The Contribution of Women to Peace and Reconciliation

With my education and experience, I am more privileged over other
women who have not had the opportunities I got, but with this privilege
I want to do something for Somali women and I believe that Somalia is
a calling for me. Of course there will be challenges having been away
from Somalia for over a decade, and having been trained in western institutions
as a social scientist, I will have a lot of learning to do, and Somali
women have a lot to teach me as well. There has to be some kind
of solidarity between Somali women, and we must learn from each
other regardless of our education and experience. As feminists, we need
to build bridges and partnerships among women and across communities.
In my estimation, feminism is about doing the impossible – fighting
for social justice and being committed to gender justice and equality.
Feminism is about searching for alternative approaches that are gender
sensitive, inclusive and empowering for all. In Somalia, we need alternative
approaches to building peace and recovery. And I want to contrib -
ute to these alternative approaches to rebuild Somalia.
In October 2010, I went back to Mogadishu for the first time after
twenty years. Believe me, it was a very emotional experience. When
the plane was landing at the airport, I looked through the window and
saw the tiny airport and I could not stop crying. Good and bad memories
flooded back to my mind. This was a city destroyed by the ongoing conflict
and most of the people who lived in this city left twenty years ago
and have not returned. The ones who remained still live insecure lives.
But despite all this violence and problems, I argue that Somali people,
including women, are resilient people who coped with violence and scarcities.
They want to live a normal life and have access to social services.
It is indicative that human beings have this ability to cope with tragic and
destructive situations and keep hope alive.
My general impression is that all the people I met through my short visit
are tired of this senseless conflict and violence. They want to live in
peace, have security, a functioning state, state institutions, and access
to opportunities. The youth I talked to want to have jobs, access to education
and security. I would say they also need psychosocial services to
address and heal the prolonged trauma they have experienced for the
last two decades.
254