By Br. Abdisalam Adam

Introduction

One summer afternoon in 2011, the inhabitants of the Republic of Qobboleyland came out of their homes in search of food.  The sun was extremely hot. They came together under the leadership of President Aar Libaax, the undisputed King of the Jungle. The President had ruled the nation for over twenty years. In his hay days, he had been known for his courage, wisdom, wit, and oratory. He had led the nation through many struggles. Under his astute leadership, they had driven out the colonial occupiers. President Libaax was a household name all over the country. Large photos of him hung over private and public buildings. Half of the news was always dedicated to his daily accomplishments.

Hunting Together

Now on that hot summer day, President Libaax led his subjects on an expedition to secure their lunch. Each member of the hunting party sprang into action. Shortly, they came upon a herd of camels grazing on the vast savanna. The camels were busy stretching their necks to reach the leaves on the tall branches, while the young camel boy lay relaxing under the shade of a palm tree. Though he loved his whole flock, he particularly liked a young expecting she-camel called Bilan. Unfortunately, the camel herder was oblivious to the imminent danger that lay ahead.

The hunting party had also identified the camel boy’s favorite she-camel as she grazed along the periphery of the herd. Captain Hyena spearheaded the operation and within minutes, the she-camel was on the ground, struggling for dear life. The group attacked from all sides and finished her off. President Libaax was pleased with the efficiency of his followers and he asked his subjects to drag the kill to nearby bushes.

President Libaax removed his armor and let out a huge sigh of relief as he roared, “Oo-wah! Oo-wah”. He sat, majestically shaking his mane in a gesture of triumph, when he turned to his subjects and looked at them sternly. They all froze in their tracks, terrified to be called upon. Peering from side to side, the President finally uttered a stern command. “You, Cali Waraabe, with the short leg – come here!” The intimidated hyena stepped forward. President Libaax asked him, “How would you divide the booty?”  The Hyena was fully aware that he was on the spot, so he tried his best to please the President. He answered in a shaky voice, “Half and half. Half is for the Great Leader, the other half is for the rest of us.” The President was not impressed. Swiftly, he slapped the hyena’s face with his sharp claws, plucking the right eye out of its socket! The hyena cried out in anguish, but no one dared to come to his aid. He fled the scene in disgrace.

The President studied the landscape. He opened his mouth widely – exposing his sharp canines to reinforce the “no excuse” nature of the situation. Then suddenly he shouted, “Who is next?” No one could muster the courage to move! He repeated his question in an even louder and meaner voice. “I ask, who is next?” Still, no one moved. All the subjects were looking down. Only the President’s guards raised their heads. Finally, the President called, “You, cunning Dayo Dawoco! Do justice to the feast!” The fox moved forward in a hesitant, yet composed posture. She then began the apportionment.

“Half and half.  Half is for His Majesty, the other half is for the obedient followers.

Quarter and a quarter. Quarter is for the President, and quarter is for the subjects.

One eighth and one eighth.  One eighth is for the Leader and one eighth is for the rest of us.

One sixteenth and one sixteenth.  One sixteenth is for His Highness and one sixteenth is for the populace.”

The visionary leader was so pleased that he grinned gleefully and gloated,

“Who taught you how to divide the meat so fairly?”

The fox jumped up with excitement and shouted at the top of her voice,

“The eye hanging from the socket of Cali Waraabe’s cheek taught me!”

The king proclaimed a new decree promoting Ms. Dayo Dawoco as his special adviser for political affairs.

President Libaax devoured the meal whole-heartedly, along with his close associates. He then went about marauding with his pride of lions.

The rest of the hunting party looked at one another sheepishly. Suddenly there arose a commotion in the land. Each one began to whisper to the one next to him or her.

“I’m hungry! That would not be enough for us.”

Soon after, they all left the gathering and the whispering turned to shouting.

“The lion’s share is not fair! The lion’s share is not fair!”

Uprising for Dignity

The hungry subjects began to grumble and mumble. They gathered near the watering well and together they all complained about their state of affairs. One of them suggested that it was time for “regime change”. They must seek reformation, as the current state of humiliation was unbearable.

Mr. Tiger said, “Why don’t we overthrow the President in a military coup?”

“We can’t overcome his well-trained presidential guard”, responded Mr. Vulture.

After a short pause, Mr. Turtle suggested, “Let’s use our clan affiliation to overpower the President and his clan.”

“That’s narrow mindedness and divisive,” exclaimed Mr. Wolf.

“Well, I have another idea,” suggested Mr. Tiger.

Mr. Wolf inquired, “What would that be?”

“We will use peaceful resistance to challenge the dictator,” replied Mr. Tiger.  “We should challenge him with unconventional methods that his security forces are not familiar with.”

He thought a little and continued, “We should use Face Book, Twitter, texting, and email among other means to mobilize massive protests against the President. We must use the internet and television to garner support for the cause.”

Everyone liked this idea and they began the first steps of the revolution.

Some of the President’s advisers, elders, statesmen, intellectuals, business leaders, and religious clergy signed a manifesto for reform and then they handed it to the president. They told him that public discontentment was at an all time high, so the President should “implement immediate reforms to de-escalate the situation”. However, President Libaax scornfully tore the document in front of them. He said that the population could not survive without him. He called his supporters to stage counter demonstrations and they chanted, “Long live the President! Father of the Nation! Visionary Guide! Brave Protector! Valiant Hero! Ruler Forever and Ever..!”

In the meantime, despite the counter demonstrations, over one million people had gathered at City Center. President Libaax directed his security forces to clamp down on the demonstrators. But their numbers were just too overwhelming for them to disperse. Within one week, President Libaax’s rule came crumbling down like the bricks of an old, worn down building.

The entire world was taken by surprise! The superpowers began scrambling with their intelligence agencies to find out why they had not foreseen the intensity of the revolution. The violent groups were swept off the ground by the peacefulness and discipline of the resistance movement. The elders were caught off guard by the enthusiastic youth yearning for freedom and better economic conditions!

This is indeed a historic moment in Qobboleyland. The population proved that they would no longer accept the extremely harsh conditions that lead to political, economic, and social stagnation. The future was bright but there were certainly many obstacles in the way. Indeed, with wise and visionary leadership, Qobboleyland will take its rightful place among nations as beacon of hope, dignity, respect, and justice for its citizens and the rest of the world.

* Abdisalam Adam is an ESL Teacher in St. Paul Public Schools, Minnesota, U.S.A.

The story is based on a Somali Folktale, “The Lion’s Share,” or “Qayb Libaax”.

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