SETTLEMENT Khalid Egeh

On today’s episode, we have Asma Hassan, a first-generation Somali woman. In this episode, Asma shares her understanding of what it means to be Somali. She does this through talking about The Somali Education Fund, which she started while in University. Asma’s episode highlights the significance of community as she reflected upon her experiences working with elders, students, and youth. Throughout this episode, Asma has uncovered that the concept of home is not merely confined to the four walls, and the roofs over our heads, but the spaces we’re in, who’s in them, and how they make us feel.

On Today’s Episode, I interviewed Sado Ibrahim, a mother four first-generation Somali Canadians. In this episode, Sado shares her experiences in immigrating to Canada, raising children in Ottawa, going to school in Ottawa, and working in Ottawa. Sado shares moments where she felt othered because the colour of her skin, her religion and her culture. Sado reflected upon important experiences which have shaped her understanding of where she is in the world. At various points in this episode, Sado reflected upon her understanding of home, which ultimately highlighted the challenges involved in settling, and reorienting oneself in a different part of the world than the one she came to know before she immigrated.

In this episode, Omar Adam, a recent immigrant unpacks the components of the Somali identity. He then shares his experiences in Canada, and how he came to know he was in a different part of the world than the one he has come to know. Throughout this episode Omar Shares significant experiences which have made him think about the world, and how he’s seen in it. He shared how important culture, identity, community, family, government and law all were in the process of  placemaking, and feeling a sense of belonging.

On today’s episode, Hamze Elmi, a first generation Somali- Canadian shares his experiences of growing up in Ottawa as a young Somali male. In this episode, Hamze unpacks what he believes it means to be Somali in a part of the world where Somali’s are a minority. In addition to this, Hamze reflects upon significant moments in his life which have shaped his understanding of where he is in the world. Throughout this episode, Hamze engaged with several experiences which highlight the complexities within the experiences of the Somali diaspora in Ottawa, and within North America at large. Namely, the linguistic challenges involved in speaking with the Somali elders, experiences of systemic racism, the lack of cultural, and religious context within the education system, the importance of space creation, and the various interpretations of home.

In this episode, Fousiya shares her journey in leaving Somaliland, and coming to Ottawa, Canada, and making Ottawa home. She shared the difficulty involved in reorienting herself within a ‘new’ world, which was different than the one she came to know. Fousiya highlighted the barriers involved in her immigration experience. Some of which were, language, social isolation, lack of community, and raising children in a different culture. She shared how important the community was to her experience navigating this new chapter in her life, and without the community, the process would have been significantly more difficult. The challenges of locating community in a time where there was no internet increased the embodiment of isolation. Fousiya explained in her interview that Somali people from the diaspora who are coming to Canada today have it much easier, because the Somali community is already established, and that they have access to the internet.

On today’s Episode, Abdulgadir Ahmed, a 24 year-old first generation Somali Canadian that grew up in Ottawa, Canada unpacks the intersections of being Muslim,Somali, black, and a first-generation Canadian. Abdulgadir reflects upon the experiences which have lead to him understanding his identity within a Canadian context. Something that I believe Abdulgadir highlighted throughout this podcast was the process integration, and how the concept of space creation can impact the process of belonging. The concept of space creation can be interpreted in various ways, but I believe that Abdulgadir highlighted the important relationship between home and belonging.