Warriors: Life and Death Among the Somalis
Gerald Hanley
Who’s read this book & what did think of it ?
This famous quote is from that book:
“Of all the races in Africa there cannot be one better to live among than the most difficult, the proudest, the bravest, the vainest, the most merciless, the friendliest, the somalis"
“This book, like most forms of colonial literature, is deeply uncomfortable. Many Somalis who have read this book have been critical of the racist stereotypes contained within it. Yet ironically some of the most ‘heart-warming’ quotes about Somalis available on the internet are also from this book. In a way, this book reinforces the colonial stereotypes of Somalis as being among the ‘noble’ savages. Hanley, in fact, mirrors other authors such as Richard Burton who have written about Somalis and funnily enough, Burton, is someone who the author of this book openly admires.
Maybe one of the other reasons this book is so uncomfortable is that there some elements of truth contained within it. There are segments in the book where the author admits that ‘Somalis’ are more intelligent than the ‘Bantu’ tribes, that Somalis are more noble, more handsome and more beautiful. In a way, it plays into our prejudices and our vanities, that the British would consider us better than others. These are feelings that are etched in the psyche of many Somalis in the modern era.
The author admires the Somalis although he considers them savages and in one passage he even describes them as the “parasites of the camel”. In another passage, he states that "the Somalis are tough headed, hard to love and above all else impulsive". This is also a narrative that has followed the Somali people everywhere, which is that we are an impulsive and emotionally unstable people”
Gerald Hanley
Who’s read this book & what did think of it ?
This famous quote is from that book:
“Of all the races in Africa there cannot be one better to live among than the most difficult, the proudest, the bravest, the vainest, the most merciless, the friendliest, the somalis"
“This book, like most forms of colonial literature, is deeply uncomfortable. Many Somalis who have read this book have been critical of the racist stereotypes contained within it. Yet ironically some of the most ‘heart-warming’ quotes about Somalis available on the internet are also from this book. In a way, this book reinforces the colonial stereotypes of Somalis as being among the ‘noble’ savages. Hanley, in fact, mirrors other authors such as Richard Burton who have written about Somalis and funnily enough, Burton, is someone who the author of this book openly admires.
Maybe one of the other reasons this book is so uncomfortable is that there some elements of truth contained within it. There are segments in the book where the author admits that ‘Somalis’ are more intelligent than the ‘Bantu’ tribes, that Somalis are more noble, more handsome and more beautiful. In a way, it plays into our prejudices and our vanities, that the British would consider us better than others. These are feelings that are etched in the psyche of many Somalis in the modern era.
The author admires the Somalis although he considers them savages and in one passage he even describes them as the “parasites of the camel”. In another passage, he states that "the Somalis are tough headed, hard to love and above all else impulsive". This is also a narrative that has followed the Somali people everywhere, which is that we are an impulsive and emotionally unstable people”
