Artist K'Naan Warsame on Hip Hop and Somalia
“I’m taking into consideration the western viewpoint of poverty and the Somali view of it. We know struggle; the west sees ‘suffering’. I talk about the creation of beautiful things out of the dirt. That’s what a philosopher is. I can’t stand it when people like [US chat-show host] Barbara Walters want you to expose yourself to the point of tears.” A sudden flash of acid mockery enters his voice. “‘How does it feel to be Somalian?’ You’re not saviours and we don’t think of you in that way. Africa isn’t waiting for you. We are not owed guilt. We are owed respect.”