Sociocultural & leadership transmission in the Somali diaspora: Community values, cohesion, family unity & patriarchal leadership

This research explores the Somali Diaspora community in Ottawa, Canada’s intercultural understanding between their homeland and their host country. The task of this limited study is to assess the changes occurring in the contemporary Somali diaspora culture and changes in leadership perceptions, particularly those of male leadership, and changes in family integration, community cohesion and solidarity, and the transmission of cultural values across generations. This research confirms that changes did occur in the Somali Diaspora community in various ways, including family dynamics, community cohesion and the concept of transmitting cultural values to their younger generation. Themes are identified by the participants, including sociocultural impediments, which were further identified as: Language barriers, Lack of financial resources, Lack of quality time, and Lack of community programs. The study concludes that elders and male Somali Diaspora parents are aware of their cultural role and are connected to the culture in general; however, they do not adequately transmit their cultural values to their children. The study also identified a few insights concerning clan relations, intergenerational interaction, and community structure. In order to develop a description of the community members’ own experiences, this study utilized a qualitative research methodology to collect data and further develop the main focus on cultural values, integration, and leadership as communities’ transition from one culture to another. The participants were contacted through the "snowballing" technique that led to communicating with more participants through the assistance of the pre-selected participants. The results of the study should be treated as preliminary, and areas in need of further research are identified.