Mohamed Ali: The link between unemployment and terrorism

Translator: Mohamed Aanoy Reviewer: Jamal Omar

I would like to talk to you about a story

Waxaan jeclaan lahaa in aan idin kala hadlo sheeko

about a small town kid.

ku saabsan wiil yar oo magaala joog ah.

I don't know his name, but I do know his story.

ma aqaano magaciisa,laakiin waxaan aqaanaa shekadiisa.

He lives in a small village in southern Somalia.

wuxuu ku noolyahay tuulo yar oo ku taala koonfurta Somaliya.

His village is near Mogadishu.

Tuuladiisa waxey u dhowdahayl Mogadisho.

Drought drives the small village into poverty

Abaar awgeed tuuladii waxey isu badeshey saboolnimo

and to the brink of starvation.

iyo in ay qarka u saaranto qaajo.

With nothing left for him there,

Aadoo aan waxba ugu harin meeshii,

he leaves for the big city,

wuxuu usoo baxey magaalada weyn.

in this case, Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.

waana mogadishu dabcan, caasimada Soomaaliya.

When he arrives, there are no opportunities,

markuu soo gaarey ma jirin fursad dhan,

no jobs, no way forward.

shaqooyin malahan, hor u socod dhan ma jiro.

He ends up living in a tent city

wuxuu go'aansaday in uu ku noollaado teendho

on the outskirts of Mogadishu.

ku taala mogadishu banaankeeda.

Maybe a year passes, nothing.

sanad baa tagey waxna ma isbedelin.

One day, he's approached by a gentleman

maalin, waxaa dhacday in qof ay is arkeen

who offers to take him to lunch,

kaas oo siiyey qado kabixinaayo jeebkiisa,

then to dinner, to breakfast.

kadibna casho, kadibna quraac.

He meets this dynamic group of people,

waxa una la kulmayey kooxdan firfircoon oo dadka ka mid ah,

and they give him a break.

waxey siinayaan fasax. ama (waxa uu rabo)

He's given a bit of money

waxaana la siiyey xoogoho lacag ah

to buy himself some new clothes,

si uu ugu soo gato dhar cusub,

money to send back home to his family.

si lacag uu ugu diro familkiisa.

He is introduced to this young woman.

waxeyna isberteen geber yar.

He eventually gets married.

kedibna wey isguursadeen.

He starts this new life.

wuxuuna bilaabey noloshaan cusub.

He has a purpose in life.

wuxuuna lahaadey hadaf nololeed

One beautiful day in Mogadishu,

maalin qurux badan mogadishu gudeheed.

under an azure blue sky,

oo cirka buluug ah ,

a car bomb goes off.

Gaari ayaa qarxay.

That small town kid with the big city dreams

cunugigii yaraa ee xambaarsanaa himilooyinkii waaweynaa

was the suicide bomber,

ayuu ahaa qofka isqaraxiyey,

and that dynamic group of people

iyo koooxdas oo ka koobneed dadka firfircoon

were al Shabaab, a terrorist organization

waxey ahaayeen Alshabab, koox argagaxiso ah

linked to al Qaeda.

oo xariir la leh Alqaeda.

So how does the story of a small town kid

sidee ku dhacdey in cunug yer oo ka imaadey magaalo yer

just trying to make it big in the city

oo isku dayaya in guulihiisa oo ku gaaro magaalada

end up with him blowing himself up?

ay ku dhamaaneyso in naftiisa uu is qarxiyo?

He was waiting.

wuxuu sugaayey

He was waiting for an opportunity,

wuxuu sugaayey fursad.

waiting to begin his future,

sugaya in uu bilaabo mustaqbalkiisa,

waiting for a way forward,

sugaya wado uu horey ugu socdo,

and this was the first thing that came along.

taasina waxey aheed waxa ugu horeeyey uu la kulmo.

This was the first thing that pulled him out

taasi waxey aheed waxa ugu waxa ugu horeeyey ee dhiira giliya

of what we call waithood.

oo aaan ugu wacno waqtiga dheer ee la sugo.

And his story repeats itself

sheekadiisna waxey ku soo laalaabatey

in urban centers around the world.

xarumaha magaalooyinka aduunka oo dhan.

It is the story of the disenfranchised,

waa sheekadii la iloobey

unemployed urban youth

shaqo la'aanta dhalinyarada magaalada

who sparks riots in Johannesburg,

kuwaas oo ku kacey rabshadooyin gudaha Johannesburg,

sparks riots in London,

oo ku kacey rabshadihii london,

who reaches out for something other than waithood.

ayagoo raadinayaan wado ay ugu bixi karaan fadhigaasi

For young people, the promise of the city,

dhalinta yer, balanqaadyadu waa magaalada,

the big city dream is that of opportunity,

riyada ugu weyn ee magaalada oo ah fursad

of jobs, of wealth,

oo shaqo ah, oo hanti ah

but young people are not sharing in the prosperity of their cities.

laakin dadka dhalinyarada kama qeyb qaadanayan barwaqoyinka magaloyinkoda.

Often it's youth who suffer from the highest unemployment rates.

inta badan waa dhalinyarada kuwa ka cowda shaqo la'aanta heerka ugu sareeyo.

By 2030, three out of five people living in cities

2030, saddex ka mid ah shantii qof ee ku nool magaalooyinka

will be under the age of 18.

Waxey da'doda ka yaraan doontaa 18 jir.

If we do not include young people

hadii aan ku darin dadka dhalinyarada ah

in the growth of our cities,

koritaanka magaalooyinkeena,

if we do not provide them opportunities,

Hadii aanan siin fursado,

the story of waithood,

sheekadii fadhiga,

the gateway to terrorism, to violence, to gangs,

wadadii argagaxisnimada, rabshadaha, gaangisterada,

will be the story of cities 2.0.

waxey noqon doontaa sheekada magaalooyinka ee mustaqbalka.

And in my city of birth, Mogadishu,

magaalada aan ku dhashay, mogadishu,

70 percent of young people suffer from unemployment.

boqolkiiba 70 dadka dhalinyarada ah waxey ka cabanaayaan shaqo la'an.

70 percent don't work,

boqolkiiba 70 ma shaqeeyaan.

don't go to school.

ma aadaan dugsiyada.

They pretty much do nothing.

ugu yaraantii wax ay sameeyaan malahan.

I went back to Mogadishu last month,

waxaan dib ugu laabtey mogadisho bishii inasoo dhaaftey,

and I went to visit Madina Hospital,

waxaan booqasho ku tagey isbitaalka madina,

the hospital I was born in.

isbitaalka aan ku dhashay.

I remember standing in front of that

waxaan xasustaa anoo meeshas hor istagsan

bullet-ridden hospital thinking,

rasaa lagu fuuli jiray fikirka isbitaalka,

what if I had never left?

Maxaa dhici lahaa hadii aan tagi laheen?

What if I had been forced

ka waran hadii la i qasbi lahaa

into that same state of waithood?

noloshaasi mid lamid ah oo fadhiga ah?

Would I have become a terrorist?

ma noqon lahaa argagaxiso?

I'm not really sure about the answer.

run ahaantii jawaabta ma hubo.

My reason for being in Mogadishu that month

sababta aan mogadisho u joogey bishaasi

was actually to host

waxy aheyd run ahaantii in aan martigeliyo.

a youth leadership and entrepreneurship summit.

shir ku sabsan hogaaminta iyo shaqo u abuurista dhalinyarada.

I brought together about 90 young Somali leaders.

waxan isku keeney ku dhowaad 90 kamid ah hogamiyayasha dhalinyara somalida.

We sat down and brainstormed on solutions

waan wada fadhiisaney waxaana bilaabney in aan xalal raadino

to the biggest challenges facing their city.

dhibaatooyinka ugu weyn ee ay waja heyso magaaladooda.

One of the young men in the room was Aden.

mid ka mid ah dhalinyarada qolka ku jirtey wuxuu ahaa Aadan.

He went to university in Mogadishu, graduated.

wuxuu tagey jaamacad ku taalo mogadisho, waana ka qalanjabiyey.

There were no jobs, no opportunities.

shaqooyin malahan, fursado malahan.

I remember him telling me,

waxaan xasuustaa asagoo ii sheegaayo.,

because he was a college graduate,

sababto ah wuxuu ahaa qof jamacad ka qalanjabiyey,

unemployed, frustrated,

aanan shaqeyneynin, daalan,

that he was the perfect target for al Shabaab

uuna ahaa bartilmaameedka ugu fiican ee alshabaab

and other terrorist organizations, to be recruited.

iyo urarada kele ee argagaxisada, in ay qortaan.

They sought people like him out.

waxey raadiyaan dadka asaga lamid ah.

But his story takes a different route.

laakiin sheekadiisa waxey aadeysaa wado kale.

In Mogadishu, the biggest barrier

mogadisho , caqabada ugu weyn ee

to getting from point A to point B are the roads.

si aad u martid Boos A iaa boos B waa wadooyinka.

Twenty-three years of civil war

sadex iyo labaatan sano ee dagaalo sokeeye

have completely destroyed the road system,

ayaa si buuxda u burburiyey nidaamka wadooyinka.

and a motorbike can be the easiest way

iyo mootooyinka waxey noqon karaan habka ugu fudud

to get around.

in wax lagu kala gudbisto.

Aden saw an opportunity and seized it.

Adan wuxuu arkey fursad wuuna uu qabtey.

He started a motorbike company.

wuxuu bilaabey shirkad mooto.

He began renting out motorbikes

wuxuuna bilaabey in uu kireeyo mootooyinka

to local residents who couldn't normally afford them.

dadka deegaanka oo aan sida caadiga ah iyaga awoodi kari waayay.

He bought 10 bikes, with the help

wuxuu soo iibsaday 10 baaskiilada, iyadoo la kaashanayo

of family and friends,

qoyskiisa iyo saaxiibo,

and his dream is to eventually expand

Ridiisa waxey aheed in uu balaariyo

to several hundred within the next three years.

ilaa dhowr iyo boqol sadaxda sano ee soo socta gudahood.

How is this story different?

sidee sheekadaan u kala duwantahay?

What makes his story different?

maxaa ka dhigaya in ay ka duwanaato?

I believe it is his ability to identify

waxaan aaminsanahay in ay tahay awooda wax lagu kala arko

and seize a new opportunity.

iyo ka faa'ideysashada fursadaha cusub.

It's entrepreneurship,

Waa lahaanshaha ganacsi,

and I believe entrepreneurship can be

iyo waxaan aaminsanahay lahaanshaha ganacsi noqon karto

the most powerful tool against waithood.

aalada ugu weyn ee lagag hortago fadhiga.

It empowers young people

waxey xoojineysaa dadka dhalinyarada ah

to be the creators of the very economic opportunities

in ay abuuraan fursado dhaqaale

they are so desperately seeking.

waxay sidaa darteed si ba'an u raadinayaan.

And you can train young people to be entrepreneurs.

waxadna abooda in aad tababartid dadka dhalinyarada ah si ay u noqdan dad shaqo abuur leh.

I want to talk to you about a young man

waxaan rabaa in aan idin kala hadlo nin dhalinyaro ah

who attended one of my meetings,

kaas oo kasoo qeyb galey mid ka mid ah kulamadeyda,

Mohamed Mohamoud, a florist.

Mohamed Mohamoud, ubaxiste.

He was helping me train some of the young people

wuxuu igu caawinaayey tababarida qaar kamid ah dhalinyarada.

at the summit in entrepreneurship

intii aan ku guda jirney shirkii shaqo abuurista

and how to be innovative

iyo sidii aad ku noqon laheed wax soo saare.

and how to create a culture of entrepreneurship.

iyo sida loo abuuro karo dhaqan ahi lahaanshaha ganacsi.

He's actually the first florist Mogadishu has seen

dhab ahaantii wuxuu ahaa qofkii ugu horeeyey ee ubaxiste ah oo ay aragto mogadisho

in over 22 years,

in ka badan 22 sano,

and until recently, until Mohamed came along,

ilaa iyo hada, uu Mohamed ka yimid.

if you wanted flowers at your wedding,

haddii aad arooskaada udoonaysid ubax

you used plastic bouquets

waa in aad isticmaashaa ubaxa palaastiga ah

shipped from abroad.

laga keeney dibada.

If you asked someone,

hadaad qof weydisid.

"When was the last time you saw fresh flowers?"

goormee kugu dambeysey in aad aragto ubax dabiici ah?

for many who grew up under civil war,

inta badan dadka ku soo korey dagaalada sokeeye,

the answer would be, "Never."

jawaabta waa "marna"

So Mohamed saw an opportunity.

sidaas darteed mohamed wuxuu arkey fursad,

He started a landscaping and design floral company.

Waxa uu bilaabay beerista iyo naqshadda shirkadda ubaxa.

He created a farm right outside of Mogadishu,

waxa uu beer ku abuurey meel ka baxsan magaalada Muqdisho,

and started growing tulips and lilies,

iyo wuxuu bilaabey beerista ubax iyo Fiiriya,

which he said could survive

taas oo uu sheegay in ay kori karaan

the harsh Mogadishu climate.

cimilada adag ee mogadisho.

And he began delivering flowers to weddings,

waxa uuna bilaabay inuu ubaxyadakeeno arosyada,

creating gardens at homes

isagoo abuuraya jardiigadooyin guryaha dhaxdooda

and businesses around the city,

iyo ganacsiyada magaalada hareeraheeda,

and he's now working on creating

isaga oo hada ku shaqeynaya abuurida

Mogadishu's first public park in 22 years.

darjiinka-dadweynahae ee mogadisho ugu horeysay muddo 22 sano ah.

There's no public park in Mogadishu.

malahan darjiimo-dadweyne mogadisho gudaheed.

He wants to create a space where families,

Waxa uu doonayaa in la abuuro goob halkaas ay qoysaska,

young people, can come together,

dadka dhalinyarada ah, ay wada imaan karaan,

and, as he says, smell the proverbial roses.

iyo, sida, uu leeyahay, uri dhadhanka ubaxa, maahmaah

And he doesn't grow roses because

isaga ma abuuro ubaxyada sababtoo ah

they use too much water, by the way.

waxey isticmaalaan biyo badan ,sida caadiga ah.

So the first step is to inspire young people,

sidaas darteed talaabada ugu horeysa waa in la dhiiri gelyaa dadka dhalinyarada.

and in that room, Mohamed's presence

iyo qolkaas gudihiisa, mohamed joogitaankiisa

had a really profound impact on the youth in that room.

waxay saameyn zaaid ah ku yeelatay dadka dhalinyarada ah ee qolka ku jirey.

They had never really thought about starting up a business.

waligood kuma aysan fikirin in ay bilaabaan ganacsiyo.

They've thought about working for an NGO,

waxey ku fikiraan u shaqeynta NGO'yada

working for the government,

u shaqeynta dowlada,

but his story, his innovation,

laakiin sheekadiisa, hal abuurkiisa,

really had a strong impact on them.

waxey saameyn xoogan ku laheed ayaga.

He forced them to look at their city

Wuxuu iyaga ku qasbay in ay eegaan oo ay magaaladooda

as a place of opportunity.

sida ay meel fursadeed u tahay

He empowered them to believe that they could be entrepreneurs,

waxa uu ku dhiira gilyey in ay aaminsanadan in ay noqon karaan ganacsato,

that they could be change makers.

in ay noqon karaan dad isbadel sameyn kara.

By the end of the day, they were coming up

dhamaadka maalinta, waxey la imaanayaan

with innovative solutions

xalal cusub

to some of the biggest challenges facing their city.

oo ku sabsan qaar ka mid ah dhibaatoyinka ugu waaweyn ee wajaheyso magaladoda.

They came up with entrepreneurial solutions

waxey la imaanayaan xuluul sida mashaariiq dhaxgal ah

to local problems.

sida dhibaatooyinka maxaliga ah.

So inspiring young people

sidaas dhiiragelinta dadka dhalinyarada ah

and creating a culture of entrepreneurship

iyo abuurista dhaqan gabacsi abuur leh

is a really great step,

run ahaantii waa talaabo weyn,

but young people need capital

laakiin dadka dhallinyarada ah u baahan yihiin raasumaal

to make their ideas a reality.

si fikradahooda ugu dhabeeyaan.

They need expertise and mentorship

Waxay u baahan yihiin dad khubaro ah iyo dad ay ku deydan

to guide them in developing and launching their businesses.

si ay iga hagaan horumarinta iyo bilaabida ganacsiyadoda.

Connect young people with the resources they need,

iyo kuxirida dadka dhalinyarada adeegyada ay u baahan yihiin,

provide them the support they need to go from ideation to creation,

iyo in lasiiyo tagerada ay u baahanyihiin si ay uga soo gudbaan "fikradaha" ilaa ay ka "xaqiijiyaan",

and you will create catalysts for urban growth.

waxaad abuureysaa xoojinta koritaanka magaaladaada.

For me, entrepreneurship is more than just

Aniga ahaan, lahaanshaha ganacsi waa ka badan oo kaliya

starting up a business.

bilaabida ganacsi.

It's about creating a social impact.

Waa wax ku saabsan tahay abuurista "saamayn bulshadeed".

Mohamed is not simply selling flowers.

mohamed keliya ma iibinaayo ubaxyo.

I believe he is selling hope.

waxaan aaminsanahay in uu iibanaayo rajo.

His Peace Park, and that's what he calls it,

jardiinkiisa nabaneed, sida uu iasaga ugu yeerey,

when it's created, will actually transform

markii la abuuro, dhab ahaantii waxey bedeli doontaa

the way people see their city.

qaabka dadka ay u arkaan magaaladooda.

Aden hired street kids to help rent out

Aden wuxuu kireystey caruurta suuqa si ay ugu caawiyaan kireynta

and maintain those bikes for him.

si ay u ilaaliyaan mootooyinkiisa.

He gave them the opportunity to escape

wuxuu siiyey fursad ay ayagana uga baxaan

the paralysis of waithood.

curyaanimada fadhiga.

These young entrepreneurs are having

kuwaasi dhalinyarada ganacsi abuurka waxey

a tremendous impact in their cities.

saameyn weyn ku leeyihiin magaalooyinkooda.

So my suggestion is,

sidaas darteed rayo bixinteeda.

turn youth into entrepreneurs,

in dhalinyarada loo leexiyo ganacsi abuurka,

incubate and nurture their inherent innovation,

ku hareereeya iyo kobciya nidaamkooda wax soo saarka ah,

and you will have more stories of flowers and Peace Parks

waxadna heli doontaa sheekooyin ka badan ubaxyo iyo darjiimo-nabadeed

than of car bombs and waithood.

aan aheyn garax-gaari iyo fadhi.

Thank you.

waad mahadsantihiin

(Applause)

(;sacbis)