A Gentleman Afsomali -

The true Gentleman Afsomali merges the two. He uses the Western value of time management with the Somali value of family time . He sets boundaries for his children but fills their ears with Somali poetry. He is the man who, on a Saturday, wears a Ma'awis and eats Canjeero (Somali flatbread) with his father, and on Sunday, wears a suit and sits on a corporate board.

He bridges two worlds. He is fluent in English or Italian, but his poetry is composed in Jiifto (classical Somali meter). He knows the exchange rate of the dollar, but he also knows the lineage of his clan seven generations back. He is neither a lost Westerner wearing a tie nor a rural traditionalist; he is a Dhaqan-dhaqame (an acculturated person) who retains his core. A Gentleman Afsomali