Said S. Samatar
Encyclopedia
Said Sheikh Samatar is a prominent Somali
scholar and writer
.
in Ethiopia
to Faduma and Sheikh Samatar. He comes from a large family consisting of fourteen people, including his father's second wife.
Samatar spent his early years in a nomad
ic environment, where he writes that "seasons of plenty" with "fragrant flowers blooming all over the fallowed fields, abundant milk and meat" alternated with the "perennial threat of starvation during droughts, marauding gangs of enemy clans bent on murder and mayhem, stripping you of your livestock, the ever-present danger of ravenous predators."
In 1958, Said's father, who had been working for the government as an Islam
ic magistrate
since 1948, sent for him to begin schooling. Samatar subsequently moved to the town of Qalaafo
, transitioning from nomadic life to urban life. A sixteen year old at the time, Samatar found himself surrounded by eight year old classmates. He says that while the experience in general was humiliating, he endured.
He completed his early education with a stint at a middle school in Nazareth
, Ethiopia
.
.
Coming to the United States on a scholarship, Samatar commenced studies at Goshen College
in Goshen, Indiana
. He attended early morning and night classes, while working during the day as a welder
to support his wife, who at the time was pregnant with their two kids. Samatar graduated from Goshen College in 1973 with a degree in history and literature. He followed that with a Master's degree
in Northeast African
history, and received a graduate certificate in African studies
. In 1979, he obtained a doctorate in African history from Northwestern University
in Evanston, Illinois
.
Soon after, a job offer arrived from Eastern Kentucky University
in Richmond, Kentucky
, where Samatar taught from 1979-1981. In July 1981, he accepted a post at Rutgers University
in Newark, New Jersey
, where he has since remained.
.
Samatar is a regular fixture in the popular media. In 1992, as part of the Social Science Research Council
team's reassessment of the "Teaching and Study of the Humanities in Africa," he went to Somalia as a consultant and interpreter for the ABC
news program Nightline with the American journalist Ted Koppel
. Since 1983, Samatar has appeared on BBC
shows for interviews regarding Northeast Africa, and has discussed Somalia on NBC
, ABC, CBS
, CNN International
, as well as PBS
' The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
and Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
's radio and television news programs. Samatar has been cited in Time
, Newsweek
, U.S. News & World Report
, The New York Times
and The Washington Post
.
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...
scholar and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
.
Early years
Said was born in 1943 in the OgadenOgaden
Ogaden is the name of a territory comprising the southeastern portion of the Somali Regional State in Ethiopia. The inhabitants are predominantly ethnic Somali and Muslim. The title "Somali Galbeed", which means "Western Somalia," is often preferred by Somali irredentists.The region, which is...
in Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
to Faduma and Sheikh Samatar. He comes from a large family consisting of fourteen people, including his father's second wife.
Samatar spent his early years in a nomad
Nomad
Nomadic people , commonly known as itinerants in modern-day contexts, are communities of people who move from one place to another, rather than settling permanently in one location. There are an estimated 30-40 million nomads in the world. Many cultures have traditionally been nomadic, but...
ic environment, where he writes that "seasons of plenty" with "fragrant flowers blooming all over the fallowed fields, abundant milk and meat" alternated with the "perennial threat of starvation during droughts, marauding gangs of enemy clans bent on murder and mayhem, stripping you of your livestock, the ever-present danger of ravenous predators."
In 1958, Said's father, who had been working for the government as an Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
since 1948, sent for him to begin schooling. Samatar subsequently moved to the town of Qalaafo
Kelafo
Kelafo is a town in eastern Ethiopia. Located in the Gode Zone of the Somali Region, this town has a longitude and latitude of and an elevation of 233 meters above sea level....
, transitioning from nomadic life to urban life. A sixteen year old at the time, Samatar found himself surrounded by eight year old classmates. He says that while the experience in general was humiliating, he endured.
He completed his early education with a stint at a middle school in Nazareth
Adama
Adama , better known as Nazret or Nazreth , is a city in central Ethiopia and the previous capital of the Oromia Region. It is located in the Misraq Shewa Zone of Oromia, at at an elevation of 1712 meters, 99 km southeast of Addis Ababa...
, Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
.
Adulthood
In 1970, Samatar began working at the National Teaching College in Somalia alongside several American librarians. There, an American friend suggested that he continue his education at a university in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Coming to the United States on a scholarship, Samatar commenced studies at Goshen College
Goshen College
Goshen College, is a private Mennonite liberal arts college in Goshen, Indiana, USA with an enrollment of around 1,000 students. The college is accredited by North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities...
in Goshen, Indiana
Goshen, Indiana
Goshen is a city in and the county seat of Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. It is the smaller of the two principal cities of the Elkhart-Goshen Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in turn is part of the South Bend-Elkhart-Mishawaka Combined Statistical Area. It is located in the northern...
. He attended early morning and night classes, while working during the day as a welder
Welder
A welder is a tradesman who specializes in welding materials together. The materials to be joined can be metals or varieties of plastic or polymer...
to support his wife, who at the time was pregnant with their two kids. Samatar graduated from Goshen College in 1973 with a degree in history and literature. He followed that with a Master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in Northeast African
Horn of Africa
The Horn of Africa is a peninsula in East Africa that juts hundreds of kilometers into the Arabian Sea and lies along the southern side of the Gulf of Aden. It is the easternmost projection of the African continent...
history, and received a graduate certificate in African studies
African studies
African studies is the study of Africa, especially the cultures and societies of Africa .The field includes the study of:Culture of Africa, History of Africa , Anthropology of Africa , Politics of Africa, Economy of Africa African studies is the study of Africa, especially the cultures and...
. In 1979, he obtained a doctorate in African history from Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
in Evanston, Illinois
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
.
Soon after, a job offer arrived from Eastern Kentucky University
Eastern Kentucky University
Eastern Kentucky University, commonly referred to as Eastern or by the acronym EKU by local residents, is an undergraduate and graduate teaching and research institution located in Richmond, Kentucky, U.S.A.. EKU is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools...
in Richmond, Kentucky
Richmond, Kentucky
There were 10,795 households out of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.2% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.6% were non-families. Of all households, 34.7% were made up of individuals and 8.8% had...
, where Samatar taught from 1979-1981. In July 1981, he accepted a post at Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
in Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, where he has since remained.
Career
Samatar has authored a number of books, including a series on Somalia. In addition, he has written a variety of articles, scholarly papers and book reviews, and has served as managing editor of the Horn of Africa journal since 1988. A member of the executive committee of the Somali Studies International Association since 1979, Samatar was also a consultant to The Somali Experience project and is a member of the African Studies Association. He is currently working on a project titled, "The Somali Collapse: Its Causes, Consequences and Context," and also oversees Somali-related programming on Voice of AmericaVoice of America
Voice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
.
Samatar is a regular fixture in the popular media. In 1992, as part of the Social Science Research Council
Social Science Research Council
The Social Science Research Council is a U.S.-based independent nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing research in the social sciences and related disciplines...
team's reassessment of the "Teaching and Study of the Humanities in Africa," he went to Somalia as a consultant and interpreter for the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
news program Nightline with the American journalist Ted Koppel
Ted Koppel
Edward James "Ted" Koppel is an English-born American broadcast journalist, best known as the anchor for Nightline from the program's inception in 1980 until his retirement in late 2005. After leaving Nightline, Koppel worked as managing editor for the Discovery Channel before resigning in 2008...
. Since 1983, Samatar has appeared on BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
shows for interviews regarding Northeast Africa, and has discussed Somalia on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, ABC, CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, CNN International
CNN International
CNN International is an international English language television network that carries news, current affairs, politics, opinions, and business programming worldwide. CNN is one of the world's largest news organizations. It is owned by Time Warner, and is affiliated with CNN, which is mainly...
, as well as PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
' The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
PBS NewsHour is an evening television news program broadcast weeknights on the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States. The show is produced by MacNeil/Lehrer Productions, a company co-owned by former anchors Jim Lehrer and Robert MacNeil, and Liberty Media, which owns a 65% stake in the...
and Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
's radio and television news programs. Samatar has been cited in Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
, Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
, U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
and The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
.
Books
- Oral poetry and Somali nationalism: the case of Sayyid Mahammad 'Abdille Hasan. Cambridge University Press, 1982. ISBN 0-521-23833-1
- Somalia: nation in search of a State (co-author: Laitin, David D.). Westview Press, 1987
- Somalia: a nation in turmoil. Minority Rights Group, 1991
- (Ed.) In the shadow of conquest: Islam in colonial Northeast Africa. Red Sea Press, 1992
- In Samatar '92: chapter 3: Shaykh Uways Muhammad of Baraawe, 1847-1909: Mystic Reformer in East Africa
Articles
- "Oral poetry and political dissent in Somali society : the Hurgumo series", UfahamuUfahamuUfahamu: A Journal of African Studies is a graduate-student run journal at the University of California, Los Angeles.Ufahamu: A Journal of African Studies is an interdisciplinary journal of African Studies. The journal was founded by UCLA's African Activist Association in 1970 and named after the...
: A Journal of African Studies, 1989 - "How to Run an SNM Gauntlet", Horn of Africa, 13, Nos. 1-2, April–June 1990, 78-87.
- "The Search for Political Accountability in African Governance: The Somali Case"., African Governance in the 1990s (Atlanta: The Carter Center, 1990), pp. 165–168.
- "How to Save Somalia", Washington Post, December 1, 1992, A19.
- "The Politics of Poetry", Africa Report (September/October 1993), pp. 16–17.
- "Remembering B.W. Andrzejewski: Poland's Somali Genius", 1998
- "'Sarbeeb' : the art of oblique communication in Somali culture", Wardheernews Online
- "Unhappy masses and the challenge of political Islam in the Horn of Africa", Horn of Africa, 2002
External links
- Rutgers University - Profile
- Remembering B.W. Andrzejewski: Poland's Somali Genius by Said Sheikh Samatar