A new chapter in Somali literary and cultural life will unfold in Gothenburg this weekend, as author and former senior Somali government official Fahad Yasin prepares to unveil his latest book, Wadaad iyo Waranle, at Gothenburg’s annual book fair in Sweden.
The Somali language book will receive its first public unveiling in Sweden at the annual Gothenburg Book Fair, where Yasin is expected to meet readers, sign copies and introduce the work to the Somali-speaking literary community and wider audiences attending the event.
The gathering is being organised by Shabelle Bookshop, under the leadership of its manager, Ahmed Mohamed Sheikh Noor (Carrabey), and is expected to bring together readers, writers, intellectuals and members of the Somali diaspora.
For Fahad, the Gothenburg launch marks an important moment for Wadaad iyo Waranle, bringing the book directly to readers in one of Scandinavia’s most active Somali communities.
From religious teacher to journalist, intelligence chief and author Fahad Yasin’s career has traversed some of the most influential worlds in contemporary Somali public life: religion, journalism and politics.
Born in the late 1970s, Yasin began his professional journey in religious education. He studied Islamic scholarship under prominent religious scholars before becoming a Qur’an teacher and establishing several Qur’anic schools.
He later served as an imam, leading daily prayers and Taraweeh prayers for many years. A number of students who attended the schools he established went on to memorise the Qur’an in its entirety.
Before entering government, Yasin worked as an editor at the influential Somali website SomaliTalk.com, where he regularly published political analysis and serialised stories that attracted a significant readership.
He later became the first Somali journalist to work for the international television network Al Jazeera, spending over 10 years with the global media organisation.
His career at Al Jazeera developed from reporting into management. He eventually became head of the network’s East Africa bureau, overseeing media operations across six countries, before moving to Al Jazeera’s research institute, where he produced research on regional and international affairs.
Fahad Yasin also contributed political and social commentary to prominent Arabic-language publications including Asharq Al-Awsat, Al-Quds Al-Arabi and Al-Furqan, and worked as an independent correspondent for the Arabic service of the BBC.
Fahad later moved from journalism into Somalia’s political and security establishment. His most recent government position was National Security Adviser to former Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmaajo.
He also served as Director of the Office of the President, Deputy Director of Somalia’s intelligence service, and later as Director General of the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA). His government career placed him at the centre of debates over national security, state-building and Somalia’s wider political strategy.
It is this unusually broad professional journey; from religious scholarship and Qur’anic education to international journalism and the highest levels of Somalia’s security establishment, that gives Fahad’s literary work a distinctive context.
Yasin is also an established author and has written several books. His first book, Sooyaalka Suubanaha, explored the life and biography of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Wadaad iyo Waranle will now join that body of work, alongside Sooyaalka Suubbanaha: Dhacdooyin iyo Dhammaallo, which was previously unveiled in Nairobi and Mogadishu.
Readers attending the Gothenburg event will have an opportunity to obtain signed copies of the books directly from the author.
The decision to unveil Wadaad iyo Waranle in Sweden gives the launch an added cultural dimension. Gothenburg has a sizeable Somali community and has become an important meeting point for Somali cultural, literary and community activities in Scandinavia. The book fair offers Fahad an opportunity not simply to launch a new title, but to reconnect with readers and audiences outside Somalia.
The event is scheduled for Saturday, 5 September 2026, at Medborgarhuset, Brahegatan 11, 415 04 Gothenburg, beginning at 4pm. Fahad Yasin has also extended a personal welcome to readers and participants, with plans to sign copies of Wadaad iyo Waranleand Sooyaalka Suubbanaha: Dhacdooyin iyo Dhammaallo at the event.
For Somali literature in Sweden, it promises to be more than a book signing: it is a meeting between an author with an unusually varied public life and a diaspora readership eager for new Somali writing. And for Wadaad iyo Waranle, Gothenburg will be where its next chapter begins.