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Daughters of Arraweelo: Stories of Somali Women - Paperback | Diverse Reads

Daughters of Arraweelo: Stories of Somali Women

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Somali women tell their stories, sharing experiences of love, war, displacement, family, identity, and everyday life. 

After civil war broke out in Somalia in 1991, thousands of families fled the country and sought asylum all over the world. Many Somali women carried the responsibility through this catastrophic time for finding safe passage and new homes for their families. Minnesota now holds the largest number of Somali immigrants of any state. Despite many obstacles, Somali women have built new communities here and become business owners, authors, scholars, activists, elected officials, and change-makers. Unfortunately, the rich stories of Somali women are often reduced to clichés of devastation and trauma—or tokenization and exceptionalism. Rarely are these women depicted with the multilayered humanity they deserve.

Daughters of Arraweelo presents, in the women's own words, the stories of mothers and daughters, teachers and social workers, scientists and medical professionals, lawyers and politicians—all Somali women who have made their marks on Minnesota.

Arraweelo, a legendary queen of Somalia, was a powerful and eccentric ruler, and her name is also used as a disapproving tease for assertive Somali girls. In this book, fourteen remarkable women who share her complexity and charisma demonstrate their insights, humor, and brilliance, telling stories of family, identity, love, war, displacement, and everyday life.

ISBN-13: 9781681341828

Media Type: Paperback

Publisher: Minnesota Historical Society Press

Publication Date: 01-18-2022

Pages: 236

Product Dimensions: 5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.80(d)

Ayaan Adan is a user experience designer, author, and community organizer based in the Twin Cities. An advocate for privacy, civil liberties, and accessibility, she is committed to making a positive impact in the lives of others through storytelling, design thinking, and community organizing.

Read an Excerpt

“Somalis have always been a nomadic people. . . . We are a people who will find a way and adapt to any circumstance. We can go anywhere, and we will bring our full selves along.” —Shamis Ibrahim (pseudonym), 40s “I love my siblings so much. I remember bringing them home from the hospital and changing all their diapers. As their older sister, I tried to protect them from what I went through.”
Fartun Mohamed (pseudonym), 20s

“The biggest challenge I faced in school was the lowered expectations of my teachers and administrators. Because I was an immigrant kid, they expected me to fail. If I did even remotely well, I would get so much credit at school because they expected the bare minimum. But at home, my dad wouldn’t accept anything but excellence.”
Amran Farah, 30s

“We made a living for ourselves, but then we had to flee. I lost all my livestock. The irony was that we had fled to Mogadishu for safety, and we now had to leave Mogadishu for safety. We were refugees once again.” 
Shukriya Abdirahman (pseudonym), 80s

Table of Contents

Introduction

1. Aisha Musse, 20s, Mombasa, Kenya, pseudonym

2. Habon Hirsi, 20s, Seattle, Washington, pseudonym

3. Warsan Omar, 20s, Mombasa, Kenya, pseudonym

4. Fartun Mohamed, 20s, Virginia, pseudonym

5. Anisa Ali, 20s, Mogadishu, Somalia

6. Layla Abdulkarim, 20s, Middle East, pseudonym

7. Amran Farah, 30s, Mogadishu, Somalia

8. Qorsho Hassan, 30s, Louisiana

9. Roun Said, 30s, Atlanta, Georgia

10. Kaltun Karani, 30s, United Arab Emirates

11. Shamis Ibrahim, 40s, Mogadishu, Somalia, pseudonym

12. Shukriya Abdirahman, 80s, Jigjiga, Ethiopia, pseudonym

13. Sahro Ali, 60s, Baraawe, Somalia, pseudonym

14. Ubax Yussuf, 90s, Bosaso, Somalia, pseudonym

Acknowledgments

Glossary

About the Author