Ugaso Mire

Ugaso Mire was born in Somalia in 1930 and came to London in 1993. She talks about how she teaches Somali culture to younger generations.

Listen to Ugaso (in Somali, mp3, 785kb)

Transcript

Read transcript in Somali (pdf, 10 kb)

'I used to help the Somalis because I’m, when I was a young person I was an actor and, what should I say, I used to help them teach young people songs, songs and dances, these things, and literature. I used to help them teach young people the Somali language, how to act and how to say things. This is how I used to help the community and Somali people who needed these services…

'As far as I’m aware, to my knowledge, I have not seen any who are leaving their culture behind. Because culture is something strong, very strong, so I have not seen any who are leaving their culture.

'They will pick up something from the practices of the people that they associate with, but I’m not aware of any who are leaving their culture behind - although I cannot be aware of and reach all Somalis.

'Apart from difficulties with their mother tongue, I have not seen any who are leaving their culture because they are always supported to learn Quran, the Somali language and culture, and anything else they need by the community which they are linked to.'

Copyright Evelyn Oldfield Unit