The National Association for Poetry Therapy Presents
Godob poetry and social justice: potential of Somali indigenous verse to provide healing in contemporary American society
facilitated by Dr. Ana Ljubinkovic
Workshop Description:
When introduced to the idea that justice could be administered with the use of poetry instead of courts, prisons, or death penalty, many of us in the Western world might be surprised. But within the Somali culture, this is a rather familiar concept. Since ancient times, Somalis have used poetry to condemn wrongdoings, punish offenders, and restore justice. This workshop, led by Dr. Ana Ljubinkovic, explores the creative justice system reflected in Somali indigenous godob-poetry and investigates its potential to inspire innovative perspectives on justice within the Western world.
The workshop is divided into two sections. The first, didactic session, will introduce the Somali concept of godob - a state of ‘unsatisfied justice’ following a wrongdoing - before presenting an analysis of godob-poetry and its disciplining tools, such as scorn, diatribe, and humor. This didactic portion of the workshop will be recorded for later viewing by those who have registered.
The second, interactive session, will invite participants to create godob-poetry and reflect on its possible justice-related effects in contemporary American society.
Dr. Ana Ljubinkovic is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at California State University, Stanislaus, and an external academic examiner for the MA in Refugee Care at the University of Essex, UK. Her research interests focus on trauma, collective violence, refugeehood, and the role of poetry in promoting psychological healing. Ana has previously taught at MA programs in Human Rights (UK), MA in Refugee Care (UK) and MA in Peace Education (Italy). As a consultant to the United Nations and other organizations in Africa and the Middle East, she worked in the area of psychosocial and mental health support for refugee populations with a focus on promoting traditional forms of art within the processes of trauma healing. Her work has been published in the Journal of Poetry Therapy and includes the articles Healing dimensions of Somali poetry in response to military humanitarian intervention and Therapeutic role of Somali humor in digesting military humanitarian intervention. Her latest publication, Bards of Dadaab: Oral poetry and psychological healing among Somali refugees in Kenya, explores the therapeutic role of Somali oral verse in coping with protracted exile. She conducted workshops at NAPT Conferences in 2024 and 2025.
Date: September 25, 2025
Time: 3:00pm - 4:30pm (EST)
Venue: Zoom
Host: Ashley Schaaf ashley@poetrytherapy.org
Registration: https://poetrytherapy.org/event-6320290
Members — $10
Non-Members — $25
* Funds from all our virtual events support our conference scholarship fund.
