen years. But that can only happen when intellectuals show strong leadership and speak one united voice. It is difficult to foresee how ordinary people can sink their differences when intellectuals fail to present a united front at the present critical chapter of our history.

Coincidently, the woman and I got off the bus as it neared our target at the crowded Uxbridge station. I looked at her thoughtfully and said in a level tone “As stakeholders of modern Somalia, the intellectuals should be by right a central plank of any Somali government; however they have been unable to lead Somalia back to normality”. “That means we live in a time when intellectuals are not catalyst for tangible change?” she said intently.


Mohamed Mukhtar Ibrahim
London,
Email:     mohamed323@hotmail.com

Mohamed Mukhtar Ibrahim
London, UK
E-mail: mohamed323@hotmail.com

Email:   mohamed323@hotmail.com