aBigForehead

So it happened. Eventually. :-)

I don't know how you review something you were partly responsible for without being biased so I won't. I'll leave it to those that were in the audience to blog about it. I look forward to the criticism. The feedback forms the attendees filled in are also a gem- some responses I expected, others were a surprise. I thank all that were there on the night, including the one that made the effort of answering each question in the feedback form with, 'sh*t'. LoL.

In the 3 months leading up to the event I learned a few things:

You don't have to be a genius to make something happen- if I can do it, anybody can. I knew nothing of fatherhood, setting up a charity, hiring a venue, inviting performers and speakers and most of all had little contact with the community itself. You just have to get off your backside and make a commitment.

Somalis are blind to their capabilities- I have had support, suggestions and encouragement everywhere I went and yet over and over the people would say that our people are no good. This has not been my experience at all! Far from it, even the most cynical helped. There is an extraordinary desire by our people to make a contribution, I have seen it forst hand over and over and I am proud, PROUD in a way that I have never been to belong to the community of Somalis here in London and elsewhere.

My advice to all Somalis would be to STOP COMPLAINING.  Stop dishonouring yourselves so powerfully and consistently. A people that does not believe in itself and think itself worthy will never endeavour to take on worthy issues. There is no hero, knight in armour, sheik, saviour or genius on the horizon on his/her way to save us from ourselves. It is for each of us to make an impact and act. We are worthy, we deserve the BEST! Stop complaining for the love of God; it is incredibly disempowering- imagine what this does to the young- and has a whiff of ungratefulness about it. Most of us are fed, clothed and sheltered and have available to us resources- man power, education, money, technology and the amazing unfathomable human brain. Next time you complain, ask yourself what you have done about the matter about which you complain.  If the answer is nothing, u have nothing to complain about. God loves the grateful. Be grateful and get up and go..................

I have not achieved all of the results I wanted to, far from it but I aimed high for things that I felt were beyond my capability, bore the discomfort of fearing failure, the constant complaints(stop it!), managed to involve many others in what was once just a mere idea in my head. I have not achieved perfection but I am inspired, focused now, firm in my belief that a people as generous as the Somalis deserve only the best, the best of me. I hope you too will join in my endeavour to hon0urs ourselves.

Shaafi- I thank you, you were made for the stage. Creative, energetic, handsome and engaging, mashallah.

Sagal- God only knows how much I appreciate your work and your spirit; you are gorgeous, effective and active. I will tell the whole world over and over. Thank you. Mac.

Mustafa- my lovely assistant. The one night you told me to go to bed when I was talking about cancelling the event alone is worth a million precious stones. Thank you for ordering me to go to bed. In the morning it didn't seem so bad. You were one of the first to join Nomadic Expression, I remember how your eyes lit up only on hearing the idea and later when I asked you to do things you were not experienced in you rarely said No. You are responsible, funny, intelligent and a source of pride.  

I thank Tony Warner, Humera Khan, Xudeydi, Mecca2Medina, Book Of Rhymes, Prince Abdi for being part of something unique.

My family, thank you all for listenig with patience, fatherhood this, fatherhood that! Hooyo, I wish more people had your energy mashallah. Aabe, you wasted no time in listing all the possible activities and projects I should tackle next, I will never run out of your ideas! My brothers for helping and being there; my sister for helping and doing the worrying for me. To all amazing people I met in the lat 3 months, thank you- Leyla and the Somali Youth Forum, Kinsi, Seynab, Farid and the Youth Enlightenment team, SOL, the bloggers, you all do great work, may God bless you!

Finally to everybody, the event lacked fathers and mothers and children!! At one school alone my own mother gave out flyers to twenty-something Somali mothers who were encouraged to attend. Several schools in the area were targetted, as were Somali-run cafes, shops, community centres, all 9 nine libraries  in the vicinity of the area. The flyers were even given out at a mafrash or two. It isn't that people didn't know, they just chose not to come. I hope that as a people we can come together for those that are not the same gender as us, the same age group as us, don't face the same difficulties as us or excel in the same areas as us. Everything that one of us suffers or celebrates is relevant. Please do not ignore or fail to acknowledge a certain group of people within the community just because you do not identify with them! We are one.

I am happy to be part of you and I have come to love you with a love that is a verb, a love of action and commitment. The best of me is yet to come.