Breaking the Cycle: Why Somali Youth Must Redefine Power
Somalia stands at a crossroads , between the weary repetition of failed politics and the untapped promise of a young generation yearning for meaning, dignity, and direction. The choices we make today will determine whether our nation continues to stumble in dysfunction or rises with renewed purpose.
Our political elite have squandered opportunities and eroded public trust. They have presided over a fractured, self-serving system incapable of addressing the fundamental needs of the people, especially the young, who make up the vast majority of our population. Inequality, nepotism, corruption, and a warped sense of entitlement have corroded our public life. Yet our leaders remain trapped in the politics of personality rather than principle.
A Generation at the Edge
Somalia’s young people see this failure with clear eyes. They are more diverse, more educated, and more tech-savvy than any generation before them. They have grown up in a world of possibilities, but also in a nation where opportunity feels rationed.
Many are losing faith. They feel their voices don’t matter, and their dreams are beyond reach. A deep sense of fatalism, the belief that nothing will ever change, now pervades our society.
Young Somalis are increasingly convinced that their future lies outside politics, not within it. But this withdrawal only strengthens the very forces that have failed them. Political apathy creates a vacuum , and vacuums are quickly filled by those who thrive on manipulation, division, and self-interest.
Rejecting Fatalism: Redefining Power
To lead change, young Somalis must begin by redefining power. Power is not domination. It is not money, position, or force. Power is the ability to achieve purpose. It is the capacity to turn our values into action, to shape outcomes rather than submit to them. Power is built through relationships, organization, and collective purpose. It is not something you are given; it is something you create.
The relationship between needs, resources, and power is simple but profound:
Needs define what must change.
Resources , skills, time, networks, knowledge are what we already have.
Power is what we build when we connect our resources to meet our needs.
A people who organize around shared values, justice, dignity, opportunity can transform resources into the power they need to achieve their purpose. That is how communities become constituencies, and how hope becomes change.
From Hurt to Hope
Every nation has its pain. Ours is deep insecurity, corruption, and inequality have scarred our collective soul. But despair alone achieves nothing. What we need is what I call critical hope: the courage to face our hurt honestly while believing in our capacity to heal it.
Hope without critical awareness leads to complacency; criticism without hope leads to despair. Together, they create the tension that drives transformation.
Young Somalis must channel that tension into purpose, into learning, organizing, and acting together. Democracy is not just about individual liberty; it is about collective capacity, our shared ability to decide, act, and govern ourselves.
A Call to Purpose
Somalia’s youth must not accept the falsehood of powerlessness. The world has never been changed by those who waited for permission. Change begins when we recognize that leadership is a choice, not a position.
Our generation must build movements rooted in values, not personalities; in ideas, not interests. We must learn to organize, to tell our stories, to strategize, and to act, not for the sake of protest, but for the sake of progress.
We must learn to turn the resources we have into the power we need to get what we want, a Somalia that works, a government that serves, and a society that lifts rather than breaks.
Freedom, as Angela Davis reminds us, “is a constant struggle.” But struggle is not despair, it is the price of progress.
The Road Ahead
The task before us is not merely political; it is moral and generational. We must rekindle our faith in common purpose, build solidarity across clan and class, and rediscover that our differences can enrich us rather than divide us.
The youth of Somalia have always been the first to dream, and often, the first to suffer. It is time they become the first to lead.
Our future depends not on what we have lost, but on what we are ready to build together.
Brother AAW, you are a skilled speaker, but you are not a good political leader. A leader takes risks to break the vicious cycle and change the political landscape. I advise you to consider allowing Somaliland to assume the leadership of Somali politics, similar to Mogadishu's leadership role in the 1960s, with Puntland elevated to the position of prime minister and the Mogadishu-based Hawiye clan temporarily sidelined. This reflects a significant and bold shift in power dynamics in Somalia.
The Hawiye clan, particularly the powerful Haraab clan, which has historically been dominant in Mogadishu, has struggled politically in recent years amid Somalia's turbulent federal landscape. Their temporary marginalization, while preserving the historical positions of the Digil and Mirifle clans, is a worthy attempt to break the current Mogadishu deep state and limit direct clan conflict and division in Mogadishu in the short term.
Western powers and regional actors such as Ethiopia and Kenya must come on board as they are important mediators and advocates for legitimizing such South to North transition, as they have active influence and role in Somali politics., governance and security.
Thank you for this article highlighting the importance of Somali youth taking initiative, standing up to power, and leading efforts to lift our country out of its current challenges.
Given your experience in government, leadership, and community organizing, what are some practical Somali youth can take to begin making real, sustainable change on the ground?