Sunday, February 14, 2010

The tale of two sisters:SKIA



KIA is an acronym for Somalia, Kenya, India and America
….Somalia….
Waking up with rainbows that decorating the beautiful sky,
In the land famously known as the Nation of Poets,
As I tipped topped to my mother’s room for my morning kiss,
I heard loud thunders of gun shots that would drastically change my life leaving me homeless for decades to come.
As the war of ignorance and hatred tore my people apart,
I bid farewell to the beauty and comfort that Somalia once possessed in hopes of finding a new shelter.
The strings of my heart will forever yearn for my homeland.

….Kenya…
We made it to a land where my Somalis are famously known as the infamous waryas.
Physically we are secured, mentality tortured with the continuous chants of wapi kipanda yako?
Failure in having this Identity card would result in police brutality…..
The only means to escape was bribery…
Oh my dear Africa, aren’t you exploited not only by the oppressor but also by the victim?
Oh my dear Kenya, I pray for your well-being and the end of the vultures that prey on your resources. On your beauty. On your kindness… Your acceptance of refugees of all ethnicities and religion is truly admired...Dear Kenya, you remain home only second to the land of my forefathers…..

…India….
They say it happens only in India…
Where the country has the ability to embrace you regardless of your color, religion and background...
We say It also happens in India where the dark ones are alienated and frowned upon..
Words like Kali and African ape are chanted as the National anthem of country…
You see skin color is what describes you in this great land…
The blacks are naturally inferiors in this society..
India is also the land where we spent our childhood and teen life…
We learned of family values and loving others unconditionally…
This land instilled the love of education in our hearts…
It taught us of being ambitious and striving for the best.
It taught us to be tolerant individuals…
It taught us to ignore the ignorant…
It taught us to appreciate our beautiful black skin!

…America….
The land of opportunities, the land of refugees, the land of gold, the land of this and that and that and this and the land of immigrants…We are here!
Compare to Somalia it’s relatively peaceful,
Compare to Kenya it’s relatively more accepting…
And compare to India this land lacks respect for its elders…
Our hearts shattered seeing elders strolling carts in super markets...
Where are the children so they could serve and care for their parents?
As a refugee you learn and appreciate a lot of things, we hope to never learn and appreciate this side of our new home.
Our dreams are finally being fulfilled here…
We are finally living the dream immigrants cherish and protect in their hearts.
Alhamdulilah, praise to Allah Ta’aal for this beautiful journey we have experienced....


*Glossary: wapi kipanda yako? Where is your kipanda? Kipanda is an indentity card that was introduced during the British colonist in Kenya to restrict the movement of the Kenyans. Ironically, the Kenyans use this as a means to restrict the movement of refugees in the country.

Kali: A derogatory term in Hindi meaning Black.

Halima and Fatima Ahmed
Copyright © 2010

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