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When the Music's Over: Intervention, Aid and Somalia
A gritty and moving personal account of the struggle to provide humanitarian relief during Operation Restore Hope in war-torn Somalia.
In 1993, Gareth Owen volunteered to go to Somalia with an Irish aid agency.
Located in a remote desert outpost, he encountered the brutality of conflict and famine and experienced the hardships and struggles of an extraordinary race of desert warriors. He rubbed shoulders with the French Foreign Legion and Greek Special Forces and worked alongside a band of international aid workers striving to feed the Somali people. And as the country began to recover, he found himself losing connection with the Somalis as their resentment towards the international presence grew and violent confrontation erupted.
In this accessible and engaging memoir, Owen, now Humanitarian Director at Save the Children UK, recounts the entanglement of violence and humanity at the heart of this notorious peacekeeping operation. This is a story of human resilience and contradictory friendships, of loyalty, courage and extraordinary endeavour — but mostly it is a story about the meaning of human connection in desperate circumstances.
Part memoir, part history and part politics, When the Music's Over sees beyond the criticism of humanitarian intervention and challenges us to consider the enduring importance of international solidarity in a world where notions of common humanity and universal peace are increasingly being abandoned.
In 1993, Gareth Owen volunteered to go to Somalia with an Irish aid agency.
Located in a remote desert outpost, he encountered the brutality of conflict and famine and experienced the hardships and struggles of an extraordinary race of desert warriors. He rubbed shoulders with the French Foreign Legion and Greek Special Forces and worked alongside a band of international aid workers striving to feed the Somali people. And as the country began to recover, he found himself losing connection with the Somalis as their resentment towards the international presence grew and violent confrontation erupted.
In this accessible and engaging memoir, Owen, now Humanitarian Director at Save the Children UK, recounts the entanglement of violence and humanity at the heart of this notorious peacekeeping operation. This is a story of human resilience and contradictory friendships, of loyalty, courage and extraordinary endeavour — but mostly it is a story about the meaning of human connection in desperate circumstances.
Part memoir, part history and part politics, When the Music's Over sees beyond the criticism of humanitarian intervention and challenges us to consider the enduring importance of international solidarity in a world where notions of common humanity and universal peace are increasingly being abandoned.
- GenresNonfictionAfrica
296 pages, Paperback
Published June 14, 2022
2 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
About the author
Gareth Owen
73 books4 followersGareth Owen graduated from Bangor University in 1994 with a Honours Degree in Applied Physics. He wondered what he might do ... perhaps some top job in nuclear research, or become an academic postulating mind boggling theories. But no, instead he took the next logical step and entered the film industry. Doesn't everyone?
After organising British Film Day in April 1994 at Pinewood, within two months of graduation the studio was to become his new home from home.
He set up a small production company, and served as Executive Producer on acclaimed comedy (i.e., no one ever saw it) A Fistful Of Fingers. He has since found greater success in writing. In 2000 his official history of Pinewood Studios, The Pinewood Story, was published. It was swiftly followed by a biography of special effects genius Albert J Luxford The Gimmick Man, and Roger Moore's career biography, fittingly entitled Roger Moore: His Films And Career. A couple of other projects are underway, along with writing for industry periodical British Film & TV Production Magazine.
He considers himself an expert on all things James Bond and can bore for England on British comedy films.
After organising British Film Day in April 1994 at Pinewood, within two months of graduation the studio was to become his new home from home.
He set up a small production company, and served as Executive Producer on acclaimed comedy (i.e., no one ever saw it) A Fistful Of Fingers. He has since found greater success in writing. In 2000 his official history of Pinewood Studios, The Pinewood Story, was published. It was swiftly followed by a biography of special effects genius Albert J Luxford The Gimmick Man, and Roger Moore's career biography, fittingly entitled Roger Moore: His Films And Career. A couple of other projects are underway, along with writing for industry periodical British Film & TV Production Magazine.
He considers himself an expert on all things James Bond and can bore for England on British comedy films.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 27, 2022
Trigger warnings: war, blood, gun violence, death, death of a friend, mental health, racism
This is the author's memoir of his time as an aid worker in Somalia during the 1990s. I thought it would be a good choice for my Read Around the World challenge because essentially all I know about Somalia comes from Black Hawk Down, and I figured this would given me a different - and less pro-American military - insight into what was happening in Somalia at the time.
And, like, yes, I did get that. But I also got a LOT of information about Owen's romantic choices and friendships and drinking habits while he was working in Somalia. And I appreciate that that was his experience and that he's just recounting those experiences. But at the same time, I wanted more information about what life was like for the Somali people at the time. You know?
This is the author's memoir of his time as an aid worker in Somalia during the 1990s. I thought it would be a good choice for my Read Around the World challenge because essentially all I know about Somalia comes from Black Hawk Down, and I figured this would given me a different - and less pro-American military - insight into what was happening in Somalia at the time.
And, like, yes, I did get that. But I also got a LOT of information about Owen's romantic choices and friendships and drinking habits while he was working in Somalia. And I appreciate that that was his experience and that he's just recounting those experiences. But at the same time, I wanted more information about what life was like for the Somali people at the time. You know?
October 23, 2022
Our coping strategy was to drink heavily whenever we could lay our hands on alcohol, which was surprisingly often for a dry Muslim country. In such an utterly debilitating environment, it was little wonder we became ill with fevers".
Owen writes about the controversial workings of international aid projects - focused on his first trip to Somalia, as a local British man with no relevant experience. He touches on a lot of the concerns around today, including the absence of cultural awareness, questionable relationships started between aid workers and local citizens and sometimes brute force used in an ironic 'bombing for peace' stance. Sadly the book falls short though, where valid concerns are then overlooked by long, arduous tales of inappropriate debauchery and hedonism, prioritising group fun over the actual mission at hand.
I loved the short anecdotes where real Rayban glasses were suddenly on sale for less than a passport as so many were masterfully pinched from US soldiers under orders to avoid retaliation, but struggled to work through the almost confusing key plot line. Owens is on the cusp of almost denouncing aid work, admitting to overspending with generous budgets, creating dependencies in local towns on 'the aid gravy train' and to be honest, an absence of skills and focus on the ground. But this is later counteracted by criticism that the "nationalisation" of aid work - letting local citizens take charge - is short sighted and at significantly higher risk of falling foul of local politics. This is almost comically close to his open admission that himself, along with others who had been base in Somalia for extended periods of time didn't understand the politics well enough to know why Aideed had become such a singular target of deadly US rage", giving an example surrounding one of many current events that local aid workers were oblivious to.
The book fascinated me as an inner working of the aid system in the 1990's, but as my professor in China once shared during an International Relations class.- who benefits most from aid, those who receive or the industry propped up on the need for disaster? This book exemplified the tricky nature of such a controversial employment area - and the toll it takes on the human psyche. On the plus side, I learnt a lot more about Somalia by reading through the lines, skipping the generalised commons on a Somali's appearance and focusing on the more respectful commentary saved for those employed by the charity.
Thank you to NetGalley for the book.
Owen writes about the controversial workings of international aid projects - focused on his first trip to Somalia, as a local British man with no relevant experience. He touches on a lot of the concerns around today, including the absence of cultural awareness, questionable relationships started between aid workers and local citizens and sometimes brute force used in an ironic 'bombing for peace' stance. Sadly the book falls short though, where valid concerns are then overlooked by long, arduous tales of inappropriate debauchery and hedonism, prioritising group fun over the actual mission at hand.
I loved the short anecdotes where real Rayban glasses were suddenly on sale for less than a passport as so many were masterfully pinched from US soldiers under orders to avoid retaliation, but struggled to work through the almost confusing key plot line. Owens is on the cusp of almost denouncing aid work, admitting to overspending with generous budgets, creating dependencies in local towns on 'the aid gravy train' and to be honest, an absence of skills and focus on the ground. But this is later counteracted by criticism that the "nationalisation" of aid work - letting local citizens take charge - is short sighted and at significantly higher risk of falling foul of local politics. This is almost comically close to his open admission that himself, along with others who had been base in Somalia for extended periods of time didn't understand the politics well enough to know why Aideed had become such a singular target of deadly US rage", giving an example surrounding one of many current events that local aid workers were oblivious to.
The book fascinated me as an inner working of the aid system in the 1990's, but as my professor in China once shared during an International Relations class.- who benefits most from aid, those who receive or the industry propped up on the need for disaster? This book exemplified the tricky nature of such a controversial employment area - and the toll it takes on the human psyche. On the plus side, I learnt a lot more about Somalia by reading through the lines, skipping the generalised commons on a Somali's appearance and focusing on the more respectful commentary saved for those employed by the charity.
Thank you to NetGalley for the book.
August 23, 2023
Had to start my goodreads account back up just to shout out this book. An excellent memoir about a rarley reported on time, place and world. This is an intimate look at the private world of international aid during one of its most defining historical moments, the fall of Siad Barre, subsequent famine, failed military intervention by the United States and the following civil war. This book covers the grand politic elements of Somali world as well as Owen's personal experiences. This book is fantastic and one of the best I've read this year
June 16, 2022
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The story of Gareth Own and his struggle to provide humanitarian relief in the violence of early 1990s Somalia. Violence and brutality mixed with the honesty and courage of humanity and their desperation.
The story of Gareth Own and his struggle to provide humanitarian relief in the violence of early 1990s Somalia. Violence and brutality mixed with the honesty and courage of humanity and their desperation.
August 18, 2022
An interesting look at life as an overseas aid worker in a difficult and brutal situation. Certainly not an easy topic to read.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews