Asli Abade: A Pilot With a Vision

Today I have a wonderful lady to write about. You don’t need me to introduce you to her simply because you already know her much more than I do. I have never met her as a person but over the years of her involvement in Somali Reconciliation Conferences I admired her strength and dedication to peace. She is Asli Hassan Abade, the first Somali female pilot in the history of Somali aviation. She now lives in Dallas, Texas hopefully with family and friends. Asli is a pilot with a vision and the pride of a nation. She is a Peace activist who tirelessly advocates for the restoration of peace and stability in the Motherland. The Somali flag is her favourite outfit as she wears it most of the time especially during peace conferences to persuade Somalis to unite and rebuild their country.

In honour of her efforts and devotion for peace Somalis have coined her the name: Asli Calan Side, meaning Asli the Flag bearer. In an interview she had with a Somali TV, Universal, in March 20th of this year, Asli, who at the time returned from the Xajj in Saudi Arabia, said " I fly once in every six months in America to avoid my license from getting expired “ adding “I have a dream that one day I will fly a Somali aircraft in Somalia when the pieces of the nation have been brought back together in peace" It is the weight of these wonderful words that I was moved and inspired to write this short article few minutes after the interview has ended and posted it at my page in www.authorsden.com/abdinoorhajimohamed I’m glad to share it with you now, belatedly though.

With all these insurgents and terror-linked Islamist groups, with all these TFG and AU bombardments in civilian populated areas, with all these warlords and war-profiteers, with all the disintegration Somalia is undergoing today, Asli’s flame of hope never ceased to flicker, leave alone to be blown off by winds of despondency. Her courage to withstand the rigours of life has not been abated and her spirits to fight for peace have never been weakened nor diminished. She has a dream to see our skies not anymore rocked by the sound of mortar rockets but filled by the echoes of sophisticated jet airlines of which one of them is piloted by herself! What a noble dream!

Her dreams to see Somalia standing on its own feet as well as her ideals of Somalia living in peace with itself and its neighbours and prospering with the sweat and blood of its own citizens are still glaring in her mind like the embers of a morning fire. Her wish to see Somalia feeding itself without depending on foreign economic aid is alive deep in her heart. In every word she uttered in the interview she was expressing hope; the hope of a united and prosperous Somalia.

Not everybody can have such a dream in the midst of war but those like Asli whose hearts never cease to have hope can go beyond the grain of misery. They can light up the dark with the beauty of their soul and mind. Unfortunately the few visionary Somalis are constantly let down by the leaders who have no vision at all. Look at the situation today. The rift between the authorities is getting wider and harsher by the day. Is it fair to fight over positions of power when the whole nation is drowning in the blood of its own people? And after all, is there anything left to fight over? What we hear these days is nothing more than an obtrusive distress mirrored in the eyes of humanity.

Finally let us pray for those leaders to settle their dispute through peaceful means and dialogue. No matter what happened to Somalia there will always be a Somalia in the Horn of Africa so long as there are Somalis with a commitment for peace like our sister Asli Calan Side. May her dreams and the dreams of good-hearted Somalis come true! May we extinguish the spreading fires with a breath of peace.

Abdi-Noor Mohamed
Writer and Film Maker
Sweden
E-Mail:nuuru2003@hotmail.com