A Short Tribute to the Founding Father: President Adan Osman

  By Abdiweli M. Ali
Monday, June 11, 2007 

 

President Adan Abdulle Osman – founding father of the Somali nation

We all heard the shocking news and the death of the former and the first president of Somalia. Even though I was somehow aware of his old age and ill-health, it really caught me by surprise. We are all mortal and death is unavoidable. Like a sand spilling out of an hourglass, our life will end the day our lord calls us to come home. The death of the former president may have relieved him of the debilitating effects of an old age and he might be in a better place today, however, I have a mixed feeling of what to make of the sad the news from Nairobi. Should we mourn his death or rejoice the good memory of a great leader? Should we celebrate his life and leadership or should we grieve the loss of an eminent statesman? Should we commemorate a life well-lived or bemoan its sudden and unexpected departure?