Welcome to the
 Anglo-Somali Society

Welcome and Apologies

 

Members and guests were welcomed by the President, David Brooks, who chaired the AGM. The following apologies for absence had been received: Rhoda Ibrahim (Chair), Kinsi Abdulleh (Vice-Chair), Scott Darby (Treasurer, Sheffield), Katherine Hotchkiss, Prof. Eleni Palazidou, Dr. Martin Orwin, Abdul Mohamed, Dr. Steve Kibble, Dr. Edna Adan Ismail, Noell Snell, Joan Weir, Caroline Wilson.

 

Approval of the 2024 AGM Minutes

 

These were published on page 2 of Issue 75 of the Journal, circulated to members beforehand and unanimously approved. With reference to the ‘tiny change’ to the Constitution it was pointed out that all Council Members cannot be expected to attend all meetings especially if they live far from London. Even so, for the Constitution to work, apologies for absence must be sent in advance to the Secretary.

 

Chair’s Annual Report

 

In the absence of Chair Rhoda Ibrahim due to illness the President outlined the main features of another successful year and thanked all Council Members for their contributions to the running of the Society. Wishes were expressed for Rhoda’s rapid recovery.Miraculously, at the 2024 AGM, Dr. Muna Ismail presented her talk on The Yeheb Project by Zoom from Mogadishu. A cogent presentation of climate change in the Horn by Prof. Michael Walls followed. The summer 2024 Tea Party at the House of Commons could not be held because of the General Election. The continuity of this traditional event had also been disrupted by Covid. The provisional date for this year’s Tea Party was Wednesday 18 June 2025. This was to be confirmed as soon as possible. Our October 2024 General Meeting at Oxford House in Bethnal Green East London was reported on page 1 of Journal Issue 76. Once again this meeting formed part of the annual Somali Week Festival created by Kayd Somali Arts and Culture with whom we greatly value the privilege of working in partnership.Nevertheless, it is our Journal which is the Society’s USP (unique selling point). In fact it is the only connection with the Society enjoyed by probably the majority of members in view of the fact that they live abroad or, in the UK, too far from London to attend our meetings. Joint Editors Dr. Susan Sills and Adil Dirie have the responsibility of gathering articles for the Journal. Their success, in terms of variety and scope, is there for all to see but their lives would be made easier if both Society and Council Members submitted more suggestions and contributions. Adil’s role, also, as Society Secretary, is much appreciated. ‘Run Doon’, the anonymous 6-monthly review of current affairs in the Horn is, in effect, a USP within a USP. The Journal’s search for ‘truth’, a precious commodity these days, began before 1994 but the first summary of events under the authorship of ‘Run Doon’ appeared in Journal Issue 12 of that year.Dr. Sills was thanked also for undertaking the obviously tedious aspects of being Membership Secretary. Here again, members can help by paying their subscriptions promptly on 1 January without having to be asked repeatedly; or, preferably, by paying by standing order (see pro forma at back of this Journal). At the very least, if members do not wish to renew their subscriptions they should let Susan know in good time.

 

Community Interest Company (CIC)

 

The Council is in the process of registering the Society as a CIC in the UK. This decision has been driven primarily by the need to facilitate worldwide digital payments (such as by PayPal) of annual subscriptions, with the potential for increasing membership. Additionally, establishing the Society as a legal entity will streamline any formal transactions the Society may undertake in the future. Council members, Dr. Susan Sills, Adil Dirie, and Scott Darby have volunteered to serve as company directors. While registration will introduce some additional administrative responsibilities, such as the annual filing of company reports and accounts, the council believes that the benefits will outweigh the extra administrative workload. Adil Dirie who is leading this process sought approval for the registration from members and it was met with full support.

 

Approval of the Accounts

 

These were meticulously prepared by Treasurer Scott Darby, another Council Member whose contributions are invaluable to the success of the Society. The accounts were audited by Charles Balyozian who pronounced them fully in order. They were circulated before the AGM to members who voted unanimously to accept them as an accurate statement. They can be found in this issue of the Journal. However, we were not successful again this year in making the £50 Book Award to a Somali secondary school pupil. If members know a teacher in a school with Somali pupils and would like to help please let a council member know. The £50 book token is presented to a Somali pupil who (in the opinion of a teacher) has made outstanding progress, academically, socially, or in sport, or for contributions to the general life of the school.

 

Motions and Council Nominations

 

There were no motions presented to the AGM and there were no new volunteers or nominations received for election to the Council. New volunteers will be more than welcome. All the Council Members listed inside the back cover of this Journal agreed to stand for re-election. They were unanimously approved.

 

Any Other Business.

 

A member asked if a meeting such as this could also be attended at a distance by using the Zoom system. The advantages of doing this are obvious. In practice both equipment and expertise are required. A volunteer who could take charge should contact us. By way of another form of outreach, Tirsit Yetbarek Seme called a meeting in Hargeisa recently to consider the possibility of publishing the Journal in the Horn to overcome the postage problem. The AGM finished at 6.40pm. After the AGM Prof. Michael Walls introduced our speaker, Dr. Halima Mohamed whose subject was Autism spectrum disorder with special reference to Somali children.