Dr. Omar Raabe: Departure of a Hero without a Nation

Dr. Omar Raabe: Departure of a Hero without a Nation

'He who sincerely loves his country, leaves the
fragrance of a good name to a hundred ages.'

--PEKIN GAZETTE, NOV. 13, 1814.

“I never waged a war on the Somali people, whether political, religious, and tribal or whatever… On the contrary, I was always searching for the common good of the Somali people; I was calling for the protection of the Somali people’s interest, their land and their sea… Never did I work for self-interest, a name or money…but sometimes I sacrificed my personal affairs for the sake of the general interest. O’ Somalis, never did I lie to you, but on the contrary I always tried to warn you against the dangers that threatened the sovereignty of the Somali nation.”

With these farewell words, Dr. Omar Raabe departed from our world as a firm believer in Greater Somalia (Somali Weyn) and a tireless campaigner for achieving such a patriotic goal.  Raabe stood out from the Somali educated class for being the only one that never let the dream die and never let himself to be dragged to the dark dungeons of tribalism. He lived and died as a proud Somali with an unwavering belief that the day will come when the Somali race in the Horn of Africa will unite under one state and one flag; as a one nation that takes its respected place in the international community. 

From the day he started his struggle for the independence of Djibouti until he died on 17th April 2013, Raabe was in constant search for the unity and dignity of the Somali people. He went through untold suffering for the cause. He was sentenced to death by the French colonial authorities in Djibouti and was arrested and imprisoned several times by both Djiboutian and Somali authorities but he was not a man to be scared by jail or death. He was fighting for a cause that he saw as the highest calling of his life and was ready to fight for it to the end.

Raabe is comparable if not more persevering and more tenacious than recognized African heroes for independence such as Nkrumah, Lumumba, Jomo Kenyatta, Ben Bella and Mandela. 

The only difference is that these African heroes came at a historic time when their nations were prepared to rally behind one leader for a common cause, to free their countries from one foreign occupier. Raabe, however, emerged when two parts of the Somali nation had thrown out the yoke of colonialism and the people had already seen their dream of statehood frittered by the inherent disease of tribalism. 

He lived through tragic years during which he saw his dream devoured by tribalism, fratricide and the Somali people suffering in the hands of inept, corrupt and opportunistic politicians who did not mind to sell the territory for their self enrichment. But nevertheless he never gave up and he kept trying to resuscitate a nation that has stopped to breathe; a nation engrossed to annihilate itself in its own hands and was not ready to hear the voice of reason; a nation that was more ready to listen to scoundrels who sell it to the lowest bidder than to embrace heroes with high ideals. Raabe died indeed as a hero but as one without a nation. But history never forgets and there is no doubt that Raabe will remain as a national legacy that will haunt the Somali race for Centuries. 

The following poem is a tribute to the struggle and patriotism of Dr Raabe. It was firs recited by the poet at ceremony held in Dubai by the Somali Community in the UAE in the memory of Dr. Raabe. 

Bashir  Goth