Colonial humiliation reinforced young Osman’s determination to become literate

Evidence

During the following two years, Osman worked as a “boy” at several plantations in the Janale district. He wanted to start studying again, but there was no opportunity. Osman could not afford paper and so occasionally scribbled on walls to practice writing. One day the plantation owner caught him writing his name on a wall and screamed profanities. The insult simply reinforced his wish to become literate. — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 140