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Maps (1986) by Narrudin Farah is a novel that traces Askar, the main character's coming of age in the Somali Civil War. Askar is a Somalian foster child, raised in an Somalian household by his Ethiopian foster mother, Misra, in the backdrop of the Ogaden Civil War. The novel uses physical maps to bring into question the nature of national identity, and can be viewed as a representation of Third World Africa that resists and conforms to narratives of post-colonial Africa. Plot- Background Maps meaning Form

Plot The plot traces Askar's coming of age as a metaphor for a nation (Somalia's) coming of age. The book starts with Askar recounting growing up with Misra. She bathes him, feeds him, sings lullabies to him, takes care of him and their relationship is tender and caring. At the age of 17, he goes to university in Mogadishu, and lives with his Uncle Hilaal and his aunt Salaado. There he writes letters to Misra, and begins to hear rumors about his mother who he tenderly loves. He learns she is Ethiopian, a refugee of the country they are fighting against, and may have been sleeping with the enemy. Misra and Askar are reunited in Mogadishu, but their relationship is strained. Askar feels as though he must choose whether his loyalties are with the Ethiopian Misra and his country. When Misra disappears and for three days Askar searches for her. Salaado finds her body in the mortuary, murdered in a traditional manner used for traitors.

Background- Narrudin Farah wrote the novel in the time of the Ogaden conflict (1973-present) This civil war between Ethiopia and Somalis is referenced numerously throughout the book (pg. 122, 189) in a way that makes it the reality, the backdrop. The war is a good example of a post-colonial relationship between the first and second worlds, and the third world. The United States and the Soviet Union intermittently funded first the Somali National Army (SNA-referenced in the book), then the Ethiopian army in order to exact post-colonial tactics to economically and politically hold influence in the nations. The Soviet Army gave so much military aid that the small SNA had 3 times the tank size of the Ethiopian government. These tactics are post-colonial, because Ethiopia/Somali area gained its independence in the 1960’s from the British, but British, Italian, and Soviet Union forces have used money, guns and humanitarian aid in order to exact political and economic influence. The Ogaden conflict killed over 1 million people and has created a diaspora of displaced Somali/Ethiopian people both as refugees in each country, and throughout the world.

Maps Meaning All while growing up, Askar collects maps and traces his country's progress in the war, based on their expanding borders. Physical maps are used as an allegory to national identity, because it is a representation of the true identity, but can be changed and constructed for ill will. Maps change based on who draws them, wars about borders, and who the maps were drawn for.

Form Narrudin Farah uses a number of form techniques in order to illustrate the disorienting identity and time effects of post-colonialism. First, in order to illustrate disorienting identity effects of post-colonialism, the novel switches between different narrative forms and voices, most notably in second person narrative. "You sit in a contemplative posture, your features agonized and your expression pained; (pg. 1)". It uses epistolary letters written to Misra, first-person limited from Askar's point of view and third person omniscient. These voices are switched between in order to bring the reader closer to the identity of the main character, to create interiority of thought, and to show Askar’s creation as a reluctant Somalian patriot. Second, in order to illustrate the disorienting time effects of post-colonialism, the novel is written in Askar's memory, his current experience, and in chronologically different time periods. It starts with Askar recounting growing up with Misra, but in a memory that knows about things he cannot know at seven years old. In this manner, much of the story is recollection, other parts are future knowledge. The dizzying switch between unchronological stories shows how memory is reconstructed to fit what is true now, particularly in the context of post-colonial Somalia.