Editorial » Somaliland

Somaliland: Board to Vet Books Needed

June 2, 2012   ·   297460 Commentshttp%3A%2F%2Fsomalilandpress.com%2Fsomaliland-board-to-vet-books-needed-29746Somaliland%3A+Board+to+Vet+Books+Needed2012-06-02+20%3A25%3A51goth+Mohamedhttp%3A%2F%2Fsomalilandpress.com%2F%3Fp%3D29746

Fooling one person may be excusable, but fooling hundreds of thousands is of course dreadful. Worse of all, allowing such to happen is sacrilegious.
While we thank the state to jump the gun and blocking the public launching and preview of a book, “Dirka Sacmaalka”, we decry the trend of bogus publications by wanna-be scribes. Moreover the type-setters or publishing houses worth their names, if they are there anyway, should know jobs to handle and those not to.
For instance, a book like the one named above, as is supposedly meant to be a historical (educative) one, must be credible only if authored by an authority in the said field.
But when the author does not posses even the slightest knowledge of history, has never been a student of history nor do not have the slightest grasp of even the immediate past (60 years) history of Somalis, then the results we get is the chaotic writing as evident.
Books fair should not be abused nor should publications not be put in disrepute. It is not the first time that Somali associated happenings are misconceived, misconstrued, abused or tailored to fit into clannish fabrics.
Given the difference between authoritative texts on social aspects of the rest of the international community of tribes and that of Somalis, the margin is as wide as the heavens.
No wonder that several literatures have been published with the foolish aims of distorting history to suit some whims. Worse of all is the shameless literatures on recent happenings that are still quite fresh in people’s minds as the SNM rebellion and how some people have tried to distort its short history.
This brings to mind the stark lack-ness of a vetting body to see to it that falsified concoctions should not see the light of the day.
As with the “Dirka Sacmaalka”, it is quite abusive as it is capable of formenting trouble amongst the people of the land. The writings are overly illusionist than they are works of student of history.
The state should tell the public clearly what the text entailed lest it be accused of muzzling freedom of expression.
Writing falsifications especially meant as historical books is not freedom of expression. It is indeed quite the opposite. While we still have not reviewed a copy of the said book, the feelers we have got gives us an awful picture.
One should not be let to relieve off one’s anger of not being happy of his/her sense of belonging (whatever one is) by abusing different clans or tribes or communities.
Perhaps the writer should have chosen a different medium of expression, say, a column in a paper hence later on publish his “collection of satire” rather than claiming to write a book on history of Somalis.
A vetting board on books should be introduced sooner rather than later.

by M EGGE
SOMALILANDPRESS,HARGEISA

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By goth Mohamed