Mohamud Siad Togane (, ; born July 1, 1947) is a Somali-

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and peace activist.

Biography

Born in

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

, Togane was educated in

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schools in Mahaddei and Jowhar in his home country. He subsequently moved to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, where he attended Hartnell Junior College. He graduated from Eastern Mennonite College with a BA in English literature in 1969, He returned to Somalia and taught at the Lafole College of Education from 1970 to 1973. Like many other intellectuals, he left Somalia to escape Mohammed Siad Barre's military regime. He settled in Canada in 1973 and acquired Canadian

citizenship Citizenship is a membership and allegiance to a sovereign state. Though citizenship is often conflated with nationality in today's English-speaking world, international law does not usually use the term ''citizenship'' to refer to nationalit ...

in 1978.Robert Rhode
"Togane Exposed"
– Mennonite Weekly Review, December 17, 2004 He received an MA in creative writing from Montreal's

Concordia University Concordia University () is a Public university, public English-language research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College (Montreal), Loyola College and Sir George Williams Universit ...

in 1982. He has taught and lectured at many colleges and universities in Canada and the United States. He co-founded the Montreal Somali House and the Somali Peace coalition, and has been involved in several efforts for Somali peace and reconciliation, including a visit to Somalia in 1991–92. Togane published his first collection of poetry in 1986. The book, ''The Bottle and the Bushman: Poems of the Prodigal Son'', focussed on themes of racism and alcoholism. This and future writings also acerbically critique Somali social and political practices, including

female genital mutilation Female genital mutilation (FGM) (also known as female genital cutting, female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and female circumcision) is the cutting or removal of some or all of the vulva for non-medical reasons. Prevalence of female ge ...

, life under dictatorship, prejudice between cultures, clans and religions and the dangers of clans. His works, described as "brilliant caustic, controversial, wickedly funny, and associative free-verse commentaries", also appear on his and other Somali websites, skewering aspects of Somali politics and experience. The poems, which often examine and reflect on subjects that are taboo in public Somali discourse, sometimes use vulgar language to reinforce the point. Religious, philosophical, literary and pop culture references abound. Critics argue his confrontational style sometimes contributes to the conflict he seeks to expose and oppose. However, others state that his style reflects his acknowledgement that he, like other Somalis, is deeply influenced by clan-based thinking and the influence of the civil war. His poetry has been collected in several anthologies and appeared on Montreal buses as part of the Poetry in Motion program. Togane has written articles for various media, including ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'', '' Zymergy'', and ''

African Art African art encompasses modern and historical paintings, sculptures, installations, and other visual cultures originating from indigenous African diaspora, African communities across the African continent. The definition may also include the ar ...

''.

Bibliography

*''The Bottle and the Bushman: Poems of the Prodigal Son'', Ste-Anne de Bellevue, Québec : The Muses' Co., 1986. *''Bridges: Literature Across Cultures'' (1994) *''Quebec Suite: Poems for and about Quebec'' (1995) *''Eternal Conversations'' (2003) *''Fifty Years, Fifty Stories'' (2003)

Notes

External links

Togane's websiteTogane's Blogspot
{{DEFAULTSORT:Togane, Mohamud Siad Somalian poets 20th-century Canadian poets Canadian male poets Eastern Mennonite University alumni Living people 1947 births Place of birth missing (living people) Canadian activists Somalian activists Somalian emigrants to Canada 21st-century Canadian poets Concordia University alumni 20th-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian male writers