About Al-Nasibu Activist

    Hello everyone! I am Al-Nasibu, a social historian and human rights activist. However, before I begin to talk about my story, I would like to remind everyone that when we're doing good things according to the Islamic way, we first seek help and protection from the creator, the ruler of the heavens and the earth. Such a solid creed in my religion can be expressed that God never abandons people at any time when they fail to follow the right path because in his mercy, he won’t give up on them. On the contrary, his aim is to instill a great teacher as an example, who will later show them the way to unity, progress, self-respect, and the ability to change the reality in which they live. With that being said, now I would like to go back to my introduction.

My work has been a mission to help people of all kinds be treated with respect for their human rights. As a social historian, the profession has equipped me with the ability to view and understand the interconnection that forms societies. These roles enable me to learn about people’s behaviors, cultures, and historical backgrounds to understand how societies work and should be transformed. However, my passion for human rights activism goes way back to my faith that every person should be free from oppression and injustice.

From my childhood, I observed the lives of people belonging to the lower classes or considered outcasts by society. This powerfully motivated me to stand for those who could not stand for themselves. This made me realize that the world does not work magically, but people have to put in the effort and even fight for what is right. This is why I have devoted my time to campaigning against human rights abuses and issues of discrimination and encouraging people to fight for their rights.

In addition, I am a religious man, and my religion helps me in carrying out most of my tasks. In Islam, justice and kindness are virtues that must be upheld; one must defend the weak people and always try to bring a positive change in society. This spiritual support has been the driving force that has encouraged me to go on with this work despite the challenges. However, I have faith in these principles as a way to create a reality wherein unity, progress, and self-respect are attainable truths for every human being.

In conclusion, having found my place in justice as the backbone of what I do in my life, being guided by my academic studies, personal experience, and faith, I am optimistic that future generations will witness a much fairer society if more sustainable efforts are made.

THE GOSHA OF THE MIDDLE JUBA REGION IN SOUTHERN SOMALIA

 THE GOSHA OF THE MIDDLE JUBA REGION IN SOUTHERN SOMALIA. 

AN ETHNIC GROUP OF BANTU ORIGIN

by Francesca Declich (*)

Introduction

This text is an attempt to reconstruct the history of the formation of a population of which up to now there is only scattered and conflicting information. It concerns that fringe of Bantu, the northernmost of Eastern Africa, who live on the border with the Cushitic populations of Somalia (**).

Interest in these Bantu dates back to ancient traditions that refer to black people living in Azania (a region that also included the southern coast of Somalia). Furthermore, several ethnic groups that currently live further south, in Kenya and Tanzania (1), report in their traditions

(*) Graduated in Ethnology at the Department of Glotto-Anthropological Studies of the University of Rome La Sapienza.

(**) The text is based on data collected in the field in Somalia between July 1985 and June 1986 in an area including the districts of Gelib and Giamame. It is my duty to express my thanks to the following associations and people: the C.I.S.P. (International Committee for the Development of Peoples) which offered me its support in a Primary Health Care project that it carries out in the district of Gelib, thus facilitating my long stay in the field; Prof. Bernardo Bernardi for the help and valuable advice given both in the planning and during the course of my work; the managers and staff of the Historical Archives of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their kind collaboration, the inhabitants of the villages in the area for their great willingness to collaborate in the research when I was in the field.

(1) Among these are the Pokomo, the Mijikenda (collective name for: Digo, Duruma, Ra- bai, Ribe, Chonyi, Jibana, Kamba, Kauma and Giriama), the Segeju and the Swahili, including the Bajuni. Until very recently these four groups relied on the idea of ​​one or more sacred settlements to ensure their coherence as social units. Belief in the magical role of certain cities was an important part of the Shungwaya cultural system. There are also groups who, while not using the name Shungwaya, have traditions that trace their origins back to that area. The Meru of Kenya, for example,