Quiebras y conexiones. Estudio preliminar sobre la poesía de la diáspora somalí en Europa

Poetry represents an inalienable part of Somali social and cultural identity, constituting a fundamental element of its intangible cultural heritage. This has been the case throughout the history of the Horn of Africa, where this popular, customary, oral expression has been used not only as an artistic tool, but also socially and politically. The outbreak of civil war in Somalia in 1991 forced thousands of Somali citizens to migrate into exile. This situation generated a series of breakdowns that transformed the Somali poetry of the diaspora. An inexorable change to continue to preserve the validity of their customs, since these do not have to remain static, they can and must adapt to change. This research is based on a preliminary analysis of the poetry of the Somali diaspora to clarify the changes that have taken place between the popular poetry of Somalia before 1991 and that born in the diaspora. To this end, the main works have been examined in depth, not only in written versions, but also orally through podcasts and other audiovisual media.