Editor's note: This poem was written in response to a documentary which highlighted the agony, hardship and plight of our brothers and sisters in Ogaden. The name of the documentary is Silent Cry, and is set to release in Europe. I wonder, isn't the hardship and plight of children so evident, so obvious!?! Yet, it falls on deaf ears and hearts that do not cry. The Ethiopian government do not care about the malnourishment that is happening to our Ethiopian brothers and sisters, and they obviously do not care about people in Ogaden region. It is reported Ogaden was the most to suffer on the 2000 drought, however this fell on deaf ears of the world. Ya Allah help the Muslims and non-Muslim, Somalis and non-Somalis who are subjected to horrible way of living!

A life of strife is all I’ve ever known
A bit of freedom I would like to own
O world don’t you hear my cries
Can you not see the pain in my eyes?
Do you not know about the troubles of this land?
Let me tell you about this land called the Ogaden although the truth they tried to ban
I was barely ten years old when my father was slaughtered before my very eyes
My mom and sisters raped that same night but nobody heard their cries
My sister took her own life she couldn’t bear the burden of having that soldiers child
They took away what little livestock we had left us for dead in the wild
We walked for days to find life, ended up in a refugee camp all dazed
Thought we had escape from hell but the people we met similar stories to us they tell
Houses burned to the ground, children and animals herded together and set alight
I only dream of going to school, it will not be a reality until we see an end to this struggle and fight
I call upon every person with a heart to feel our pain although we’re many miles apart
Children dying of starvation and the earth dying from deprivation
You see blood waters this land and the rain never seems to fall
Oh son of Adam will you heed my call.
Asha Ahmed
Copyright ©2009