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It was this disconnect that became the impetus behind the Buraanbur Conference, a project funded in part by ACTA’s Living Cultures Grants Program, on March 3, 2007. “Through the conference we would like to give our students a new point of reference and expose them to poets in the community. They may not understand the role of the poet in Somali society. She is the innovator of new styles of speech. She is the critic of despotic elders. She is the artist whose verse gives pleasure to the mind. She is the agitator. She is the newscaster who informs her listeners about what is going on in the outside world. Somali poetry is sometimes a political outcry. Other times it is praise. Often it is simply a woman voicing her own displeasure with life” (Yasmin Hamud, Buraanbur Conference Program).
The Conference
And by all indications, this tradition is well on its way to being preserved through the work of the scholars and panelists who attended the conference, and by the proactive work of the Center for Bridging Communities.
The conference date was chosen to coincide with International Women’s Day, and the occasion brought out large segments of the Somali community. Both men and women of all ages stayed throughout the day, listening to the proceedings and songs and enjoying each other’s company. Some of the topics covered in the five panels related to the structure of the language, the differences in the poetic genres, famous women and their roles in political movements, and addressing issues for diaspora youth and empowerment through traditional art.
The conference included presentations and performances by two esteemed women. The legendary singer, Saado Cali Warsame, who prior to fleeing Somalia because of her political activism was a beloved actress of Somali musical theater, sang throughout the day. A special song was composed for the conference called “Magacu Waa Murtida Giish,” which specifically praises the role of Somali women in cultural tradition. A popular living exponent of Buraanbur, Dahabo Elmi, is a poet who travels the nation reciting poems for wedding ceremonies. Later that evening she delighted the women with a Buraanbur recital and dance. To further celebrate the role of the Somali women in cultural life, the conference room displayed examples of women’s work. One table full of handicrafts, included wooden utensils, camel bells, a leather food container made especially for the marriage feast, and weavings that are used for inside and outside of dwellings. Another table displayed the tools of adornment: colorful fabrics used for the Somali dress, perfume bottles and a clay pot used to diffuse incense to scent clothing and home. The conference day was to culminate with the actual Buraanbur recital, putting into practice the very subject of the day’s fine examination. The excitement was palpable. Some of the same women who attended during the day reappeared in more elegant clothing for the women’s party. A feature of the dance that accompanies the oral recitation involves this clothing. The dancers take the shawl from their shoulders and wrap the cloth around their heads and upper body like a tent. With arms outstretched and elegant hands, they dance enveloped in fabric.
As the singer, Dahabo, recited her lines of poetry, a drummer spelled out the pattern. Any woman who is so moved could enter the open circle to begin to dance. She is surrounded by all the other participants who clap in rhythm and face the Buraanbur singer and drummer. As a woman begins the dance, one or two more may join her. As they interact, the footwork follows the drum pattern and the hand and arm motions make the fabric sway. These short dance sequences between them would come to a close when the drum pattern signaled them to break. Over and over again, the Buraanbur singer recited lines and more people were moved to dance. The participants looked joyful, with expressions that were both playful and thoughtful. It was surprising to see older women show such agility, holding their own in that circle and significant that young girls watched and clapped along. Community ChallengesThe cultural wealth of the Somalis has surely been a unifying force for the community, in spite of 16 years of civil war that created their dispersion in 1991. San Diego is home to the largest Somali population on the West Coast. While the majority of the Somalis in the United States are based in the Minneapolis area, which was an initial point of entry for many, the warm climate and ocean access is more reminiscent of their homeland on the Indian Ocean. It is expected that more will be drawn to the West Coast.
One young woman at the conference, who by profession is a technical engineer for the State of California, commented that the San Diego-based community is more traditionally observant than others. “The challenge to portray ourselves outside of the monoculture that has been painted of Muslims by the West is very hard," she said. “Somali women are spiritual, independent, and very emotional.” She felt that education and knowledge will serve her community well and help distinguish it. Her volunteer activities with the Center for Bridging Communities helps provide a positive role model for the young people who are involved with its the programs. She also writes poetry in English which she is proud to share. We welcome the submission of all articles for possible publication on WardheerNews.com So please email your article today Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of WardheerNews Maqaalkani wuxuu ka turjumayaa aragtida Qoraaga loomana fasiran karo tan WardheerNews
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