CAN K’NAAN’S “WAVING THE FLAG” EMOTIONS TRIGGER A NEW SOMALI RENAISSANCE?

Most Somalis around the world have joyously watched FIFA’s World cup Kick off where the Somali singer, Keynaan Abdi Warsame, known as K’naan, has opened the musical concert with his worldwide famous song “Waving the Flag. K’naan was holding, higher-and-higher, the Somali Flag, our beloved Blugley.

Somalia is soon approaching its 50th anniversary of independence, it would have been a significant milestone, if it wouldn’t be for the tears and toils that our people have endured undeserving in the past two decades, a painful humiliation inflicted by its own sons. To add an insult to the injury, the shameful invasion of Ethiopia and the subsequent occupation of Mogadishu, the capital city, left an awful stain on the annals of Somali history.
After the long and persistent outcry of the Somali flag to her sons and daughters fell onto deaf ears, the scream for resurrection and the destiny- call of the quasi-moribund flag, our “Blugley,” was finally answered by an unexpected brave young man called K’naan. K’nan, unfortunately was pushed out of his country of birth at early age, as such, he did not experience the opportunity to enjoy the fervor and passion that many of us from the older generation have enjoyed. Yet, because of his multilayered identity and intellectual reach, he understood the thirst of his people, thus he answered the momentous call of history. That is why at the opening of FIFA’s World Cup K’nan using his iconic position he lifted up the “Somali flag” in unison with the whole world.
K’naan, God bless him, has given all of us a lull from the pain of the “Reign of Terror,” even if it was just for a moment. He allowed our people whether they live inside Somalia or in the Diaspora a sense of pride and nationhood.  He also reminded us and, the entire world, that Somalia, notwithstanding its failed state label, WE AS PEOPLE still exist.
Likewise, K’naan’s tacit message has eloquently conveyed to all Somalis, the hope  they aspire and the self-determination is still recoverable , and more importantly he underscored that our “Blue Flag,” is still the symbol of our collective and imagined nationhood, as well as, the carrier of our identity and history. Thus, our flag is and will remain the single most powerful weapon that can rally patriot Somalis as a whole.
Many Somalis still believe that in spite of the confusion and crisis of identity that has befallen on us, yet we Somalis are still fascinated by the power, intensity and the meaning of our Somali flag.  Hence, if we will be able to focus on our similarities and common denominator, as our fathers did during the struggle for independence, we will be able to finish this “genealogy of hate,” called  tribalism that has imprisoned our people in a cage, and gave our enemies the force to manipulate us and keep or contain Somalia under its knees .
In my view, one of the invincible weapons available to us, right now, is our common identity and of course our flag is the one symbol that can command that very authority and motivate our people to stand as one.
Because our flag and its intrinsic meaning carry with it the muscle that can win against those lukewarm child-soldiers, who naively and maybe unsuspectingly wave, in vain, that “black flag” while being drunk with the ideology of slaughter and the utopia of their perceived religion.
As we approach the 50th Anniversary of our statehood and the “Kanna-Siib-Kanna –Saar, Somali unity, let us hope that K’naan’s waving the flag song may trigger a new wave of emotions that will unchain all people of good will and those rusted patriots who are intimidated, encircled and suffocated by the ocean of tribalist, turncoat-opportunist and profiteers, and pave the way to a “Somali Renaissance.”
At this juncture, most Somalis are really fed up with the status-quo, but will they be able to say enough is enough, and stand for their rights and be in words and deeds part of the change they want to see?
If we can dream for a moment, and make our dreams our goal and act upon.
If, we can force our heart and mind and as a generation we decide in unison to stand for our right, for our self-respect and self-determination, then we can also dare to take our own destiny and historical responsibility for change.
If we will be able to imagine a Somali Renaissance, for a moment and realize the meaning and achievability of what most Somalis are longing deep down in their heart, then we can take the first step and reach the 1000 miles journey.

By: Abdirahman Sheikh Isse
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