The Somali community in Minnesota has waited two years to resume its annual festival, which was previously canceled due to Covid. With Covid restrictions now uplifted, Somali Week is set to kick off on Saturday, July 2.
For over a decade Minnesotans have been gathering to celebrate the 1st of July, the day Somalia gained independence from Italy/England in 1960. With the 4th of July just three days after, Somali Americans now have two things to celebrate in the first week of July.
Minneapolis hosts over 40,000 attendees for the festival which includes art, health awareness, civic engagement, entrepreneurship tips, and much more. While the event was initially started to celebrate independence, it is now a full festival that draws attendees from all over the U.S., as well as Canada, and many European countries.
“It’s been two years,” Mohamed Farah said, executive director at Ka Joog, a non-profit organization based in Minneapolis. “I’m excited to see the vibrant culture again and all of the performances.” And right on Lake Street, there will be an actual hut, showing the youth what life was like for some of their ancestors.
Among those youth is Munira Yusuf, 24, who helps coordinate Somali Week. “It’s a really fun and amazing event,” she says. While she also works as a mental health practitioner, she equally enjoys working at Ka Joog and organizing Somali Week. “We support and love our community. It’s a privilege.”
In addition to connecting Somali Americans to their culture, Farah tells The Horn Magazine that he’s also using the festival as a platform to engage with the youth to give them the awareness and the tools they need to thrive in education and entrepreneurship, which is the focus of Ka Joog. “The theme is education and building community ties,” Farah said.
And while a big focus of the festival is the youth, it’s also geared towards non-Somalis to better understand the culture. Farah says that the celebration should be inclusive to everyone. “What we celebrate [as Somalis] should be celebrated by all Minnesotans. In previous years, people from many different ethnicities and races were in attendance.
As non-Somalis enjoy the cultural festivities, Farah wants them to see the impact that Somalis have had and continue to have on society. He says that Somalis are now immersed in every aspect of society: in politics, the police force, education, and more. Now, “we are Minnesotans too,” he says.
And this year, for the first time, the guest of honor will be Larry E. Andre Jr., the U.S. Ambassador to Somalia. Andre was recently appointed as the ambassador in February and was the previous ambassador to Djibouti. He will be a keynote speaker at the festival and will speak about how instrumental the Somali diaspora is in building a vibrant Somalia.
While Somali Week generally takes place over the course of a week, this year it’s been extended for one day on July 17. After the event temporarily concludes on July 6, it will resume on the 17th for a one-day Growth Conference. Speakers from various corporations will be engaging the youth about entrepreneurship and building relationships.
Ka Joog began in 2007 as a youth development organization. It offers mentorship, counseling, and guidance, among other things. In 2012, it carried the responsibility of hosting Somali Week, which was initiated by community members on a smaller scale. But Ka Joog has now expanded its reach to make it a diverse, cultural festival to include non-Somalis. It now has sponsors from corporations like Amazon, Coca-Cola, and United Health. On a much grander scale now, Somali Week is the biggest Somali festival in North America.
