by
JENNY CHU
Somalia, home to some 7 million people, sits on the Horn of Africa surrounded by the Gulf of Aden to the north, the Indian Ocean to the east, and the countries of Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya to the west. Droughts are common in this semi-arid land, where pastoral nomadism is the lifestyle of roughly 70% of the population. Main exports are bananas, animal hides, livestock and meat. Life expectancy is between 45-49 years.
I was immediately intrigued by the Somali character. As Jeanne D'Haen wrote in "The Last Camel," The best trait of the Somali people - independence and a strong will to survive under any circumstances - has been honed for centuries in the difficult, unforgiving climate. The struggle for water rights is not won by the indecisive or the passive
She goes on to say, "Ironically, however, these traditional Somali strengths are a weakness as they confront a world in which machine guns have replaced sticks and shouting. Aggressive tendencies ensured survival in the nomadic societies of the past, but ... have played a large part in creating the current chaos in that country."
Remnants of used weaponary lay to rust, as camels make their way to a watering hole next to the airstrip in Xuddur. Arms and ammunition continue to enter Somalia from around the world, despite a failed UN arms embargo set up in 1992.
The semi arid climate of Somalia has, for centuries, been home to a society based on pastoral nomadism. Camels, capable of going without water for weeks, traveling up to 30 miles daily, and carrying 300-900lbs each, are ideal for a lifestyle where families often have to pack up their aquals, round portable homes, to travel long distances in search of water and pasture for their animals
The camel is a symbol of wealth and prestige in Somali society. They are the currency for diya, "blood money", with which clan feuds are resolved, or yarad, "bride wealth" paid by the groom's family prior to marriage. They provide milk and meat, and are the most practical means for nomadic rovings.
Women are charged with the task of packing and unpacking their homes and belongings when migrating to other pasturelands or watering holes. They also have the duties of making utensils, rope, mats, rugs, fetching firewood and water, preparing meals, processing pastoral products, and caring for their cattle, sheep and goats.
Aquals, or bush homes, are highly portable. The domed huts are made of bent acacia branches covered with woven mats and are surrounded by thorny bush fences for protection.
Acacia trees make up most of the woodland areas which comprise a mere 9% of Somalia. Deforestation has occurred due to a demand for charcoal exports to the Gulf states, overgrazing and drought. This, in turn, causes what little arable soil there is to erode in a process called "desertification
In 1960, following independence from the British in the north and Italy in the south, the country attempted unification as the Somali Republic. But politics could not be separated from clan tensions which continued to fragment any centralized government. Furthermore, territorial claims on Somali-inhabited areas of Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti stifled attempts for economic and social development
Since 1991, Somalia has existed without an effective national government. Lack of ability to combat famine and drought in the early 90's claimed 300,000 lives. During more than a decade of civil war, all government buildings have been destroyed and lay in ruins throughout the desolate landscape
Somalia is one of the most homogeneous societies I have seen. They have such an strong sense of cultural identity because they share the same religion of Islam, speak the same language, relate to the same poetry, and subsist from a camel economy. This nationalistic view has led to confrontations with neighboring countries while trying to reclaim land lost through colonialism.
A Somalian woman's honor,intrinsically linked with that of her family, is predominately dependent on the preservation of her virginity until marriage. All Somali women undergo female circumcision and infibulation between the ages of 6 and 10 yrs. old. This curtails any sexual sensitivity and, in most cases, ensures virginity or purity by the time a girl is first married.
