Somalia: The Need for a Popular Culture

Abdullahi Dool
Tuesday, April 15, 2008

The political culture of Somalia has always been far from perfect. Clannism and malfeasance have taken their toll on governance and nationhood. After the absence of a functioning state for two decades, the Somali nation can either get things right or face the indefinite absence from the list of the developing nations. From henceforth, we can only look forward to a better system of government which can identify and respond to the needs and requirements of the nation.

One of the reasons behind the collapse of Somalia is the lack (impairment) of common values (principles). Because of a consuming civil war and division brought about by petting thinking, our nation has become an upside down society. The nation is suffering from a shortage of values. Values (qiyam) are very essential! There are individuals who have them and those who don’t. Values come from one’s upbringing and environment. Our values are love of country, flag, nation etc! Alongside such values, a society should also have causes. Our main cause is the recovery of our nation and the reinstatement of its state.

No nation should build a bogus society which has no legs to stand on. A phoney society can wither like a castle made of sand. In our society there is a serious issue of the use of unearned titles. Let us never bestow the honour of an unearned title. Nothing worth having is simple or easy. Life is based on making the effort and working hard for everything. Of course there are titles such as royalty and wealth which are inherited from one generation to another. There is also fluke which can make some scoop prizes and win the lottery. Everything else is achieved through hard work. Imagine if having a child by a mother was as simple and as easy as buying a pint of milk from the shop. A society should never allow the misuse of anything nor should it encourage the enjoyment of what has not been earned or passed on as inheritance. Those who build a bogus society will pay a heft price. It will come down like a house of cards.

Anyone who enjoys honour of unearned title throws doubt on honest earning. The world is against the misuse of titles such as ‘Dr’ and professor. We need to send a clear signal about who can and can’t use such titles. Let it be very clear that a doctor is a medical doctor or a holder of a PhD. In the 1960s, 70s and 80s because of the Italian educational system, many Somali graduates from Italy used to name themselves after the title ‘Dr’. This was wrong! In order to build a new strong society, we need to draw a line under this episode. Another concern is the fickle use of the title: engineer. Bona fide engineers are builders of decent roads, bridges, vehicles, buildings, industries etc. The up growth of a fake society is the legacy of malfeasance, anarchy and statelessness. An upside down society loves all things that are bad and lethal for its existence. It will take hard work by itself to remove bad cultures, negative attitudes and warped systems born out of ignorance and lawlessness.

Work is leisure! However, humans need to take time from constant work or study to rest mind, soul and body. Nonetheless, there is no such thing as life lived everyday in leisure and idleness. Idleness and human waste will be a serious concern for new Somalia. Back home and in the Diaspora, a worrying concern is the mass use of qat. Qat, is a plant grown in East Africa and in other parts. Its leaves and shrub are chewed to release its chemicals. It is believed to contain amphetamines which are used as stimulants. The daily use of qat is both unsustainable and a health hazard. The mass use of qat is no doubt destroying lives back home and in the Diaspora. We need to remind ourselves that the developed world did not advance itself by idleness and the endless pursuit of leisure. The Somali nation too can ill-afford to waste its resource. A nation which awaits mass scale national reconstruction can ill afford to waste its economy, human resources, hard currency and precious time on qat.

Qat is a serious drain on the economy and the quality of life. Since it consumes many hours of chewing, qat is a cause of youth underdevelopment. It is helping the creation of a lost generation. In the Diaspora, young people in their prime who have every opportunity to advance themselves are being wasted by the use of qat. The question is what to do about it? It will not be wise to force an outright ban on qat. That will exacerbate the problem. Among other measures, the best course of action could be to limit its use to weekends. The nation’s weekend was always the Islamic rest day of Fridays. To lessen the serious impact of qat on life and the economy, the nation may need a two day weekend of Fridays and Saturdays. This may help limit the deadly impact of qat on our nation. A two-day weekend will help those who chew qat on Fridays to rest on Saturdays and go to work rested on Sundays. Another serious concern is also the growing misuse of hard drugs.

Every nation has its intelligentsia and gifted individuals with far-sight. Members of this group would include social scientists, the media, politicians, civil servants, academics, elders etc. They act as the defence of society to safeguard and strengthen their nation from threats such as social ailments, loss of direction, moral decline etc. It is also the duty of such individuals to uphold and promote good values and help the development of a popular culture. Such nation defenders also fight for the common good, purpose and unity of a nation. Every society should protect itself against merchants of hate, anarchists and opportunists who take advantage of loopholes and the state of anarchy. We need to show to the world that whatever the fate which has befallen on us, we are capable of taking care of our nation and its destiny.

Every progressing nation has an inventory of rules (principles) to take good care of its society. Based on what is right and wrong, such principles could act as the nation’s moral compass and part of its popular culture. Our nation should pave the way for the formation of a fairer society. To do that, it is not possible to ignore the past and its wrongs. Like a chain, the past is connected with the present and the future. There is the need to address the discrepancies of the past. Its preservation and observance is as important as the future of the nation. There can be no healing without covering the wrongs committed in the past. The following could form a small part of the moral inventory (popular culture) of a modern and progressive Somali society:

1.       Clannism is archaic, backward and corrosive.

2.       Clan-domination is evil and immoral.

3.       Clan-based rivalry within one Somali nation is wrong and immoral.

4.       The division and dismemberment of a one-nation is wrong and immoral.

5.       All atrocities committed in Somalia were wrong, immoral and unnecessary.

6.       In the 1980s, clan-based opposition movements who went to Ethiopia to fight their own country were wrong.

7.       The military government was wrong to indulge in the fight against its own people.

8.       A government cannot fight its people the same way a guardian cannot bruise and abuse those under his or her protection.

9.       The warlords who misruled Somalia were immoral and destructive.

10.   Anyone who lets the nation down should not be hailed because of clan affiliation.

11.   A clan-based gathering to discuss national issues is wrong and improper.

12.   A clan-based government is unfair, unjust, inept and immoral.

13.   A clannish national leader is inept, improper and in the wrong.

14.   Splitting positions by clan is wrong.  

15.   The use of clan names in the public is wrong and divisive.

16.   The occupation of Somalia is wrong!

17.   Secession from one’s own nation is wrong.

18.   The use of religion to size power is wrong.

If the above points could be part of a larger list of inventory based on what we should abhor and discourage, the following could be part of our aspirations as well as principles which should be promoted.

1.       We Somalis are the fruits of a one-nation tree!

2.       The pain of any Somali is our pain.

3.       The gain of any Somali is our gain.

4.       All Somalis must respect and cherish one another.

5.       All communities of the nation should respect and cherish one another.

6.       Every community is vitally important for the existence of the nation.

7.       Reconciliation and the healing of our nation is a priority.

8.       Contrition and forgiveness should be the basis for reconciliation.

9.       Harmony should be the basis for a strong Somali society.

10.   Justice should be the foundation of a fairer Somali society.

11.   Politics is the profession of honesty and integrity.

12.   Probity should be a must in governing.

13.   Only a responsible leadership can ensure the balance needed in governing and the fair distribution of resources and positions.

14.   A caring and responsible governing is a do-or-die necessity for Somalia.  

When history is written, someone shall bear the ultimate responsibility for leaving our nation on its knees for a generation? It will not be the nomads who follow herds in the open savannah in search of water and pasture. Equally, it will not be displaced Somalis in IDP camps or our refugees in neighbouring countries who endlessly felt helpless and forgotten. Ironic as it may seem, it will not be the warlords who will bear the ultimate blame. True, the warlords have pillaged and ravaged their own homeland. They may not have been children who are not responsible for their actions, but, they were ignorant and greedy. They were left to scavenge a whole country as though it belonged to anyone. They too will have something to tell. They will argue that every warlord had enjoyed the support of educated clansmen. So, who will take the ultimate blame? Somalia was no doubt let down by its educated generation whom the nation had bestowed the opportunity and the means to better themselves. It was the educated generation who let their nation and themselves become helpless followers of events and calamities created by unaware men. The question is where do we go from here? Somalia has not been rescued sooner as it should have been, but it still remains out on a limp. There is no need to expect help from where help will not come. Educated Somalis can continue to watch the misery of their nation from afar or take the destiny of their nation on their own hands by coming to its rescue. Rescue will never come through violence. Violence is never the answer to anything and the opportunity to rescue Somalia may not come before 2009. The ongoing instability will no doubt help the TFG stay in power. It will help the TFG extend its mandate beyond 2009. Come 2009, we can sit around and blame fate or do what is necessary. By pulling together our efforts collectively, we can raise the nation from where it lies abandoned. It falls on us, the new generation of Somalia to cope with and if possible clean-up the mess bequeathed by an earlier less aware generation.

Abdullahi Dool

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