Hopes and traps for Somali books and writers!

Greetings to the literary & writing community;

When you are alone you tend to conversate with yourself, you feel your emotions and mind itching with an idea. All this happens without talking or questioning.In the end, you feel that you must share the outcome of that internal conversation with others. You go and see an event, and the feelings of those who did it and those who were done on and what comes from it charges your mind with questions and answers,some you find solutions, others will open a wide range of issues, with the selection of a running avalanche of large stones about to fall down, then beneath the trees are holes in the beast that make you afraid, and when you look at the bottom of the tunnel, there lies water, birds of different kinds, sometimes drinking and sometimes cooling down themselves. , then shaking and plunging their colorful wings out of the water, bringing that impression to you with joy and happiness.

Such sentiments are inherent in the fact that the many questions that have arisen in your mind and you have changed to something touchable, a book that is our companion today, knowing that we are all Covid-19 sufferers. The whole world is shutting down, and everyone is locked up in their house. A book gives us fun and entertainment.

What you are reading is a genuine concern and issue that the author has communicated to the reader, interpreted what his heart produced, and has transformed the reader's life, creating a debate in his heart. So, what is the condition of the Somali writer and his/her books?.

Today, 23^rd of April, is International Book Day. The Somali writer is accompanied by constant insecurity and displacement, in addition to economic hardship and a lack of opportunities to help him keep his mind creative. As more and more of the nation's destructive storytelling events hit the country, every day needs to be written, if not,it all becomes a lost inheritance. These many circumstances did not stop writing and production of books despite all of the challenges from a variety of perspectives; publishing, selling time, in addition to thought and resources the author spent on creating, compiling and producing the book.

The Somali community is not, generally speaking, encouraging to authors and books..During the civil war, many writers lost all of the information and reports they had collected over decades, and discouraged them from putting pen to paper, and the present state of the pen still made a hole in the face of the pen holder where you can read about the problem he is dealing with.

In the context of the stories, the circumstances of life, the changing social dynamics of the fast-paced world, it makes you experienced, and has made it possible for those who love the pen and whatever the circumstances, even though they are not bored, and by the time the book comes out, they still face a different challenge.

Ahmed Farah Ali Idaajaa, one of the Somali poets who I asked about the challenge of the Somali author, told me that Somalis still do not understand the importance of the book and its contents, and that the task of producing the book is overshadowed by the author and they can’t carry it and put them into knees to the ground and there are no companies that publish and sell books.

"As for the books that come out, there is a problem, many of them have no purpose for writing, and when you read them, there is no message to deliver," said Idajaa.

What gave hope to the Somali Books is the founding of the SPEN writers Club, founded in the mid-1990s, when no one in the world was aware of the many writers around the world, this club was the key to a new revolution, which was the exhibition of books, reading clubs and libraries established in the country, these measures have led to bloodshed stop, increased the number of emerging books and people interested in reading, and are commendable, although they may not meet the wide range of needs of the book and Somali writer.

In addition, there is high hopes that commercial companies are now ready to take on the role of printing and marketing of books, including Hill Press, which has a printing center in Cairo, and has offices in Somalia.

Hiil Press, founded in June 2018, has published 150 books for various authors, according to Abdifatah Dahir Elmi, head of marketing and communications at Hiil Press.

Abdifatah, speaking on the causes of the work, said, "We have seen the challenge of the author. When he gives thought and writing, he is concerned, where can you find a quality printer, who can help you, in terms of design, cost and decoration, In order for the reader to find quality, we have undertaken a task that has lifted the author's weight, and we aim to contribute to the development of knowledge. ”

In addition to publishing, Hiil Press helps writers with technology, optimization and cutting-edge work, and it is a great task, and has been inspired by those who have been looking for a quality book, gardening for some of the author's trauma but the need is great.

Hill Press has also launched a program to convert books in other languages ​​into Somali so that non-Somali writers can reach the Somali community, which is another important step in reading development.

Other critics should not blame the writers, the resulting books are criticized for not improving data quality and writing rights, despite many authors writing and not disclosing its origins and lack of consideration of writing or reference rights, which is a problem around what is being written and their validity.

Mohamed Beddel is a teacher at Beder University and Teachers Training College in Hargeisa and is part of the curriculum committee for Somaliland in 2016, I asked him the reasons the Somali writers books was not made part of the education curriculum for students to read.

"There are two things combined, the first is that the governing body is not aware of the importance of the education of the writers books, the other is the writers themselves who do not publish books that are inconsistent with the student's understanding, and the books they often write for adults to read, ”said Mohamed Beddel.

Conclusion: My recommendation for a successful Somali book is to give schools, umbrellas and education ministries an opportunity to evaluate the annual returns, and then assign students to read a number of new books that will be published that year. those who seem to be able to contribute to a student's intellectual competence, especially those who touch on the patriotism, cultural and environmental studies, and divide them into primary and secondary grades, and include them in parts of the annual exam. This is of great importance to the community, fosters creativity, and is a great benefit to the author and dissemination of Somali books.

Author Mohamed Hassan Irro.