by Liban Obsiye
Monday, April 20, 2015
The sun shines on the city
But his corner is dark
The cars roar past purposefully
But he is parked
The laughter of school children bounces off the walls
But his poverty makes him silent and still.
The boy has a name
But no one knows it
The boy has ambitions
But nobody cares
The boy has something to say
But everyone is deaf to it.
The boy is shackled by desperation
But society is blinded by carelessness
The boy is hungry
But restaurants throw out food to stray dogs
The boy is unwashed
But the people only hold their noses.
The boys face is reflected on the shoes
But he shines them on an empty stomach
The boy’s stomach grumbles impatiently
But he hasn’t earned enough to eat yet
The boy’s eyes stare hopefully
But the customer only pays half.
The sun sets above the city
But his corner was dark to begin with
The cars roar past purposefully
But the boy is still parked
The other children are in bed
But he is still awake.
The Party begins in town
But the boy’s tears soften the earth beneath
The lights in the family homes are switched off
But he was invisible to begin with.
Somalia is a young nation with over 70% of its population under 35. The young people of this resource rich nation are indeed its future and the cornerstone of all its hopes for peace, progress and prosperity. However, opportunities are scarce and as a direct result of the disastrous and painful civil war, many young people, including children find themselves orphans and alone.
Children and young people’s rights to love, life and education are universal but in a country like Somalia which is slowly recovering from a disastrous near quarter century civil war, this is but a distant dream for most. The government of the Federal Republic of Somalia and its international partners need to do more and quickly to alleviate the crippling plight of those that are this nation’s potential saviours and its destroyers if they are not supported today to create a better tomorrow for us all.
Liban Obsiye
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@libanobsiye (Twitter)