Review on: London Somali Week-Oxford House
(from aduunyo.com)
London Somali Week is a festival that has been running for the last 3 years. It was started by Ayan Mohamoud who is a community activist. London Somali week runs alongside black history month and aims to showcase Somali arts, theatre, poetry, music and literature. Each year has a different theme and this year’s theme was censorship. London Somali week festival consists of activities that run for a whole week but I was only fortunate enough to attend one of these events, therefore my review will only cover that day that I attended.
As usual the event started late but as a Somali I was quite used to that so did not think of it as anything other than the ordinary. It was a full house and many late comers stood on the edges of the room as the seats filled up very fast. When I looked around the room I could instantly recognise that this was a popular event as both old, young, female and male Somali’s were present. It was great to see this balance as this not always the case at most Somali events. The atmosphere in the room was one of sheer excitement at what would proceed.
The stage was set for the theatre play ‘Baqayo Roged’, a drama produced by Abdirahman Yusuf Arten, a renowned Somali playwright. I was told this play would be tackling issues of gender and equality. Being an enthusiast for Somali plays i was very keen to enjoy this production. I must admit I was not disappointed; it was nice to see a modern Somali play live for a change, instead of relying on those old Somali riwaayds that were produced before i was even born! The production of the play came across as very professional; it was modern in its output but stayed traditional in its roots. The story was very gripping and comical. The actors performed to the highest standard. The audience watched with delight and seemed to enjoy every moment of it. Before being exposed to this play I considered by understanding of the Somali language to be adequate, but through watching this play I realised it was far from that. A very nice gentlemen next to me (about my grandfathers age) saw the confusion and lack of understanding on my face and kindly interpreted some of what was being said! Later on I would find out that I was not the only one to feel this way; in fact most of the young people in the audience felt the same way. The language of the play was a little too advanced for those whose Somali is not that developed. However that did not ruin my enjoyment for the play, it was a delight to watch and erupted a real sense of ‘Somalinimo’ within me.
A short break followed the play and then we resumed to the next part of the evening which was a discussion on the play- ‘Baqayo Roged’. A panel of critics, including the playwright Abdirahman Yusuf Arten, Martin Orwin, Ali Ahmed Rabi and Rashid Sheekh Abdilahi headed this discussion. It was very thought provoking to say the least. It not only critiqued the play but spoke about Somali theatre in general and its future. Due to the time shortage, audience participation was kept to a minimum but it would have been beneficial, had there been more time, to include the audience into this very interesting discussion.
Another short break followed the panel discussion and then the highlight of the night was upon us, that being the successful artist Aaar manta and his band. They delighted us with such vibrant songs that really got the crowd going; some of the audience got up on stage and danced along to the beat. This was the first time I had the opportunity of seeing this amazing artist perform live and i was not disappointed in the least. His stage presence was one filled with authenticity, passion and nomadic rhythm. He performed popular songs such as Saafi from his old album, Asalaamu Alaikum from his new album and a few cover songs. I was very impressed with the cover songs he performed such as the ‘dhaanto’ song and even more amazed at how beautifully his non-Somali band performed these traditional songs, especially the young Italian guitarist who marvelled us with her excellent effort to sing in the Somali language. To conclude, the event was one of awareness, education and enjoyment. It was organised well and did a great job in showcasing talented artists such as Aaar Maanta and the equally talented actors of the play -‘Baqayo Roged’. I very much look forward to next year’s event and I’m sure it will be just as good, if not better!
By Fatima-Najma Hagi
fatima@aduunyo.com
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