Somali novelist Nuruddin Farah, one of Africa’s most distinguished literary figures, has been awarded an honorary doctorate by SOAS University of London in recognition of his decades-long contribution to literature and culture.
Often described as the father of Somali literature, Farah has built an international reputation through novels that grapple with themes of identity, exile, and political turmoil.
His works, including Maps, Secrets, and North of Dawn, have been translated into multiple languages and remain central to African and postcolonial literary studies at leading universities.
The award was welcomed across the Somali diaspora as a milestone for African literature. Abdirashid Duale, Group CEO of Dahabshiil, one of Africa’s largest financial services groups, said: “This is a proud moment for Somalis everywhere and for all who value culture and creativity. Nuruddin Farah has given our people a voice on the world stage. At Dahabshiil, we remain committed to supporting culture, education, and creativity worldwide.”
The recognition comes at a time when Somali culture is gaining greater visibility abroad, despite the country’s long struggles with conflict and instability.
For many, Farah’s global standing embodies the resilience of Somali identity and its contribution to international culture.
Dahabshiil, which operates across more than 150 countries, has a longstanding tradition of funding education and cultural initiatives, from scholarships and schools to support for musicians, writers, and artists.
Its endorsement of Farah’s honour highlights the growing intersection between business, culture, and diaspora identity in the Horn of Africa.
Farah’s doctorate from SOAS is being hailed not only as a recognition of an individual writer’s achievement but as a landmark moment for Somali literature within the broader canon of African writing.
Farah has received numerous international awards, including the Neustadt International Prize for Literature, and is widely regarded as one of Africa’s most influential literary voices.
Here are some interesting things about Farah;
Farah’s Brother Greatly Influenced His Writing Career
Farah published his debut novel Crooked Rib (1970), when he was only 25 years old. It has been described as “one of the cornerstones of modern East African literature today”.
When asked how Farah got into writing in the first place, he remembered his brother fondly and his reward system during his childhood which would help Farah to direct his excess energy:
One of the first things I remember was reading Crime and Punishment in Arabic . . . I was about 10. I had an older brother who did not like that I was very very restless. Either I had a ball which I was kicking around and breaking glasses or I was moving around. So to make me calm down, one of the things he did was he would give me big books like Tolstoy’s War and Peace or Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment . . . The idea my brother had in his head was to give me the biggest book he could find so that I would sit down and the condition was that if I finished that book, came and told him the story of the book, he would give me a gift. That’s the way I earned my pocket money. That’s the way I earned gifts from him.
Young Farah was a Meddlesome Child
When Farah was 10 or 11, he started a letter-writing agency, which helped kickstart his literary writing career. The set of incidents that ended his agency and began his literary career is incredibly humorous:
I wrote letters for people who were old enough, as old as my father. They would tell me their stories and I would write letters in English or in Arabic and began earning money. One day, a man came to me and he said that he wanted me to write a letter to his wife. He was very angry with her because she went home and did not come back. . . In the letter, he said, “I want you to tell her to come back and I’m giving her time in which to come back. I want her back in three months. . .If she does not come back in three months,…I will go to Beledwayne, break every single bone of this woman and drag her all the way back to Kelafo.” I was about 10. Instead of writing what he told me, I wrote, “If you do not come back in three months, you may consider yourself divorced.
Farah Chose to Study in India over America
Farah was 20 or 21 when he arrived in India. From 1966 to 1970, he pursued a degree in philosophy, literature and sociology at Panjab University in Chandigarh, India. However, Farah’s decision to go to India was a tough one, where he gave up a scholarship to a prestigious university in America (none other than the University of Wisconsin–Madison):
Why Does Farah Always Write About Somalia?
Since leaving Somalia in the 1970s he has lived and taught in numerous countries, including the United States, Britain, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Sudan, India, Uganda, Nigeria and South Africa. In fact, he has not lived in Somali for close to 50 years.
Every time I have set the story somewhere else, often I remind myself the fact that although I have now lived in Cape Town for 25 years, I tell myself everything that I know about South Africa could be put on the back of a postcard. In other words, very little. This is not the case but that’s the way my starting point is. I need to know a lot more than I already know before I write about it.
