Homeland Return “Intaysan Lugaha Banjarin”

By Abdulkadir Osman Farah, PhD

Once, two Somali diaspora friends met in a major Somali city. The first returned to the homeland decades earlier. Witnessing people’s suffering and helping them recover from a devastating civil war. The second returned periodically also offering his people qualified support. One day, during a casual conversation over coffee, the near-permanent returnee advised the temporary returnee: “Ku soo noqo dalkaaga/dadkaaga inta aysan qurabaha lugaha kaaga banjarin” (Return to your homeland and your people before exile leaves you physically or mentally immobile).

The phrase “lugo banjar” evokes punctured wheels or tires. Suggesting the loss of movement across spaces. Human beings, of course, remain more valuable/incomparable to automobiles. Yet the phrase urges a friend to return while still energetic and capable. The mindful alert also implies a ticking biological clock. Somalis who migrated as young people during the start of the civil war now confront aging. Biological experts observe, “the worst that can happen to people’s health is to get old.” “lugo banjar” therefore confirms gradual physical decline.

Involuntary exit