Somali oral art is something you will hear everywhere you go in the country from the busy tea shops in the capital to the quiet nomadic camps in the desert because for us poems are not just words on a page but they are the way we keep our history alive.
In the first part of this talk we have to understand that Somali oral art has always been used to settle big fights between clans or to tell the stories of our brave heroes who fought for our freedom many years ago. People call our land the “nation of bards” because almost everyone knows how to recite a few lines and the best ones who master Somali oral tradition are respected even more than some politicians or rich businessmen.
The young generation is still holding onto Somali oral art even though they use tiktok and youtube to share their verses instead of just sitting around a fire at night. This Somali oral art is like a mirror that shows the feelings of the people whether they are happy about a good rain or sad about a long drought that has hurt their goats and camels. If you want to really know a somali person you have to listen to the Somali oral art they love because it contains the wisdom of our grandfathers and the hopes of our children all mixed into beautiful rhymes.
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The structure of the poems is very strict and you have to follow the rules of alliteration which makes Somali oral tradition sound like music even if there are no instruments playing in the background. Many people don’t realize that Somali oral tradition was the main way we communicated news before there were newspapers or radios in the region. If a poet from one side of the country wrote a powerful piece of Somali oral tradition it would travel from mouth to mouth across hundreds of miles until everyone knew the message by heart.
This shows the power of the voice and how Somali oral tradition can change the minds of thousands of people if the words are chosen with enough care and skill. Even in modern times when we have the internet we still see that a single poem can go viral because the Somali oral tradition tradition is still the most powerful tool we have to express our common identity as one people.
How the elders use Somali oral art to keep peace and solve big problems
In our culture when two groups are angry at each other the best way to stop the blood from flowing is to send a wise man who is famous for his Somali oral tradition to speak to the elders. This use of Somali oral art as a diplomatic tool is very unique and it has saved many lives because a well-crafted poem can touch the heart of an enemy and make him put down his gun. The Somali oral tradition used in these meetings is full of metaphors about the land and the sky and it reminds everyone that we are all brothers who share the same dry earth. It is amazing to see how Somali oral tradition can cool down a hot temper and bring everyone back to the table to talk about peace instead of war. This is why we say that the tongue is sharper than the sword but it can also be softer than the finest silk when the Somali oral tradition is used correctly by a master of the craft.
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Why the youth are still in love with Somali oral art in the digital age
Some people thought that phones and computers would kill our traditions but they actually made the Somali oral art even more popular because now a kid in london can listen to his uncle in galkayo reciting a poem. The style of Somali oral tradition is changing a little bit to fit the modern world but the soul of it remains exactly the same as it was in the days of the dervishes. We are seeing a new wave of female poets who are adding their own voices to the Somali oral tradition world and talking about things that were once considered private or difficult to discuss in public. This growth is a sign that our culture is healthy and that Somali oral art will continue to be the heart of our society for a long time to come. It doesn’t matter if we are in a fancy office or a remote village because the sound of a good poem will always make a Somali person stop and listen with their whole soul.
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We are lucky to have such a rich heritage that connects us to our ancestors through the power of speech and memory. The poems are the glue that holds our society together and they give us a sense of pride that no amount of money can buy. Let us keep teaching our kids the beauty of our language so that they can continue to produce the amazing works of art that have made our nation famous across the whole of Africa. Our poetry is our history and our future and as long as there is a somali person left on this earth the voice of our poets will never be silenced by the passing of time.
