Somali community celebrates culture and history

By Abdi Mohamed

Contributing Writer n July 1, South Minneapolis streets were draped in blue and white to help celebrate the Somali Independence festival, marking 63 years since the country’s rebirth.

According to organizers, the festival is the largest celebration of Somalia’s independence outside of Somalia with an estimated 40,000 attendees, including dozens of vendors, live music, family-friendly activities, and more. The festival took place along a three-block stretch across West Lake Street. This year, the event was organized by Ka Joog along with other groups, and sponsored by Amazon, Xcel Energy, the City of Minneapolis, Goodyear, and other organizations.

“It gives the kids a chance to learn about their background, their flag, their culture, their food,” said Hafsa Khalif, who along with his wife Musa

Mlshala brought their young family to the festival. “It’s just amazing how we could all just come together,”

Abdi Ahmed and Maryan Omar traveled from Arizona to visit family for Eid, the Muslim holiday marking the end of Hajj, but extended their trip to attend the festival. Despite there being a sizeable Somali community back home in Arizona, the couple wanted to bring their kids to a large gathering where they could see themselves represented publicly and with passion.

“It’s nice to show the kids that we’re all one and that we’re a big community,” said Omar. She shared that the event gave her a chance to show her children that there’s a depth to their culture that can be experienced through the language, people, and food.

“It’s a change of pace for me. It’s nice to see all these Somali people in one place and even getting the street blocked off— all of this is crazy to me, but we’re enjoying it,” Ahmed said.

Several organizations had booths at the festival, along with many state and local government agencies that had Somali employees who served as representatives.

Asad Ahmed, a deputy sheriff with the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, pointed to

■ See FESTIVAL on page 5