In 2017, social debater Sumaya Jirde Ali was advised by a friend to write down all the racist remarks and incidents she is regularly exposed to, primarily for herself. The idea was for Ali to process the injustice she regularly experiences as a visible Muslim woman, as a Norwegian-Somali – as young and active in the social debate, and as a black body in a room, on a bus, in a primary school lesson. Ali took that advice seriously in December 2022. The result is this book. She writes that it was created during serious mental illness, which came as a result of media pressure and incitement over a long period of time. Ali goes chronologically and clearly through formative individual episodes where she has been the recipient of a dehumanizing view. There are children, there are teachers – strangers on the street and acquaintances in closed rooms – who put Ali’s body on alert. The content is strong, but the presentation falters. These scenes are shocking enough in themselves, but when Ali then proceeds to explain, the result is obvious and unliterary. Sumaya Jirde Ali Photo: Ole Dalen / news Born 9 December 1997 Came to Bodø from Somalia as a refugee when she was 7 years old. Has previously written three poetry collections, including “Ikkje ver redd sike som meg”, and a play, and was editor of the journal Fett. Ended up in a media storm in 2022 after she reported comedian Atle Antonsen for racist remarks and threatening behavior at a nightclub in Oslo. The case became a big news story, and Antonsen publicly apologized for his behaviour, but the case was dropped. Sources: SNL/news. Self-therapy The book is categorized as “diary entries”, but this is not a diary. This is a moment of reminiscence focused on concrete experiences of being looked at and seen as a black body. This is the story of the profoundly harmful effect racism has on an individual, what a trauma it is to be dehumanized from childhood, and the slow understanding of what the wordless discomfort actually lay in. Ali’s project has a clear self-therapeutic purpose. It’s no wonder. As a nineteen-year-old, she set off a violence alarm after specific threats of serious violence, and in the book we observe a picture of post-traumatic symptoms: dissociation, memory loss, dysregulated nervous system. The self-therapy is expressed by the present-day Sumaya speaking to her (or her) younger self by referring to her as “you” and speaking to her as “I”. Talking to the child in itself is a therapy classic, an effective exercise to dissolve shame frozen in the self and thus create inner coherence and a sense of security. At times it is insightful, especially where Ali wisely reflects on being a young and exposed social debater. Other times it is less engaging reading, as it can often be when reading an inner monologue. Is it good literature? The events we read about are sad, hideous and depressing. People can be so mean, and racism can be so complex and confusing to navigate. The episodes from childhood draw the reader into a scene. Unlike the second half of the book, which is more anecdotal. Here the text loses something it had at the beginning. I suspect that Ali has greater storytelling skills – it shows in glimpses in this book. Ali writes from the point of experience. Where she can bear to go all the way into the hotbed of discomfort, it shines. Nevertheless, there are problems elsewhere. Instances of over-clarity, lack of elegance and explanatory language weaken the text. It is not long since December 2022. Would it really have been so bad to give the project another year? I’m asking the publisher, not Ali. The content is important, but that does not automatically make the book a well-thought-out, completed publication, which it simply is not. “Well-known comedian” The incident that caused Ali to withdraw from the public eye and take care of his own health is not mentioned at the outset. It makes you think she won’t mention it at all. But, eventually, it happens. The reader has so far read cases upon cases of dehumanization, of Ali’s wish to just be left alone, not to have a skin color that she and others have to decide on – but to have “a day that just is”. Then this man, the very famous comedian, comes and says what he says and stops her from leaving the venue. Grabs her by the arm and shouts “shut up”. She gets scared, really scared. It is depressing reading. Atle Antonsen has complained, and the case against him was dismissed. More scared than angry In conclusion, Ali admits that she has never been fearless, as so many refer to her as. She has been more afraid than angry, she sees in retrospect. “A life in a life jacket” is not a spotless book. It nevertheless has some strong moments, both in terms of content and language, and not least it offers insights – also for the reader who cannot relate personally, only humanly, to Ali’s experiences. The message is clear both between the lines and in plain text: “racism is robbery”. It is not difficult to agree. news reviews Photo: Cappelen Damm Title: “A life in a life jacket”. Diary records on Norwegian racism” Author: Sumaya Jirde Ali Publisher: Cappelen Damm Date: 26.10.23 Genre: Diary/non-fiction/debate book Number of pages: 232
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“A life in a life jacket” by Sumaya Jirde Ali – Reviews and recommendations
