Invitation by Sahan Group on the occasion of the fallen soldiers remembrance day : Invitation to the Remembrance Day Celebration Date: Sunday 09th November 201 - Time: 13:00 Venue: The Memorial Gates at the Constitutional Hill Starts here : Dear All, My name is Iman Sheel and I am a film maker and also a member of an organisation called Sahan Society Centre. In partnership with the charity, I produced a documentary called The Forgotten Soldiers, which commemorates the forgotten Somali soldiers who fought for Great Britain during the first and the second world wars. Its central feature is the tale of comradeship and friendship between Captain Eric Wilson VC and Sergeant Omar Kujoog of the Somaliland Camel Corps regiment serving to protect the British Somaliland protectorate during the Second World War. Their time together on the battle front forged a bond between the two men and their families which still endures today. These men have not been given the attention they deserved in any of the official documents and historical literature, many of whom had lost their lives for a country they had not seen and for a King and Queen they had never heard of. The role of Somalis in both the wars and, indeed, the Falklands war, is largely unknown and so we have taken it upon ourselves to research and create the documentary in the memory of their struggles, contributions and achievements. Last year, Sahan Centre had organised a small Remembrance day gathering to commemorate, honour and pay our respects to the members of the armed forces, those from the Somaliland region in particular, who passed away to serve the cause of the British Empire. This was the first ever gathering of its kind and was attended by several members of the Somali community in London along with dignitaries from the Somaliland Government. The gathering was a successful one and the centre intends on organising a similar gathering again this year. People of British Somaliland descent living in the UK will gather at the Constitutional Hill Memorial Gates on Remembrance Sunday this year which falls on the 9th of November 2014. The venue is significant because in November 2002, The Queen officially inaugurated the Memorial Gates on Constitution Hill in London, UK and invited Eric Wilson VC, his son Hamish Wilson (Director of Degmo) and Saleban Kujoog, the son of Sergeant Omar Kujoog. The gathering is a significant landmark and a turning point in the history of Somali heritage in the UK for several reasons. Their stories have never been mentioned in any of the official documents and transcripts in Britain despite Somalis being one of the first African communities to have lived in Britain. It also offers the British public a greater and better understanding of the contributions made by these men during the war with the hope of appreciating their bravery and valuable contributions. It will benefit in particular people of Somali descent who currently live in the UK, who feel disenfranchised and marginalised from the wider community and who are confused with their identity and sense of allegiance. The Remembrance Service will be attended by British and Somaliland diplomats, war veterans, dignitaries and various members of the Somali communities in Britain. If you would like to obtain any further information about the gathering, feel free to contact me to discuss this in greater depth. I look forward to seeing you soon on Sunday the 9th of November at the Memorial Gates on Constitutional Hill. Regards Iman Sheel Sahan Society Centre Ends
Posted on: Mon, 27 Oct 2014 19:49:50 +0000