Conveying Culture: A Somali-Minnesotan’s Mission to Safeguard Language through Tales and Tunes
Marian Hassan, a passionate educator, has dedicated her career to teaching Minnesotans about the Somali language and capturing oral histories from elderly Somali residents. This enthusiastic endeavor is essential to stopping the impending loss of language in the state. With her insightful work, Marian highlights an issue close to her heart—protecting Somalia’s rich cultural legacy.
Although Somali ranks as the third most spoken language in Minnesota, following English and Spanish, it’s fascinating to realize that it wasn’t actually written until the mid-1970s. Prior to this, the language thrived through an elaborate tapestry of oral tradition, which, according to Marian and many cultural historians, preserved wisdom, knowledge, and history in a way words on a page rarely do.
Recently, Marian received a Minnesota Legacy Cultural Heritage Grant, designed to support her admirable mission of safeguarding the Somali oral tradition. Imagine her joy when she shared her project’s significance in a lively conversation on Minnesota Now. Her pursuit isn’t just an academic exercise but a deeply personal mission to revive and maintain the cultural fabric of her community. “Our stories define us as much as our language,” Marian passionately declares. Her voice echoes a timeless truth—that without our languages, we risk losing the very essence of our identity.
Her groundbreaking work resonates with many who fear the erasure of language and culture over time. When a language fades, it’s not just the words that are lost; it’s the stories, the laughter, and the tears of generations—a collective memory waiting to vanish. Marian’s endeavors remind us that each elder carrying a piece of history in their narrative is as precious as any artifact. Keep alive the voices of the past, and anyone can listen to the conversation in full through the above audio player.
Edited by: Ali Musa
alimusa@axadletimes.com
Axadle international–Monitoring
