“I didn’t see you standing there
Somali-British girl
East African-East Londoner
Council estate wanderer
Fish ‘n chips and banana
Tracksuit and bandana
I didn’t see you standing there
Somali-British girl
I didn’t see you standing there
Somali-British girl
Somali
British
Girl.”
Safia Dirie: 14 years old, responsible, a bit of a dreamer and a young poet, loves braided hair and her hoyo's recitation of Surah Yusuf
Hoyo: Safia's mum, strong, great cook (of course!), loves the Qur'an, finds the new generation of Somalis puzzling, has a secret stash of vintage dirac
Abdullahi: Safia's eldest brother, mature, religious, 'man of the house' until Abo comes back, got straight after a stint in juvenile
Ahmed: Safia'a favourite brother, the 'lovable rogue', loves the street life, sweet-talker, gets crazy mad if anyone tries to 'check' his sister
Abo: Safia's long-lost father, just come from Somalia, intelligent, traditional and with a few surprises up his sleeve...
Hamida: Bengali pseudo-tomboy rebel, wannabe psychoanalyst and Safia's best friend
Firdaws: Safia's worldly wise cousin, stunning, a rebellious, confident exterior masking a soft centre...
Habaryero: Safia's auntie, perceptive, honest, getting married after several years of looking: he's Somali, he's from Holland and he's fiiiine, nayaa!
PLus loads of other characters who you will just have to wait and meet...
LOL
I smile every time I think about this book - I had such fun writing it! I hope people enjoy reading it, even half as much, insha Allah.
Na'ima
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3 comments:
Na'ima, the characters of your story sound lovely. I look forward to reading the novel and will be back here with my thoughts.
Welcome to the blogosphere, by the way.
Somaliphiles rock!
Na'ima, you wrote a beautifal novel, and the thing i liked about it the most was that you stayed true to the Somali essence. At times i found myself laughing when you said that somali food should carry a health warning. Being a Somali, I could really relate to the characters. I can tell and it shows in your writing that you had fun writing it. Thanks agian.
Assalamu alaikum...I am from Kerala,India.i have read your book from the lips of my sisters.i am waiting for your new book to come to India...Kerala
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