(Edmonton, Alberta.   March 16,  2009 Ceegaag Online) 

When a Somali-born hip-hop artist rolls through Edmonton, Somali teens know it's not just another music act but a chance for their community to shine beyond stereotypes of gangs and guns.

K'naan -- born in Mogadishu, based in Toronto and profiled in magazines like Rolling Stone -- met a group of local Somali-Canadian youth before his Saturday night concert on Whyte Avenue.

It was as though a rock star and a role model had walked into the room.

"He's definitely breaking some borders and crossing some boundaries that haven't been crossed yet. With the new generation of Somalis, there should be more people like that to look to," said Liban Farah, 17, a "huge fan" of K'naan's music.

The soft-spoken artist, whose rhymes delve into immigrant struggles and childhood experiences in a war zone, elicited big smiles from the group. There were also pointed questions: When did he start his career? How did his musical star rise? What does he think of artists whose work portrays negative images and other "bad stuff"?

"Different people have different motivations," K'naan said, adding money can be the main one.

"It's one thing to talk about changing that. It's something else to take action and do something else."

About a dozen youth were at the event. Even those who aren't hip-hop fans, such as 16-year-old Ladan Omar, said seeing a member of the Somali community earn widespread praise and fame is important.

"Lots of kids listen to rap. So, to know that kids could look up to him? It kind of feels good."

The teens are part of a year-long leadership program organized by the Somali Canadian Education and Rural Development Organization. The focus is on personal development and civic engagement.

Edmonton's Somali community is 8,000 strong, relatively young, and plagued by the murders of five young men last year alone.

Bashir Ahmed, who heads the organization, hopes the community will follow in the footsteps of more established immigrant groups that have developed businesses and a political presence in the city.

"In the long run, the Somali community is willing to join the other parts of Canada to become councillors and federal MPs," he said.

"We have the ambitions and the hope. But it needs commitment, determination and hard work."

For the teenagers who have signed up for the program, it's a good chance to figure out exactly what it means to be part of a Somali community in Canada. They attend schools with teens whose parents come from around the world. They don't always hang out with other Somalis, but know it's important to have ties with them.

"I think it's important to have a strong community, with the violence, so that people know that not everyone is part of a gang. That we can be leaders and stuff," Omar said.

"Back in Somalia, there's lots of fights. So it's important to come together here," said 16-year-old Zak Mohmed.

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