Somalia - Land of Anarchy

If facebook was twitter - "Panorama: Land of Anarchy" would be trending by now.

I read lines of anger. I read lines of bewilderment. The images we have seen are horrific indeed. I am speechless myself, but did we really expect a different picture after twenty years of violence, destruction and oppression?

Is it totally self-inflicted or fuelled from the outside, I am not in the picture. I must admit that I have to do my research first to understand what is going on in the city I was born. I don’t know if this documentary was meant to give us a picture of the situation without any subtle message. 

It does not matter. I don’t know who that deputy prime minister was, I can’t tell if he is selling out or not. I don’t know why they called those elders ‘godfathers’ and portrayed them like the cast for Coppola’s next movie. I can’t tell if they, you and me are selling out for looking away from the fate of our people.

I can only tell that those images of my place of birth, the fate of Nuur Adan (the man who lost his left arm and right leg) and the words of Dr Mohamed Yussuf (saying “We have a chronic frustration, because this is happening continuously”) are going to stick in my memory.  That does matter.

You and I should feel an urge to make a change, a personal change to have a positive impact on our people, the suffering of our people. You and I know that we shouldn’t point the finger at anyone; that would be only political; that would only divide further. Bullets driven by ignorance and hate distinguish between a minority and a majority tribe member. Dr Mohamed Yussuf does not discriminate or make note of it whenever bodies with torn limps enter the surgery of Medina Hospital. He gave up his practice in Italy to serve his people in need, allegedly in the most dangerous place on earth.

His people!

Because his people speak the same language, eat the same dishes, breath the same air, wear the same clothes, teach the same teachings, pray the same prayers.

You and I, we know who we are; we knew it the day random voices of the past blamed us that we didn't know who we were; did that little fact made me more or less Somali? God forbid. No. I am thankful that my father said to me as a child "It does not matter what people say, you know who you are as long you know your name." –

'Knowing who you are', a blessing and a curse.

Let's face it, it is a blessing to know who your aunties are and knowing that you are always welcomed in different countries by different people that you haven't met before, just for 'knowing who you are'. I don't associate with that tribalism, that is a blessing in families. Nevertheless, I believe that tribalism does not stem from the fact that we were born in different regions. It does not matter how big or small your family is. Tribalism is not encountered in the distance, it begins at a close range. The moment you start counting back your name and make a hold at a certain point – that is where tribalism begins, let’s face up the truth. Believe it or not, I came across people that discriminate in favour of one name. Naturally, if you would go back another generation, those names were siblings who would not wish to be divided as little as you would like to be separated from your siblings. That attitude is what I believe is much more difficult to come to terms with, than blaming people in the distance. Another issue I have with the whole idea of 'knowing who you are' is that your mother's side is left out completely. How many of you would think differently of who they are, if they would take into consideration – who their grandmothers and their grandmothers were?

My only point is that we have to stop being ridiculously ignorant. It is not funny or helpful at all if you give little children the feeling of being stupid for not 'knowing who they are'. Tell them who their uncles, aunties, grandmothers, grandfathers are/were without bragging about your name, because pride is the least feeling you should have for being born into a family, it is not something you have achieved, it is something you have been blessed with!

Just say, Alhamdulilah!

Sura Al-Hujraat (49) : Vers 13

"O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honourable of you with Allâh is that (believer) who has At-Taqwa [i.e. he is one of the Muttaqûn (pious)]. Verily, Allâh is All-Knowing, All-Aware."

You and I need to do justice to the courage of our convictions.

I do not want to encourage anyone to expose him or herself to danger,
just expose yourself to a little empathy.

We are going to lose something very precious for good if we look away.
We dream of unity, peace and stability.

We dream of being a nation which can provide for its people.
We dream, so you know what to do, because we can be!

Our hands are capable of more than just burying our people.

Change. Daily.
Encourage the people around you,

so we can sit in the same neighbourhood one day,
without worrying about the fate of our people.

People remember Somalia as the

Land of the poets.
Land of the educated.

 rather than

Land of anarchy!
Let’s make a change.

( Link: BBC Panorama - Land of Anarchy http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0125mlb/Panorama_Land_of_Anarchy/ )