Ahmed Duale

When Ahmed Duale first arrived in Britain in 1991, he thought the war at home would be over in a few days, but as he observed, ‘everyone I knew was coming out’. He was luckier than most - he was well connected. His father was a chief, his uncle a head teacher and Ahmed had recently graduated with a good degree in English literature from Somalia National University. His promising career as a junior diplomat in the foreign office enabled him to leave war-torn Mogadishu for Abu Dhabi with a visa. He also had family in both Cardiff and in Bristol; he was related to Ahmed Issa.

Like many well-educated refugees before him, his qualifications did not cut much ice in Britain. After eight months selling encyclopaedias in London, he came to Bristol, staying in a refugee hostel in Trelawney Road, Cotham. His paper qualifications were not recognised, and while the Home Office considered his application for ‘leave to remain’ he stacked shelves at a Safeway depot for two years, and attended Brunel College to become an electrical installation engineer.

Two years later, the Home Office offered him exceptional leave to remain; luck was with him again when two Somali academics came to England in time to provide the references he needed to enrol for an M.Phil. in International Development at Bristol University. His fiancée eventually arrived from Djibouti Jibui in 1995, and Ahmed Duale was able to find more congenial work.