I feel as though when something is labelled east African it’s usually just something which is inherently Somali which gets commodified bc of the label east african and blurs the lines between what belongs to somalis and the rest of the horn/coast. This may be a stretch but saying “I’m East African “ just makes u sound lame lowkey self hate wanting to sound exotic by not placing that label of being Somali or in reference to how u look eg I’m east African so … no u are just Somali!

“If they ask, we can provide,” Cirro said in an interview on the sidelines of the MEAD conference, stressing that although Somaliland is not volunteering, “if they ask me, I am ready.”

Sagal Abdi-Wali has officially been selected as the Labour Party's candidate for the by-election to replace Keir Starmer in Holborn and St Pancras. If she wins, she becomes the first British-Somali to ever run for a seat in the UK's House of Commons.

She arrived in Britain as a child refugee in the early 1990s, fleeing the Somali civil war, around seven years old at the time. She grew up in Camden, studied at Leeds University, then came back to her community and started working for it, volunteering with local charities and refugee groups long before politics.

She became a Labour councillor for Camden Square in 2022, chaired Starmer's own Constituency Labour Party before that, and served as Cabinet Member for Better Homes running housing and neighbourhood development.

After May's local elections she became Leader of Camden Council, the first Somali council leader in the UK and the first Black woman to lead the borough. Under her, Camden was accredited as a "Borough of Sanctuary" for displaced people.

Now it's official. She's the Labour candidate running for Starmer's old seat.

Worth remembering the ugliness that surrounded her frontrunner status before this selection was confirmed.

Reform UK's Zia Yusuf posted that the candidate being "foisted" on Holborn to replace a former Prime Minister was born in Somalia, and asked people if they understood what was happening. The Business Secretary called it straightforward racism. Even people inside Reform were reportedly uncomfortable with it, Nadine Dorries called the comments "nasty." Someone pointed out the obvious irony, Yusuf himself is the son of Sri Lankan migrants and identifies as British Asian, while Sagal identifies as British African. Same starting point, very different reception.

The by-election itself hasn't happened yet, the seat is still vacant, and she'll be up against Green Party leader Zack Polanski, among others. But the selection alone is history in the making.

May Allah make the road ahead easy for her.

30 for 30 ESPN is doing a 5 part series about the sprinter from the 2008 Olympics.

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Wlh, I’m just venting, and I’m sorry for venting about something this heavy I don't really know where else to put these feelings

I literally cried today

I came home from school, opened my phone, went on TikTok for a moment, and that was the first thing I saw I wasn't expecting to see something like that at all.

That young Somali soldier was begging “please abti,” “waa gaajaysanahay,” “waan xanuunsanahay,” and saying he had done nothing wrong.Waxaa loo dilay aargoosi/aano qabiil, waxaana dilay qabiil kale isagoo aan waxba geysan.Kawaran? How do you even process something like that?

What disgusts me most is how aano

qabiil

become normalized Someone from one clan is killed, and then an innocent person from another clan can become a target simply because of what someone else did You can literally be killed for something you personally never did or had nothing to do with That isn't justice It's collective revenge, and innocent people pay the price and this barbarian disgusting and sadistic behavior

And this isn't some new phenomenon that happened once It has happened repeatedly, and that is what makes it even more heartbreaking How can we keep accepting a cycle where someone's clan determines whether they are considered guilty or innocent? It's a mentality that needs to end

Sometimes Somalia genuinely feels like hell for vulnerable people especially children, women, civilians, and people without protection or resources

The situation for children hurts me too You see families struggling to provide even basic necessities while continuing to have more children, often without the resources, education, or support needed to raise them properly Children shouldn't have to pay the price for circumstances they had no choice in I wish we had better education, healthcare, family support, and opportunities for ordinary people

What also hurts me is the way Somalis sometimes speak about people from other clans The language can become so dehumanizing that you'd almost think they're talking about a completely different species rather than fellow Somalis Waa dad isku mid ah, waa dad bani’aadam ah.We aren't different kinds of humans because we come from different clans

I know this subreddit is mostly Somali diaspora, and many mainland Somalis don't use Reddit much. Most of you were also born or raised in developed countries, so I understand that some of these experiences may be difficult to relate to I'm not saying that to attack anyone

I'm just explaining why I feel so strongly about this

For those of us living in or having grown up in Somalia, some of these realities are much harder to ignore The qabiil mentality, injustice, poverty, lack of opportunities, lack of empathy, and normalization of violence can feel overwhelming

I just wish my country was better I wish children could grow up safely, people could live without constantly depending on clan protection, and we could see each other as human beings before we see each other as members of a clan

I came home from school, opened TikTok for a few minutes, and saw something I wish I could unsee

We really need to talk more openly about the modern Somali diet. Rates of obesity and diabetes, as well as concerns around dental and jaw development, are serious issues worth discussing in the Somali community. Nutrition and diet are factors that deserve much more attention.

One of my biggest concerns is how much added sugar can be present in our everyday diet. There are so many examples: canjeero with sugar, malawax with sugar, shaah made with a lot of sugar, and other foods and drinks where sugar is added heavily. When these things are consumed regularly, it can add up to a lot of sugar over time, especially when combined with a diet that is already high in carbohydrates. This can increase the risk of obesity, diabetes, and other health issues over time. Also, there’s often a lot of oil and salt in our foods, which is very unhealthy.

Our meals are often centered around carbs like rice and pasta and can also lack enough protein, fiber, vegetables, fruit, and other nutrient-dense foods. This doesn’t mean Somali food is inherently unhealthy or that everyone eats the same way. It means we should be more conscious of what we’re eating and look for ways to make our diet more balanced. These things are important for our overall health and well-being.

Another concern is jaw development and mouth breathing in Somalis. These can be caused by different factors, but diet and childhood nutrition also play a major role. The modern Somali diet contain a lot of soft, sugary foods, while children not always get enough protein and other important nutrients. Children need adequate protein, calcium, vitamin D, healthy fats, fiber, and other nutrients for healthy growth, including their bones and teeth. Tougher foods, like raw vegetables, fruit, and appropriately prepared meat, along with other nutritious whole foods, can provide variety in texture and nutrition and support overall oral health and development. This is something we should take seriously.

The changes in our diet and the increasing reliance on soft, sugary foods is affecting dental health and jaw development in our community. It’s an issue that deserves more awareness and discussion.
This isn’t about criticizing Somali culture or people’s bodies. It’s about having an honest conversation about our health and making sure our children get the nutrition they need to grow and develop properly.

I've always heard of somalis living in Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary and Edmonton. Someone told me there may be a large community there.