Dhoodaan

Cabdullahi Macallin Axmed, Dhoodaan (Born 1941 in Doollo zone Died April 2013^[1]) was a Somali poet. ^[2]

A well-known Somali poet Abdullahi Moalin Ahmed “Dhoodaan” died aged 72 in the city of

Early life

Born to a nomadic pastoralist family, he had what could have been speech and language delay disorder at an early age. Young Dhoodaan during those years was a very shy, quiet, and observant child, many thought he will never speak again. Not surprising for a nomadic society that had little knowledge of disorders or its diagnosis techniques. Little did they know what was boiling under his prolonged silence and like a volcano he erupted. What followed was a miracle, not only was he able to speak but was able to do so flawlessly through poetry. He spoke elegantly and with ease, unusual for a child, yet what people didn't understand was where he acquired such a skill.

Poetry did not run in his blood line, in fact none of his family history was known for poetry. But because he didn't have the ability to speak at an early age, he compensated it through observation. He made sense of his surroundings by silently constructing words in his mind. This would later become poetry, and through this poetry he would later speak about the issues facing his community; whether it was famine, war or love. He did not shy away from challenging the status quo, and the leaders of his community. From that point, it was clear that he was not an ordinary young boy, but a legend in the making.

Cultural impact

Dhoodaan was from eastern Ethiopian Somali region and just like many others he fled the conflict in Ethiopia and moved to Somalia. It was no surprise that he immediately challenged and spoke critically against the authoritarian regime of Somalian dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in his newly adopted country. After the failure of the 1977 Ogaden War, he openly criticized and condemned the Barre regime for turning the war into a border issue and a disputed territory between Somalia and Ethiopia. He was famously known for his support of the movements for the secession of Somaali galbeed, as was depicted in many of his poems.

Poems of Dhoodaan

When dealing with weighty social and historical circumstances, Abdillahi Dhodan’s command of Somali language and poetic insight is in the same league as the legendary poets, such as Ragge Ugas and Qamaan Bulhan. Abdullahi Maalim Dhoodaan is the first Somali poet in the past and present. In my opinion, apart from

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