The Columbus Dispatch
Peter Gill, The Columbus Dispatch
Monday July 4, 2022
Dozens of Somali Americans, waving blue and white Somali flags, gathered on the steps of Columbus City Hall Thursday evening to celebrate their Independence Day and “Soomaalinimo,” or "the essence of being Somali."
The holiday, marking freedom from British and Italian colonial rule, was Friday, just three days before American Independence Day.
The ceremony on Thursday was hosted by City Council and included keynote speaker Abdirizak Mohamed, a Kenya-born Somali soccer player for Columbus Crew 2.
Somali Festival, a larger cultural event that is free and open to the public, will be held at Innis Park in northeast Columbus on Saturday from 2 to 8 p.m.
Greater Columbus is estimated to be home to between 45,000 and 50,000 Somalis, according to the Somali Community Association of Ohio.“For me, Somali Independence Day symbolizes hope,” said Anisa Liban, a Columbus-born Somali American who is a legislative assistant to Councilmember Shayla Favor, whose office hosted the City Hall event. “My mother came to this country wanting to attain something that seemed unattainable, and seeing her child be able to go after her dreams — that’s what this celebration reminds me of.”
In the keynote address, Mohamed, the soccer player, spoke of the resilience and innovation of the Somali community and said that playing for his hometown team has been a dream come true.
“We must encourage our youth to not only dream big but fight for a better future for the generations to come after,” said Mohamed, who cofounded a nonprofit, 18x26 Academy, to train and mentor aspiring Somali athletes.
Hafsa Ahmed, a Columbus-based poet, read from her composition “The Beauty of Being Somali,” noting the beauty of the Somali language.
“Afka hooyo (Mother tongue) will put your heart at ease / I will never forget my beautiful DNA / The beauty of being Somali.”
Council President Shannon Hardin, Councilmember Elizabeth Brown and State Rep. Dontavius Jarrells spoke at the event.
“Somali Americans come to make a better life for themselves and their families, and we are proud that they chose to live in Columbus,” Hardin said.
Jarrells presented the Rising Youth Rajo Award to Yusuf Warsame, who said he began organizing against drug abuse, mental health and gun violence in Columbus after his father’s death in 2020, when he was just 18.
Sheikh Mukhtar Haji Ibrahim, a religious leader from the Masjid Ibn Taymiyah and Islamic Center, said a prayer at the ceremony.
Somalia gained independence 52 years ago. British Somalia, in the northwest, gained independence on June 26, 1960, and united with the Italian Trust Territory of Somaliland, in the south and east, on July 1.
In the 1990s, a civil war broke out. Since that time, continued political instability has driven hundreds of thousands of refugees to leave the country. Many live today in Kenya, Yemen, and Ethiopia. In North America, the largest population of Somalis is in Toronto, followed by Minneapolis, and Greater Columbus.
The U.S. has had a military presence in Somalia for much of the past two decades. In May, the Biden Administration announced that it would resume a “small, persistent presence in Somalia” after President Donald Trump pulled out military advisers in December 2020.
“Even though we have some conflict back home, we want to make the day about Somali unity here,” said Leebaan “Alaska” Osman, 38, one of the organizers of Saturday’s Innis Park event.
Osman, who spent much of his childhood as a refugee in Kenya, said that he has never missed an Independence Day celebration.
The festival at Innis Park will include music, dancing and food stalls. Nimcaan Hilaac, a famous Somali singer, will headline.
Osman, who spoke to The Dispatch by phone, encouraged members of the public to come to Innis Park on Saturday to meet their Somali neighbors, listen to Somali music, and try Somali food — including goat meat and camel’s milk.
“This is not only for Somali people,” he said. “I want everybody in Columbus to come and party with us and see what we’re about.”
Peter Gill is a Report for America corps member and covers immigration issues for he Dispatch.