Studying K’Naan’s “Soobax” has been one of my favourite parts of the course thus far. K’Naan’s song “Waving Flag” left a great impact on me in my early life (in grade five, when I was ten years old, to be exact) and I feel as though his work resonates with me due to this memory and influence. I feel connected to him. I dove into “Soobax” to a great extent, as his lyrics as well as the music surprised and interested me. So far, I have found that the focus when speaking about refugee narratives has been on the countries where people are going. “Soobax” focuses instead on the country that K’Naan left. K’Naan’s home country is Somalia, and “soobax” is a Somali word meaning “come out.” K’Naan is speaking to the warlords in Somalia and singing about the effect they have had not only on his future but the future and state of his beloved country. The music video is meant to be a celebration of the country of Somalia, with colourful footage of the citizens dancing, playing and singing. This allows viewers to reimagine Somalia outside of their own understanding of it as a war-torn and dangerous country. The lyrics and music are mourning for what Somalia used to be before the civil war corrupted its beauty. You can also witness this critique in the music video when footage of poverty or war are intermittently displayed between the other scenes of joy or beauty. K’Naan is strongly critiquing what the country has become but doing so because it was once an incredible place, and he longs to return to the glorious home he remembers. He is calling for Somalia’s return to glory, mourning what it has become, and telling the warlords to “get out.”