Hararis from allover North America and beyond came together in numbers one more time to celebrate the annual gathering and it was certainly a joyous event overall. But like everything in life, there was both the positive and negative aspect that was evident during the event. Let me start with a brighter note and pin point the strong side of the event.
1. The Dedication of the Organizers and those who helped make the
event possible.
Organizing an event is not an easy task by any means; and one that
runs throughout the week requires a great deal of commitment, dedication
and participation from the community. I was touched by the coming together
of Hararis for a single purpose and having a good time doing so.
2. Joyous Occasion for All
Since the beginning of the event eleven years ago, I have heard
comments about the event from numerous angles both in praise and downplaying
the occasion. But there is no dispute that the occasion is enjoyed by anyone
who made arrangement to come to the event regardless of minor conveniences
here and there. If the entire family is involved, it is much better for
everyone. Hararis come to these occasions not exclusively for the event,
but to get together with relatives and friends and chat about this and
that and everything.
3. Young Hararis Get an Opportunity to Make Friends
It is evident that we do not have another means to bring Harari
youth together except in these occasions to make friends and strengthen
past relationships. And I have seen the youth of Toronto Hararis actively
participating in their community and made the occasion a memorable one.
And I say keep up the good work.
Now, I will go to the other side and will jot down my observation during the event.
1 Site Selection for the Event
Let me say that I was not impressed by the sites chosen for the
event at all. Most of the sites for the event were a poor selection by
far.
Soccer Field
I can not believe the organizers could not find any better field
in this city considered to be one of the world’s capitals. Among the shortcomings
of the soccer field, let me mention the following:
A. There was not a single shade in the field to protect participants
from the heat. The organizers set up some tents for the crowd but it was
not adequate.
B. There were no bleachers for spectators to watch the games and
chat with each other. Aside from the field being uneven, one of the goal
post was very near to the building where crowds of children were gathering
and there were numerous cases were children were accidentally hit by a
wild ball and many near misses.
C. The food serving area was barely adequate and there was not a
single table where people could sit down and enjoy their meal with friends.
If it was not for the mild summer weather, it would have been unbearable
to stay in the food court.
D. The condition of the parking was a mess. Since the property had
limited parking for the throng of Hararis who were at the event, there
was hardly any space for vehicles to move in and out of the parking area.
Many people were forced to park on the neighborhood street and get fined
for doing so. There were some close calls of children who were playing
in the parking lot of being runs by drivers.
Harari Day
The sites that were selected for both Harari Day and the gala nights
were again not up to standard. The Harari Day event requires a real auditorium
with good sound quality; and again I do not believe that this hall was
the only thing available in this town. The programming for the Harari Day
was a let down to say the least. I applaud the intention and courage of
those who prepared the event who did their best under the circumstances,
but I did not enjoy the program for a number of reasons which I will mention
hereunder:
A. The way the drama was organized and executed was totally sub-par.
Is it asking much to set the stage for the show and bring a set
designer?
Children in elementary schools design their set according to their
presentation in order to bring it to reality. I am not talking about expensive
set design, but just to make it real. The stage was cluttered with musical
instruments and there was barely any space to do the act. And speaking
of the act, I really appreciate the role of our children who are being
introduced to the Harari culture because of this event and did a wonderful
job under the circumstances, but were this drama rehearsed enough for presentation?
It looked like they were rehearsing and doing the next scene right there
behind the curtain. And oh! The curtain!
Whoever was controlling the curtain had a blast. I am not sure the
number of times the curtain was moving from side to side, let me just say
that it was really annoying. The one bright spot during the Harari Day
event was the program that was prepared by the Sheik Jama. I am only talking
about the organizational aspect here because I have seen the same thing
repeated during the opening ceremony, Mawlud and picnic event.
B. Like any other Harari Day event, there were too many speeches
by guests that should have been filled with programs that educate
and entertain. Believe me, there are very few of us who pay this amount
of money to hear speeches the contents of which have been repeated so many
times.
C. It has almost become a tradition for Hararis to show up for an
event late.
I am not talking about being late half an hour or so but being late
like hours or maybe half a day. I am sure this messed up the beginning
of the program for Harari Day which forced them to extend the event late
into the night. My advice for this is just start the program with the people
at hand. There is no reason to punish those who obeyed the rule and came
on time to satisfy the needs of those who came late. And what better way
to teach late comers to mend their ways?
D. Half the audience who filled the hall were children who paid their share
for the event but I am not sure they got their money’s worth because they
were all over the place disrupting the attention of others in the process.
I am not exactly sure how to handle this mess, but it is not in the interest
of both to put them together and leaving things for a chance.
The Fee Structure for the Event
I can not say for certain what the organizers have in mind when
they set up the fee structure for the event, but from what I have gathered
from some of the participants, there was a lot of complaints concerning
the fees. I have heard it from so many people that the
intentions of the organizers were to make the most money with the
bare minimum expenses. If this is really the case, I think it is counter
to the work that we are doing to bring the Harari community together in
these events. From the looks of it, it seems like most of the places for
the event were secured with the least expenses. And judging from the crowd’s
reaction, the fees charged for the Harari Day event was out of line, considering
one was obligated to pay for children as old two years old. Together with
the fees one has to pay for the two gala nights, I can understand the frustration
of the crowd. Compared to the event last year in Washington, DC, Hararis
were ready to pay twenty bucks and much less for children for Harari Day
and the larger sum for the gala nights because of the quality of the hotels
where the event was held. The Toronto organizers should have considered
the reactions of the guests when setting up the fees because a great deal
of work is invested in bringing Hararis together in this event and we certainly
would not like to loose them because of this. No one disputes that the
funds would be allocated to a noble cause of building the Harari community
in Toronto, but I am of the opinion that we should gradually build the
community and not do everything at once because there might be a
price for doing so.
The Gala Nights
I am not quite sure what kind of option the Toronto organizers have
in selecting the performers for these nights. To put it mildly, the crowd
was not pleased with the performers during the first nights and there was
a slight improvement during the second night. Explanation is in order from
the organizers as to what happened to the rest of the performers who were
supposed to perform on these nights according to the announcement form
the event web site. The only performers available were the
Hablul duo and Newala. Although the Hablul duo did their best to
entertain the people, they have not met the expectations of the crowd who
are used to the performance of Adib and his group. Well, I am sure they
will learn the craft of the trade as they get used to, but the bottom line
is it was a let down.
Another Harari tradition that is developing in these events is the
role of some individuals and groups who are trying everything to divide
the community. In the previous two events held in Toronto and Washington,
DC, the former executive members of the Harari Sports and Cultural Federation
(HSCF) and their few followers did everything in their power to sabotage
the annual event without avail. And this year was no different.
Taking their cues from the former HSCF executives, the Muasis group
chose to do their own separate event on Wednesday night and I heard that
the whole thing fell short of their expectation because the crowd ignored
their effort to divide the community and stayed with the real organizers.
In a desperate effort, the Mousis groups went out of their way and revert
to freely distribute their tickets to entice the crowd to come to their
event, but again they learned their lesson the hard way. The fate that
fell on the former HSCF took its turn on the Mousis group this time for
ignoring the wishes of the people and going against their interest.
It should be known to them by now they should give a little bit credit
to Hararis for being ahead of them. Another group that was running around
to plant discord in the unity of Hararis was the remnants of the old HSCF
who were also trying to convince anyone who could listen to ignore the
real thing and come into their fold. Again it was a last ditch effort on
their part, but it fell on deaf ear. I will not be surprised if these two
groups come together and try to divide our unity come next time around.
I keep wondering what motivates this group to waste their time and energy
for something the community does not care one bit at all, but I believe
for some individuals controlling their ego is a daily exercise in futility.
I have spoken to so many people during the event to gage their views and so many people were delighted to have met many of their friends whom they have not seen for decades. Time has taken its tall on many of us and certainly we are not who we used to be, but it was a delight to meet once more to reminisce about shared experiences. Ziwariq day was a particularly happy occasion because members of different organizations who do not usually get along have come in unity. It is good to see even groups who prefer do their own thing to come together on this day for a united event.
The quality of the food that was served during the event was excellent and a good bargain for what was paid. Generous portions were being served despite my protestation. I have said it before, but I will say it again, I was really impressed by the community spirit that was shown by members who prepared the food and those who served it. I believe credit is due to all those who selflessly provided their time and energy to make this event a success. I would also like to make mention of the dedication and work ethics of the active participants of the Toronto community and particularly HCO members who welcomed and entertained us without a word of complaint. Kudos for a job well done.
I have attended both the Washington, DC and Toronto event I have noticed something gravely lacking in both events and I hope future organizers should give a serious thought for the next one. It is the issue of security and particularly concerning the safety of children in all the venues. It was only by grace of Allah that nothing happened to the children in both events. I have not seen a single security guard in all the venues and I fear that it’s only a matter of time before something grave happens to our children. Someone with a dirty mind could have a field day in these events because children were running all around without any supervision while their parents and guardians were meeting and exchanging stories with old friends. In the picnic grounds, children were playing near the water without any supervision and I had to watch some of them out of concern. May Allah forbid, but a single grave incident could have marred the whole occasion. Therefore, let us give this issue a serious thought and bring some outside security personnel to watch over the children the next time we have our annual gathering.
This critical piece is written with the best of intentions to correct our errors and to prepare us for the next event with the experience we have gained. I would like to know the views of the organizers if they have achieved everything they planned for. And it would have been a good practice if past organizers left the summation of their adventure for the next group to learn from. We should try to be very critical of our work and try to improve upon it by accepting and correcting our errors. That is the only way we can go on improving upon what we have achieved.
Meges
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