Out of Africa with Ifrah Ahmed I HAVE a wide circle of friends in Ireland, both Irish and African. We do the usual things – watch movies, go for dinner or shopping, just general girls’ stuff.
I’ve noticed that my African friends are turning Irish, they’ve been here so long. Many of them are into drinking, smoking and partying. At times some of them dress scantily and I say: “Are you going out like that?!”
But I have to accept such changes, because that’s the way they are now. Personally, as a Muslim, I always wear my hijab or headscarf in public, and this will never change. Also, I’m not tempted by alcohol, which is prohibited in Islam. My Irish friend Dermot sometimes jokes with me about drink, he says: “Just test it!” I say: “Excuse me Dermot, if you say that again I’ll slap you.” He replies: “Okay Ms Ifrah, I am sorry.”
As for partying, I doubt it will ever become something that I actually want to do. I remember once I was at a party in Drogheda and this guy grabbed my ass and said: “That’s a real African ass”. I said: “Can you just let it go now?” They are not bad people, but when they’re drunk, they are stupid, and you have to deal with it. I went home straight away and had a shower.
Parties are not my thing at all. My friends don’t like to go out with me because I’m “boring”. I’ll stand and dance where I am – they say “Come out to the dance floor” and I say “No, I’m grand where I am.”
I enjoy movies of every genre. Except scary ones – I don’t like them. If I’m sitting and watching them, sometimes bad memories come back from Somalia. I jump from my seat and people will look at me.
Cooking is one of my favourite activities. I love cooking Somali food, and some friends say I should be a chef. I sometimes think that, one day, I’ll open a Somali restaurant in Ireland. I can cook Somali food really well, and people love my dishes.
Nowadays in Ireland, you can get all the ingredients you need in Asian and Halal shops. My favourite dish is called injera and it’s primarily made from teff flour – it is a bit like a pancake, except much nicer. It is extremely popular in Somalia.
It’s funny, the friends I used to live with would say “Ifrah, we miss you!” and I’d say: “Tell me the truth, you miss the food”. And they said: “Yes, we do.”
Ifrah Ahmed is originally from Mogadishu in Somalia. She is an active promoter of Somali culture and campaigns against female genital mutilation (FGM)
