Today I was flicking through my social media feed when a striking photo came up. It was the face of a woman and something about her just made me want to learn who she was and why she looked like she could cause grown men to cry at 50 paces.
Isn't she stunning? I wouldn't mess with her, but she is just beautiful in all the ways a woman should be.
I have done a lot of reading about Mama Hawa since I saw her photo - if anyone is looking for a Christmas gift for me I would LOVE to read her book - but I can't write anything as succinct as this article.
One of the biggest threats to Hawa's camp came in May of 2010, when a rampaging band of 750 Somali pirate motherfuckers showed up at her front door with AKs, RPGs, and mortar launchers, demanding that Dr. Hawa come out and surrender the hospital. Hawa Abdi, 63, unarmed, walked out there to meet them. She told them to get lost. They said they needed to talk. She invited their leaders to dinner – a pretty generous offer that I have no doubt had all of those assholes' heads spinning. While they were considering the offer, she sent the word out for the women in the hospital to get their shit together and sneak out as quickly as possible, a move that probably saved a shitload of lives.
At dinner, the leaders of the militia told Mama Hawa that since she was a woman she had no business running anything. She told them, "I've been working for the country for the past 20 years. What have you done?"
This didn't go over well.
The militia terrorist baby-kickers attacked, opened fire with machine guns, mortars, and rocket launchers, shot the place up, looted everything worth looting, broke every generator and piece of medical equipment they could find, beat a bunch of people up, and took the men, women, and children inside prisoner. Dr. Hawa was thrown under house arrest, barricaded in her room by armed guards. They told her to sign the papers and hand over her shit. She told them to get fucked. They told her not to do interviews. She got a cell phone and gave interviews to anyone who would listen.
I have such a passion for people who are willing to live outside of themselves. Especially when they are kicking it for justice and righteousness the way that this lady is.
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