- Nature was not provident that year. Hassan and his family consisting of a mother and their four children lived in a lone camp. Their total subsistence depended on the meager milk-yield their three lean She-Camels could offer twice a day – morning and evening. One evening an unexpected guest camped with them.
Impelled
by his innate hospitality instinct, Hassan poured all the milk-yield of that
evening into one big vessel and presented it to his guest. Oblivious to the
harsh living conditions of the hosting family the inconsiderate guest had drawn
off almost all the milk brought to him. The guest repeated the same practice in
the morning when the total morning family milk-yield was again presented to
him.
Escorting to see him off after his morning fill, Hassan could not resist
to make a remark to this selfish individual not out of anguish but of
desperation for rendering his family to forty-eight hours of involuntary
fasting. His instantaneous remark turned into a Somali proverb: “Sidii aan kuugu
lisay iigumaad hambayn” that means “You didn’t leave me a leftover commensurate
to the gracious way I milked for you”.
Somaliland at its best of times served the British monarchy with total loyalty offering the blood of her dear sons. At the present time when Somaliland is struggling for recognition to take its natural place among world nations, the British government not only resists to attest that Somaliland gained its statehood from them in 1960 but pioneered to declare that it is unsafe for foreigners to visit Somaliland with total disregard to the high cost Somaliland had undergone to preserve sustainable peace.
It is unfortunate to tell to our British friends that their current Government “didn’t leave any leftovers commensurate to the way we milked for them in the good old days!”
By Adam H.
Bahnan
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