Enhancing Understanding of Somali Poetry and Culture (Martin Orwin)
Submitting Institution
School of Oriental & African StudiesUnit of Assessment
Area StudiesSummary Impact Type
CulturalResearch Subject Area(s)
Language, Communication and Culture: Cultural Studies, Linguistics, Literary Studies
Summary of the impact
The primacy of oral poetry to Somali culture cannot be overstated: It is
the primary form of cultural communication and the foremost vehicle
through which Somali history, cultural values and contemporary concerns
are expressed and transmitted. Through his pioneering analysis and
sensitive translation into English of classical and contemporary Somali
poems, Dr Martin Orwin has brought Somali poetry to the attention of
Anglophone audiences, participating in web-accessible poetry projects and
prominent events such as `Sonnet Sunday` and `Poetry Parnassus`. Working
with Somali poets and cultural organisations, Orwin`s work has contributed
to a more positive understanding of Somali culture and its place in world
literature.
Underpinning research
Dr Orwin studied Arabic, Amharic and Somali at SOAS where he has taught
since 1992 and where he is currently Senior Lecturer in Somali and
Amharic. He is currently the only full-time academic teaching Somali and
Amharic languages and literatures in a UK university. His research on the
subject of Somali poetry, of which a brief selection of underpinning
publications is listed below, has sought above all to understand how
Somali poetry is crafted as an aesthetic object. To this end, Dr Orwin
researches the formal characteristics of varied styles of classical and
contemporary Somali poetry, including its complex metrical patterns (each
of which are most often exclusive to a particular style or thematic
category of poetry), the recurring use of consonant sounds and
alliteration.
In support of this research, Dr Orwin has undertaken much field work in
the Somali territories, particularly in and around Hargeysa, where on one
occasion he apprenticed the celebrated Somali poet Mahamed 'Gaarriye' for
more than two months following a strict programme of word-for-word
memorisation of varied genres of poems, repeated recitations and detailed
formal analyses. During this experience, Dr Orwin became privy to many of
Gaarriye`s own insights into the metrical patterns of Somali poetry and
together they co-authored output b below, `Virtual Geminates in the Metre
of Somali Poetry`.
Indeed, such collaboration is vital to Dr Orwin`s approach to both
researching and translating Somali poetry, and has resulted in original
publications often advancing interpretations of aspects of the formal
analysis of Somali poetry for the first time in any language, of which the
above articles co-authored with Gaarriye as well as a, e and f are
examples. In relation to the metrics of Somali poetry, heated debate in
Somali language media has surrounded the genesis of two variant
interpretations of Somali metre, one of which is that first presented by
Mahamed 'Gaarriye' which Dr Orwin has shown to be the most correct and
insightful approach and also the first to be published.
All of Dr Orwin`s translation work has necessarily involved the
collaboration of native speakers, poets and poetry enthusiasts in the
Somali territories and the diaspora and, occasionally, Anglophone poets as
well. In part, close collaborations with Somalis are crucial to producing
translations that convey and chronicle the very different cultures,
lifestyles and concerns described in Somali poetry. For example, aspects
of nomadic, pastoralist existence are often eulogised in Somali poetry,
and metaphors drawn from the intricacies of camel husbandry appear with
notable frequency. And it is this cultural awareness and sensitivity
wrought through intensive field work and collaboration with Somalis in
their own language that set Dr Orwin`s translations apart.
An example of Dr Orwin`s translation, Cabdulqaadir Xaaji Cali Axmed`s Samadoon,
can be found here: http://www.poetrymagazines.org.uk/magazine/record.asp?id=12336
[Most recently accessed 25.11.13].
References to the research
a. "Alliteration in Somali Poetry." In Alliteration in Culture,
edited by Jonathan Roper, 219-30. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan,
2011.
b. and Somali poet Mahamed `Gaarriye`. "Virtual Geminates in the Metre of
Somali Poetry." In Peace and Milk, Drought and War: Somali Culture,
Society and Politics : Essays in Honour of I.M. Lewis, edited by
Markus V. Hoehne and Virginia Luling, 245-58. London: Hurst & Company,
2010.
c. "On Translating Somali Poetry." In Translating Others, edited
by Theo Hermans, 402-413. Manchester: St Jerome Publishing, 2006.
d. "On the Concept of 'Definitive Text' in Somali Poetry." Bulletin
of the School of Oriental and African Studies 66/3 (2003): 334-47.
e. "On Consonants in Somali Metrics." Afrikanistische Arbeitspapiere
65 (2001): 103-27.
f. "A Literary Stylistic Analysis of a Poem by the Somali poet Axmed
Ismaciil Diiriye 'Qaasim`." Bulletin of the School of Oriental and
African Studies 63/2 (2000): 194-214.
Output f was submitted to RAE 2001; outputs d and e were submitted to RAE
2008. Outputs a and b are submitted to REF 2.
Details of the impact
The culture of the Somalis is one in which oral poetry and song are
favoured forms of expression; indeed, the language was only first written
in an officially recognised script in 1972. Virtually every town has its
bards and the making, copying, selling and exchange of cassettes and now
digital media featuring versions of the most popular poems. Recitations
are an important aspect of daily life. Both in the Somali territories and
in the diaspora, discussion of poetry and literary debate are regular
features of Somali language press and media.
The inherent challenges of the English translation of Somali poetry are
various — the need for a sophisticated command of both languages and an
understanding of subject matter drawn from a radically different culture,
a knowledge of the political and clan and sub-clan affiliations and
tensions that shape contemporary Somali life in addition to a
comprehension of the complex of formal characteristics and modalities that
condition Somali poetry. Dr Orwin`s extensive research and fieldwork,
command of the Somali language, connections in Somali communities and
desire to create elegant, effectual works in English that move beyond
literal translations have made him, perhaps uniquely, capable of producing
such high-calibre, well-informed translations that have attracted the
interest and respect of Anglophone and Somali audiences alike.
Many of Dr Orwin`s translations of Somali poetry are freely available
from online resources. His translations of nine Somali poems are on the
Poetry World Map (1 and 11, below), a project sponsored by City Lore, an
arts advocacy organisation in New York and partially funded by the US
National Endowment for the Arts. A bilingual collection of poems and
stories dating from the colonial era to the Second World War, War and
Peace: An Anthology of Somali Literature, is downloadable from the
Progressio website (2). The volume features Dr Orwin`s "Introduction to
the English Translations", highlighting the formal characteristics of
Somali poetry and translations done together by him and Somali poetry
connoisseur Maxamed Xasan `Alto`. Alastair Whitson of the organisation
Progressio, said of War and Peace (10):
"War and Peace' was far more than just a poetry anthology. Our work in
Somaliland involved supporting peace-building and strengthening civil
society in a post-conflict state. The process of writing down and
collecting oral literature enabled participants to capture and reflect
on experiences of and strategies for peace-building in Somali society.
This process itself helped build social cohesion, while the publication
in a carefully edited and explicated edition served to celebrate the
resilience and potential togetherness of the people of Somaliland.
Significantly, the collaboration with co-publisher Red Sea Online
ensured the anthology reached a broad audience among the Somali
diaspora, who are the main supporters of nation-building and
peace-building in the territory of Somaliland. The book's messages also
gain a regular local audience through Red Sea Online's support for the
annual Hargeisa Book Fair, which is seen as a significant socio-
cultural event in Somaliland and highlights the prominent role of
literature, and literary dialogue, in Somali society."
In the UK, eleven of Dr Orwin`s translations, resulting from
collaborations with Somali and Anglophone poets are available on the
Poetry Translation Centre website (3). Dr Orwin`s work for the Poetry
Translation Centre in particular has successfully attracted the interest
of a larger community of interested translators and poets who have also
begun working to translate Somali poems into English. Sarah Maguire of the
Poetry Translation Centre (PTC) (4):
"In 2008 Dr Orwin co-translated a further selection of Gaarriye's
poems with British poet W. N. Herbert, that was published as a
dual-language chapbook by the PTC. Since then he has acted as an
invaluable consultant (...), a partnership that has led to the
translation and publication of the young woman poet, Caasha Lul Mohammad
Yusuf, and to translation and publication in book form of the greatest
living Somali poet, Maxamed Ibraahin Warsame 'Hadraawi', a world-class
poet who is revered by his people and who is known as the 'Somali
Shakespeare'.
Without Dr Orwin's contribution, the PTC would not be the success that
it is today. In addition, through him, many non-Somali speakers have
been introduced to the brilliance of Somali poetry and countless Somalis
have been able to meet their most admired poets and read their poetry in
excellent English translation. Few other academics working in the
humanities can have had such a broad-reaching, decisive impact on
communities beyond the academy."
Dissemination of Dr Orwin`s research and translations has been achieved
through participation in radio programmes and high-profile cultural events
and through extended interviews about his work on metre in Somali poetry
available on YouTube. In 2010, Orwin joined host Rageh Omar and a London
Somali poet on The Bards of Somalia (5), a BBC 4 programme
broadcasted twice in August, a month with weekly listening figures of
10,368,000 (RAJAR) (6). London-based poet Abdullahi Botan Hassan, with
Orwin`s help, made a translation of Shakespeare`s sonnet XII, which was
performed by Yusra Warsama at the Globe Theatre`s free multilingual event
`Sonnet Sunday` in which 154 Shakespearean sonnets were performed in more
than 20 languages. For the 2012 Cultural Olympiad`s week-long `Poetry
Parnassus,` which featured a performance of a poem from each of the 204
Olympic nations, Orwin provided the translation of Central London,
a poem written and performed by (Abdullahi Botan) Hassan. The same
translation was also printed on some of the 100,000 bookmarks dropped from
a helicopter on the Southbank at the start of the event, and is featured
in The World Record: International Voices from Southbank Centre's
Poetry Parnassus (7, 8). An interview with a member of the
Somali community in London in which Orwin discusses his work has had more
than 10,000 views on YouTube since it was uploaded in January 2010 (9).
For more than 10 years Dr Orwin has also regularly contributed to a range
of cultural and educational events sponsored by members of the Somali
community in London and beyond. This has included the largest annual
Somali community event in London, Somali Week, which showcases Somali
poetry, music and theatre. At the 2012 event, for example, Orwin took part
in a panel discussion celebrating the 40th anniversary of the
official Somali writing system. In collaboration with the Somali Youth
Development Resource Centre in Kentish Town and Soohan Arts, an
organisation working with schools in Camden, Orwin has delivered a number
of talks on poetry and Somali language (on one occasion even presenting
children with a Somali Language poem of his own). In recognition of these
and other contributions, in 2010 Orwin was awarded the London Somali
Community`s Haya Prize for his Outstanding Contribution to the Somali
Language.
In all these activities, Orwin has endeavoured to communicate and promote
the positive elements of Somali culture — a culture cleaved and crushed by
war, famine and displacement on a massive scale — whose refugee
populations are often marginalised and even maligned in their new host
scountries. It is in these endeavours, all too unique, that he has made a
difference to how Somalis are perceived by the wider world and encouraged
Somalis, and particularly those too often disaffected in the global
diaspora, to cherish their contributions to world literature.
Sources to corroborate the impact
- The Poetry World Map project web page: http://pacoarts.com/PoetLangSite/
[Most recently accessed 18.11.13].
-
War and Peace: An Anthology of Somali Literature: http://www.progressio.org.uk/sites/default/files/War-and-peace.pdf
[Most recently accessed 18.11.13].
- Poetry Translation Centre website: http://www.poetrytranslation.org/translators/Martin_Orwin
[Most recently accessed 18.11.13].
- Sarah Maguire of the Poetry Translation Centre (PTC).
- The Bards of Somalia: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00tf9nw
[Most recently accessed 18.11.13].
- RAJAR figures downloadable from: http://www.rajar.co.uk/listening/quarterly_listening.php
[Most recently accessed 18.11.13].
-
The World Record: International Voices from Southbank Centre's
Poetry Parnassus: http://www.bloodaxebooks.com/titlepage.asp?isbn=1852249382
[Most recently accessed 18.11.13].
- Poetry Parnassus event at the South Bank Centre: http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/poetry-parnassus [Most recently accessed 18.11.13].
- An interview with Orwin posted on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMwfwJfo0oc
[Most recently accessed 18.11.13].
- Alistair Whitson, Senior Creative Editor, Progressio.
- Catherine Fletcher in New York who organized the World Poetry Map and
related exhibition.