‘Last Nomad’ Recalls Rituals, Hardships and Beauty of a Childhood in the Somali Desert

KQED's Forum

KQED

Politics, News, News Commentary

4.6 • 656 Ratings

🗓️ 4 August 2021

⏱️ 22 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

“Right now,” writes Shugri Said Salh at the outset of her new memoir, “I should be married to an old nomadic man, leading a nasty-tempered camel through the desert in search of water.” That’s if war and family circumstances had not wrested Salh from her nomadic childhood in the Somali desert, sending her on a migratory journey that ended in Northern California. We’ll talk to Salh about her life’s arc as a goat herder, a refugee and a suburban mother of three -- and how her early nomadic years inform her daily life now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Support for KQED podcasts comes from San Francisco International Airport.
0:05.3	You can fly back in time and visit SFO's Aviation Museum and Library to learn about the history of commercial aviation.
0:12.2	No boarding pass needed. Learn more at flysafo.com slash museum.
0:17.0	Support for forum comes from Broadway SF, presenting Parade, the musical revival based on a true story.
0:24.8	From three-time Tony-winning composer Jason Robert Brown comes the story of Leo and Lucille Frank,
0:31.2	a newlywed Jewish couple struggling to make a life in Georgia. When Leo is accused of an
0:36.9	unspeakable crime, it propels them into an
0:39.7	unimaginable test of faith, humanity, justice, and devotion. The riveting and gloriously hopeful
0:47.1	parade plays the Orpheum Theater for three weeks only, May 20th through June 8th. Tickets
0:53.6	on sale now at Broadwaysf.com.
0:58.3	From KQED.
1:00.6	Welcome back to Forum. I'm Mina Kim. Right now, writes Shagri Saeed Sal, I should be married to an old nomadic man leading a nasty tempered camel through the desert in search of water.
1:13.1	That's if war and family circumstances had not rested Sal from her nomadic childhood in the Somali desert,
1:19.2	sending her on a migratory journey that ends in Northern California.
1:23.2	Saul's memoir is out today and titled The Last Nomad.
1:27.4	Shagri Saeed Sal, thanks so much for joining us.
1:30.3	Oh, thank you, Mina. How are you?
1:33.3	I'm well.
1:34.3	It's a pleasure to have you on.
1:36.3	And I'm struck by the title of your book.
1:40.3	Why was the last nomad a fitting title for your memoir?
1:44.5	Why last?
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from KQED, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of KQED and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.