Abdullahi Ma'alim Ahmed, Dhoodaan, was born in the aromatic jungles of Dollo location, in the Somali-populated war-zone Ogaden region, under the administration of the modern Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, around 1935. He is the greatest and most famous Somali known poet of the last two centuries.
His early life.
Dhoodaan was seen as an unusual infant when he was born, because he had had no cooing and babbling noises during his first six months of life, as he was supposed to. This virgin character made him wonderful baby. The then little creature became miracle, and as a result of that, his nomadic parents, thought that he was a congenitally deaf and dumb kid, and worried alot about him. He became great burden on the low-scale life of the then innocent pasturalists. It was reported that he remained mute for sixteen years; using only body language - gesticulation.
But at the end of his sixteenth life span, he started speaking. The first word that heard from Dhoodaan, was a powerful poetic expression, full of high and heart-melting emotion. According to an oral statement quoted from reliable, nomadic-story-tellers; a she-camel that was so dear to Dhoodaan, was killed by a lion; and Dhoodaan, put a couple of curses on the lion, which suffered great misfortune as a result of the action.
His Educational Background.
He did not join or go to any formal elementary or primary school, apart from self-study of the Somali graphology. It is claimed that there is a Dhoodaanian script, which has got it's own unique semantics and syntax; but, little is known if it is pictogram or ideogram. All in all, it is all-agreed that Dhoodaan, has got a natural informal and non-formal education. The God-given inborn oration made him an acclaimed august.
His Role in the Somali Culture and Literature.
He is a leading, outstanding, influential, visionary and high-mentality poet, not a mere lyricist. No living Somali poet of his age, could and can dare come close to him, as he is a philosopher of the Somali arts. He is a physically perishable but morally ever-lasting dictionary of the Somali poetic myth and culture.
This dynamic and salubrious amatuer, is a born varvellous and major man. He was nicknamed Dhoodaan, and is called "Macalinka" -the teacher, on account of his unshared-chain-like aphoristic and idiomatic metaphoric language, with sophisticated theme and rich plot. He is a real traditionalist, culturalist and naturalist, with fertile and fresh emotion. Dhoodaan, is a mono-lingual and a hot critic on the Somali oral literature as well as the non-mobile social norms.
His Personality.
Dhoodaan is a central freedom-fighter with busy brain, full of productive, durable solutions. He is not that much talkative; but not an anti-social, as some narrow-minded figures think and say. He is a talented and tireless human rights activist. He prefers nationalism to tribalism; and that put him at the top position of the Somali industrial arts.
His Jacbur.
Jacbur is a Dhoodaanian narrative-like, rhymeless, witty poetry. This new kind of Somali literature, is common to Dhoodaan only. He is known as 'the founder of Jacbur'. Lots of major Somali poets, imitate him and try their hands at Jacbur today. Some of those poets that graduated from the Dhoodaanian oral school of Jacbur are: the late well-known poet and playright, Abdikadir Hisri Siad, Yamyam, and the hot, liberal, great poet, Abdi Sahid. Though, they did their best, but, it is for sure that they can't reach Him - Dhoodaan.
His Political Life.
He took up words of mass destruction and pain, against the autocratic and dictatorial regime, led by the strong junta revolitionist - the late Barre. He fearlessly opposed the gross violations of human rights committed by the heinous military administration. The iron-fist government of Barre, that said, "No freedom of thought and expression", failed to shut the mouth of Macalin-Dhoodaan. He also stood firmly against the merciless, toppled military rule of the blood-thirsty-man, Mingistu, who beheaded many Ethiopian innocent nationals.
The then Ethiopian head of state and now the exiled political divorcee, Mengistu, and the then anti-democratic ruler, Barre, branded Dhoodaan, as a persona non grata, because he said no to their manslaughtering acts and exposed out long-ranged-rock-like poetic language, that touched their hearts.
Dhoodaan, narrowly escaped from death with the help of God. And he endangered his life for the sake of his homeland, the troubled Ogaden region. He fought in the front-line and bravely took part of the past fruitless and mismanaged movements, due to his mother land.
But he is still to get the fruits of his long struggle. Many Somali wise men and women regularly listen to the poems of Dhoodaan for many reasons. He was among the co-founders of Nasrullah, a patriotic political movement, that perished years ago.
Summary.
Dhoodaan is the hero of the heroes, the poet of the poets, the creative of the creatives. He is an ocean of arature; therefore, very little is known about the real role of Dhoodaanian shape of personality.
The life of the poet had never been fully studied! Because he is born of pastural, camel-keeping community. He is an active socio-linguist and expert psycho-linguist as well as Somo-grammarian. This is not a baseless hyperbole, but it is an extensively studied research, that is grounded on reality. If one wants to know about Dhoodaan, one must closely study and examine the far central insight of the poet's idioms personifications.
It is so complex and complicated enough to understand the bilibials and plosives of Dhoodaan, as well as his diphthongs and monophthongs. Dhoodaan is the dawn and dusk of the philosophy of the Somali poetries.
He is a diplomatically one dimensional character and a common antagonist of dictatorial regimes of the region.
The life of the poet is full of tragedy and he never created a comic or romantic work as many poets usually do.
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