Hargeisa, 25 July 2009 (Somalilandpress) – The South African Institute of International Affairs (Wits University) and the Nelson Mandela-initiated Institute for Global Dialogue have co-published a new book entitled Somaliland: an African struggle for nationhood and international recognition.

Authored by Unisa’s Prof Iqbal Jhazbhay of the College of Human Sciences, this book has received a number of accolades.

Internationally-acclaimed father of African studies, Prof Ali Mazrui, in his foreword to the book, describes this newly-published book as “a major scholarly success”. Founding President of the Somali Studies International Association, Prof Hussein Adam, refers to this inter-disciplinary study as “the first substantial study covering both the domestic and international dimensions of Somaliland’s quest for nationhood and recognition … a timely and brilliant analysis.”

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This new published manuscript stands out as the first South African authored study of the Somali predicament. Prof Jhazbhay “contributes significantly to our understanding of the Horn of Africa in the context of wider international forces. It also contributes to a number of different theoretical concerns — ranging from the role of culture in nation-building to the emerging forces of radical Islam, and from the nature of post-war reconstruction to the dilemmas between self-determination and regional integration.”

Unisa’s Department of Religious Studies and Arabic is the only South African academic department which offers a graduate module and advanced research on Islam and politics in the Horn of Africa.

Click Here for more information on the book

Click Here to download the foreword to this book

UNISA

1 COMMENT

  1. That's great news and I highly respect modern thinkers like Pro. Jhazbhay. People like him chose to lead in a new direction, while others do the same old things over and over again. He questions, explores and offers answers, while the others all they do is whine and nag.

    Well done Mr Jhazbhay, I'm definitely going to get a copy.

    • Dear Tuke,

      The book has just been published. I will speak to the publishers, and find out,
      who in Hargeisa will be the distributor of the book.

  2. It would have been better if one of our people made this book. this man is trying to get rich through our peoples struggles and we shouldn't have that!

    • Faisal, that is a typical Somali attitude! if our people are not doing anything, I would rather this guy get rich and advance my cause!!

      • Somalis only know how to hold each others back, hold everyone back, they don't want to succeed nor do they want others to succeed where they failed. This attitude needs to change, if Somalilanders want to write a book, they can, no one is stopping them, Iqbal did, what you can do is buy the book or don't buy it but dont say he is trying to get rich – if you want to get rich, go for it don't try to hold him back.

  3. Dr. Iqbal is a friend of Somaliland and Somaliland's representative in South Africa and believe me when I say a book about an unrecognised country in Africa wont make anyone rich. If anything Dr. Iqbal is doing the people of Somaliland a favor by speaking up on their behalf, ever asked yourself where are the Somalilanders who should be writing about Somaliland presenting its case to the rest of the world are? Let me answer you, they're sitting in mafrashs in London, Toronto, Sweden, etc… So be thankful the good dr is writing

  4. Good job Pro Iqbal Jhazbhay,

    I congratulate the publication of your magnificent book on my beloved country Somaliland. You have written an excellent book that should raise lots of eyebrows. Your wheelbarrow-full research and innovative ideas have lifted us to new heights in this challenging world.

    On behalf of our students at the University of Hargeisa and students in the country as a whole, we appreciate the endless hours of hard work sacrifice you have spent writting this book. You are great example to the Somalilanders who sometimes struggle to write books about thier beloved mother land.

    I trust your book will be sold by Somalilanders in and out.

    Long live Somaliland for ever,

    Farhan(oday) is a student at University of Hargeis

  5. This new book and Bradbury's "Becoming Somaliland" show the development of Somaliland, as opposed to the anarchy that reigns in other parts of the region. "No Blackhawk Down", no "Piracy", just a nation and its people coming to grips with the goals and difficulties of becoming and remaining a nation through dialogue, discussion and consensus…what a contrast..

  6. this is an amazing kind of a book that we rarely see in our country. i believe it is the never-to-be forgetten book purely on somaliland.
    i'm overwhelming delighted to read this book. It puts a lot of emphasis on three aspects, past, present and future somaliland respectively.

  7. I'm really glad to see Somaliland getting some positive attention. God, bless the nation of poets.

  8. yeh good!very nice step that DR IQBAL TAKED AND I WISH HAPY NEW YEAR FOR SOAMLILAND AND IT WILL GET RECOGNITION IN 2010 IF ALLAH SAYS.