17 July 2011

We Can See You by Abdul Adan

On a dry, dusty afternoon in Nairobi, not unlike many others, Mahmud Yare walked along the pavement towards the big mosque on Muhoho Avenue. He was a Somali man of thirty-five, medium in height and build; his small face, bony and beardless. A darkened, rough spot, earned from years of prostrations on the carpets of various mosques, can be seen on his forehead. He walked with steady, cautious steps, as though wanting to be sure that every inch of the land he stepped on was the purest of earth. Once in a while, along his path, someone seated under the walls that ran along the street would call him and wave, to which he responded with a quick, spreading of the fingers on his lowered, right hand. On his left wrist, he wore a heavy, shiny, Seiko watch. He had on a pair of new, white adidas shoes and dark, official looking pants that contrasted with a yellow shirt. From his look, one got the impression of a careful, organised man, with an eye for only the necessary things in life and little or no recreational activities. It's the look that would make the shoe shiners, and the jobless youth by the wall, unhappy or even jealous, from the thought that there's a hidden world somewhere, in which certain men lived comfortably; untouched by scarcity and the dry air of daily insecurities.

This story has been selected for the annual StoryTime anthology African Roar 2012, please go to the African Roar site for more info.




We Can See You was written by Abdul Adan.

Copyright © Abdul Adan 2011.



Abdul Adan is a Somali writer. His work has appeared in African-Writing, Kwani?, StoryTime, Jungle Jim, and Arab World Books. He is a literature student at Washington University in St. Louis, and currently working on a collection of stories.





8 comments:

Sindanni Mwella said...

A tranquil, timely story that took me to my former neighbourhood of Eastleigh and the somali community that inhabit it, whose plight an issues many never seem to relate too. A sneak preview to the somali clannism question and immigration and business. Loved the pace.

steve rae said...

really good, well paced prose, excellent!

good work bro

steve rae.

Abdul Adan said...

Thank you very much, Mwella and Steve. I am encouraged.

Anonymous said...

very well written. I enjoyed it alot.

Modo said...

Keep up and let the dream flow, we more writers for the next generation.It is only through stories that people understand the reality. That is why in the ancient days people used to gather around the fire at night ,to listens stories from elders.

Unknown said...

young man,you are the truth!beautifully written.

Unknown said...

young man,you are the trth!

Anonymous said...

well written!!looking foreward to read more of your writtings..

 
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