Although Asha Lul Mohamud Yusuf has lived in exile in the UK for 20 years, she is fast emerging as one of the most outstanding Somali poets, as well as a powerful woman poet in a literary tradition still largely dominated by men. She is a master of the major Somali poetic forms, including the prestigious gabay, by which she presents compelling arguments with astonishing feats of alliteration. The key to her international popularity is in her spirit and message: her poems are classical in construction but they are unmistakeably contemporary, and they engage passionately with the themes of war and displacement which have touched the lives of an entire generation of Somalis. The mesmerising poems in this landmark collection are brought to life in English by award-winning Bloodaxe poet Clare Pollard.
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[Declaiming this poem, a gabay, I illiterate in D to start debate, to disseminate, to disclose to you: THE SEA-MIGRATIONS] ***(Bloodaxe Books, 16 November 2017, ebook, 128 pages, borrowed from the National Poetry Library)
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This is my first time reading the poet. I'll be honest I only decided to read this because Clare Pollard is one of my favourite poets.
I enjoyed the poems in this collection. The collection only has 17 poems in it though and I'd have happily read more. Each poem is presented in both Somali and English. The language used is rich and vivid. At times, the poet seems to directly address the reader. The poet writes about experiences that are way outside my own experiences but this is made accessible by the language used, the images and ideas. I don't understand a word of Somali but, judging by this collection it seems to be a vibrant language. My particular favourites were Thirst, Our Land, The Mark, Orphan and A Shout.