Tribalism

[Sophisticate]

I have a feeling that snet is predicated on the notion of tribal identity. Anyway, do you think tribal nepotism is a good or bad thing? If you think its bad should it be eradicated ? Let's just say you interject ethnic nepotism instead would this help. Or would regionalism just take its place, or perhaps dialectical differences or micro-cultural variations. Strange hypothetical question, I know.

[Don't get me wrong I know 'tribe' is used as a social safety net back home and indicates who you are related to] lol so don't shoot me for asking.

[GeoSeven]

Bad thing. Should be eradicated.

Nepotism exists everywhere, the close-knit clan culture in Somalia just amplifies it to extremes. In other countries, the nuclear family and their very close relations might consist of 20 people and a politicians nepotistic nature might miss the eye. With Somalis, a mans 4th cousin is more or less like a brother to him still.

[Sheikh Mustafa]

Walaal,

There is nothing called Tribe. Its just a Political agenda that is being played on at that time. I will give you an example.

Majeerteen Used to hand over the Ogadeen refugees to Meelz Zanawi to be killed = 2011
Abgaal and Majeerteen were Closest brothers who Used to Support the Ethiopians to Extinct Habargidir from Muqdisho=2009
Ogadeen Used to be part of USC to Oust Darood From Juballand =1993

Now, they called themselves allies and Kablaxlax or Hiraab etc.

Waa oon maalintaas meeshii ay arintu Gasho. Don't be surprised if the roles will be revised very soon.

[Sophisticate]

Bad thing. Should be eradicated.

Nepotism exists everywhere, the close-knit clan culture in Somalia just amplifies it to extremes. In other countries, the nuclear family and their very close relations might consist of 20 people and a politicians nepotistic nature might miss the eye. With Somalis, a mans 4th cousin is more or less like a brother to him still.

Question -There would certainly need to be a paradigm shift? This would change the nature of our relationships but would this really change the quality of our relations between each other? We might simply just identify with the regions of Somalia that we came from. Then again some might see this as a better alternative to the current system of tribal discrimination that we practice.

[Sophisticate]

Walaal,

There is nothing called Tribe. Its just a Political agenda that is being played on at that time. I will give you an example.

Majeerteen Used to hand over the Ogadeen refugees to Meelz Zanawi to be killed = 2011
Abgaal and Majeerteen were Closest brothers who Used to Support the Ethiopians to Extinct Habargidir from Muqdisho=2009
Ogadeen Used to be part of USC to Oust Darood From Juballand =1993

Now, they called themselves allies and Kablaxlax or Hiraab etc.

Waa oon maalintaas meeshii ay arintu Gasho. Don't be surprised if the roles will be revised very soon.

You make an interesting point. Alliances forge but they also deteriorate. I know this is conjecture but I have a feeling that Somalia could have resisted European occupation during the late 18th C had we been galvanized/united. But we are a people that let petty differences rule us. However, I realize that some groups took up arms against the English, Italians and French others didn't feel that it was their fight to fight, some served to aid the colonials and others were just apathetic.This was partly due to the fact that were was no such thing as a collective Somali identity, it was much narrower than that. You know what they say divided we fall, united we stand. I don't mean to rude but unity is the reason why Ethiopia resisted occupation by the Italians. I also realize that Somalia had a series of Protectorates so in no way did it face the same level of colonialism as other places like Congo, Tanzania, Rwanda, Kenya etc. I should also digress that the nature of relations between Somalis and colonials varied according to region, particularly with regard to the treaties that were devised. The Somalis in the north forbade the English to have children born in Somalia and they were against intermarriage, however the Italians and French did not mind inter-marrying with some Somalis in the south or Djibouti. Then again most of these unions were often illegitimate in nature, wherein many cited that they were between prostitutes and foreigners. They were also few and far in between. That is not to say that one is prostitute by virtue of marrying them, that wasn't always the case.