Aftaag Family
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"My father stayed in Somalia, but longed for his home back in Cardiff." Dualeh's family came to Cardiff nearly 100 years ago.
Transcript
"Hakim is three and a half years old and Uthman is two. They are my sons and they are the fourth generation of Dualeh family to settle in Cardiff.
Dualeh Mohammed - my grandfather - nicknamed Aftaag, was born in a small city of Erigabo, North Somalia and he was the first Dualeh in Cardiff. He came to the city in 1908 as a seaman, and in 1910 became a member of the Merchant Navy until he retired. During this time he fought for Britain in the First and Second World Wars. Whilst Aftaag was in Cardiff, he never forgot his home country and campaigned for Somalia's independence.
In 1939 he went to The League of Nations with delegates from Somalia to support the cause. In 1960, Aftaag took his two boys, Ibrahim - my father - and Jusef to Somalia for the first time. His campaigning had paid off and while they were on their way, he was told that Somalia had become an independent country at last.
My father stayed in Somalia, married and had children, but longed for his home back in Cardiff, and so returned as soon as could. We joined him in early 1990 - when I was a teenager - and now he has his six children and 17 grandchildren surrounding him.
He tells me he feels like a Welsh man and he's even able to speak Welsh.
In 2000 I married a local girl and now have Hakim and Uthman, the fourth generation and the lights of my life. In three years time we will celebrate 100 years of Dualeh family in Cardiff and we are looking forward to another 100 years in the city we call home."
An interview with the author
Please tell us a little about yourself.
I currently live in Cardiff, married and have two beautiful children.
What's your story about?
It's about four generations of my family living in Cardiff. I wanted to tell this story to educate people in Wales about the history of ethnic minority in Cardiff. This story is dedicated to the memory of my grandfather.
What did you find most rewarding about the workshop?
The end product was the most rewarding aspect of the whole workshop.
Your comments
"Well done i really like it taariikhda Aftaag family inkastoon aqaano familyga thx again."
Abdirisak Indhobuur(salax) Queensland Australia."You can do a little more work on it uncle im kidding nice video mashallah i learnt a lot from it."
Axmed Cabdulaziz, London."This is a very well made video, and you have a beautiful family. As for me, my grandparents were part of the Somali Freedom Fighters (called Daraawiish), and my parents were born outside of the country like your grandparents. I have watched your other Youtube videos that talked about the splendor in those regions. I haven't seen them for myself, but watching your videos makes me want to see them. Thank you for helping others to see the beauty of those regions."
Hindi Hussein
This story was made as part of the Streets of Cardiff project.
