Our Call

At the onset of the civil war in Somalia, numerous Somali intellectuals who had embraced the paradigms of enlightenment rationalism and its concomitant ideologies found themselves disenchanted whilst making sense of the nation's predicament. The upheaval and conflicts shattered the perceived promises of these systems of thought and left them seeking alternative solutions for Somalia's future. Recognising the limitations of their approaches, many then embarked on a journey to explore a fusion of indigenous philosophies and Islamic principles, seeking a more suitable and fit for purpose resolution for their country's challenges.

In the midst of an environment marked by disassembled state formations, fragmented national consciousness and widespread pauperisation, the existential space to which Somalis desire to self-determine politically today could not be more contested. And hence, it has become more of an imperative to reassert ourselves critically within such discursive terrains which has sought to impose normative value to particularised constructions of being, arising out of an ideological project of distorting the social experience on destructive, clannist lines.

Our call for ‘Gobanimo’ is thus a collective journey towards reaffirming the essential pride that each human being rightfully holds in understanding their position in this globalised world. Through an interdisciplinary engagement of key transformations in the political, economic and social realms, foregrounding a critical assessment of today’s impasse within the world-historical context of the present, our collective standing in this complex negotiation with political modernity becomes clear. The unravelling of this story is thus the core intellectual impetus for Gobanimo.

Our perspective does not involve isolating ourselves or dismissing the modern world. Instead, we advocate for blending the wisdom of the past with the fabric of a forward-moving society. We aim to foster Somali discourse free from narrow clan interests and a nostalgic, caustic nationalism for a bygone era in the Horn that has marred much of the discourse we hear and read. Through cultivating a discerning perspective and approach, adept at refining existing interpretations of contemporary scenarios, we hope to contribute to a broader effort towards creating new horizons in which a new being can be envisioned, one that is constituted with values synthesised from an organic engagement of the Somali lived-experience throughout the last century and beyond.