Maine’s newest communities bring with them a rich tradition of celebrating independence, rooted in emotional stories of local resistance against English, French and Italian colonizers back home. In Somalia, where independence was also commemorated this week, on July 1, survivors of the conflicts that drove out European colonizers share their experiences on radio broadcasts.
While Somalia’s independence day isn’t marked with barbecues or fireworks, the Fourth of July in America has become an exciting time for New Mainers to gather with friends and family, enjoying picnics and barbecues in parks filled with traditional American dishes like potato salad, corn on the cob and apple pie.
As the sun sets, anticipation builds for fireworks displays across Maine, including at Portland’s waterfront, where the sky becomes a canvas of shimmering lights symbolizing freedom and resilience. While the fireworks can trigger memories of civil war for some survivors like myself, Mainers embrace the celebration with collective joy and pride in their hard-won liberty. Personally, I stay home during the fireworks, but enjoy watching footage of the vibrant displays on the news.
Abdi Nor Iftin is a Somali-American writer, radio journalist and public speaker. He lives in Yarmouth and can be contacted at noriftin@gmail.com.
New Mainers deeply cherish this day in America, a country renowned for its freedoms and opportunities. Unlike Christmas or Thanksgiving where New Mainers are divided on whether we want to celebrate fully or if that contradicts our values and faith, Independence Day resonates with immigrants whose countries were once colonized by Europeans. Freedom is a central concept to our home countries, and this connection to America’s experience of independence inspires us.
Sharing our stories becomes a powerful way for us to celebrate together.
My favorite story to recount is my mother’s recollection about Somalia’s independence in the 1960s from Italy and England. She vividly recalls encountering the “skinless people” – the English and Italians colonizing Somalia simultaneously who roamed around the Somali countryside scaring the livestock. Somalia’s independence, only 64 years ago, remains fresh with living survivors.
Growing up in Somalia, I played amidst the remnants of statues honoring freedom fighters that were sadly destroyed during the civil war. One statue bore the inscription “Hawo Tako fought with shovel and ax,” commemorating the courageous woman who led resistance against Italian and English forces. It’s disheartening that part of her statue remains missing and unrepaired, and that the freedom she fought for was overshadowed by the subsequent civil war.
Celebrating both independences here in Maine is a way of being resilient and bringing hope for freedom to those who are desperately in need of it. Reflecting on America’s 248-year-old independence, my own immigrant story and those of others unable to celebrate in their homelands adds depth to the narrative and underscores the importance of a nation’s history.
I enjoy the American tradition of sharing food at barbecues on is the Fourth of July. African communities celebrate independence by showcasing traditional attire and re-creating the makeshift huts reminiscent of our grandparents’ upbringing. These traditions highlight the resilience of cultures that survived European attempts to impose languages and customs.
Sharing stories, food and traditional celebrations fosters joy and connections as we commemorate our shared values of freedom and independence. It also prompts reflection on what defines American identity – what did the English try to erase, yet we preserved? This Fourth, as we celebrate amidst fireworks and feasts, let us embrace the diversity of our stories and honor the freedoms that bring us together as Americans.
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