Mohamud Siad Togane
Encyclopedia
Mohamud Siad Togane born in 1943, is a Somali
-Canadian
poet
, professor
, and political activist.
, Togane was educated by Mennonite
missionaries in his home country, and subsequently moved to the United States
. Togane graduated from Eastern Mennonite College in 1969, where he studied literature and was among the first Muslim
s to enroll. After a rather challenging time teaching in Philadelphia, he moved to Canada in 1973 and acquired Canadian citizenship
in 1978.
Togane has written articles for various media, including The Globe and Mail
, Zymergy, and African Art
.
His poems deal with various sensitive political and social issues centered on Somalis.
Somali people
Somalis are an ethnic group located in the Horn of Africa, also known as the Somali Peninsula. The overwhelming majority of Somalis speak the Somali language, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family...
-Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
, and political activist.
Biography
Born in SomaliaSomalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
, Togane was educated by Mennonite
Mennonite
The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
missionaries in his home country, and subsequently moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Togane graduated from Eastern Mennonite College in 1969, where he studied literature and was among the first Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s to enroll. After a rather challenging time teaching in Philadelphia, he moved to Canada in 1973 and acquired Canadian citizenship
Citizenship
Citizenship is the state of being a citizen of a particular social, political, national, or human resource community. Citizenship status, under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and responsibilities...
in 1978.
Togane has written articles for various media, including The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
, Zymergy, and African Art
African art
African art constitutes one of the most diverse legacies on earth. Though many casual observers tend to generalize "traditional" African art, the continent is full of people, societies, and civilizations, each with a unique visual special culture. The definition also includes the art of the African...
.
His poems deal with various sensitive political and social issues centered on Somalis.