Tunnel Vision

The UN Monitoring Group on Somalia recently delivered their report to the Security Council. All of the major newspapers had at least one article on the findings, focusing on Eritrea’s potential support to insurgents fighting against the Western-backed transitional government. They also all lead with strikingly similar headlines:

• Washington Post: Eritrea sending missiles, arms to Somalia, U.N. says
• NY Times: A U.N. Report on Somalia accuses Eritrea of adding to the chaos
• CNN: U.N.: Eritrea giving arms to Somalis tied to al Qaeda

Eritrea denies these accusations and argues that the report fuels discussions of an Ethiopia-Eritrea war by proxy. The ramifications of this aspect of the report are complex and interesting to analyze, but I am a bit surprised by the fact that the rest of the document has largely been ignored.

More specifically, pages 12-13 of the report mention the use of white phosphorus bombs by Ethiopia in Mogadishu. This section notes chemical analysis of the soil, adds witness testimony (stating the bodies of the victims were “melted”) and includes a photograph of the immediate area of impact. Ethiopia disputes these claims but what I find more pressing is the fact that the information only received a passing notation in some (not even all) of the media.

Considering the controversy that surrounded U.S. use of white phosphorus in Iraq and the nation’s public stance against chemical weapons, I’m just sincerely hoping that present alliances and anti-terrorism interests haven’t irreversibly distorted western sight.

Plastic Flowers

In some parts, Somaliland can be quite gorgeous. The semi-desert environment allows for a rather stunning landscape - particularly if you drive just a short way out of town.

However, in the past ten years there’s been a rather unwelcome addition to the view. Before the early 1990s, more traditional, home-made pouches were used for carrying goods from the market. Today, I sometimes feel like one of the biggest imports must be plastic bags. On a recent trip to town, a friend remarked on one particularly impressive “bag tree.”

While you do get used to them after a while and almost start to appreciate them in some instances, it does serve as a strong example of deficiencies in the public service sector. As you can see in some of the photos, clean-up leaves a lot to be desired and the implications on the health of the population can be severe. The cholera epidemic spurred a bit of community action… let’s hope there’s more to follow.

Great Presentation! I really liked when you said…

One of the main “entry-points” of Academy work is the identification of key issues in Somaliland’s democratization process. In order to encourage dialogue about these concepts and build capacity within Somaliland’s youth, the Academy developed a Youth Working Group – comprised of vocal and active young members of the society – and is now in the process of holding a “Democratization Workshop” with over 40 participants from throughout the region.

Not only was this workshop intended to be a forum for candid discussion, it also aimed to ensure that group members understood the relevant research methodology, appropriate process and their role in the bigger picture.

I should note that this training seminar is the first of its kind at the Academy and I’m quite impressed with how it all came together. I was also impressed with the number of women present in the conference and their contributions to the discussion. However, there is one thing that I found (and continue to find) quite comical – in this workshop, much like in the first meeting of the working group in late June– I was asked to comment on the presentations of the break-out groups and help frame their discussions. Yesterday, the larger group was broken down into four thematic areas (Public Participation, Civic Education, Limitation of Political Parties and Land Conflicts) and then asked to convert their issue into problem format, posing the applicable sub-questions that need to be addressed.

Going from group to group was great – they would tell me their ideas and I’d discuss the appropriate ways to look at the issue, the added concepts they may want to consider, etc. etc. What was a bit more challenging was drawing take-away points and giving specific comments after each small group presented to the entire assembly.

I think this is a good point to mention that Somalis have a very very oral culture with a particularly poetic way of speech. Parallel to that, there is little tradition of the written word (the written language was created in the 1970s), so it’s interesting to note that for most presentations the words on the flip charts are in English and the talks are given in Somali. Well – this conference was no different. I would get a small bit of translation after a given presentation if the flip chart was particularly bare, but otherwise I was told that “it’s ok” I don’t understand the 20 minute talk before giving comments on it – “the key things are on the board.”

Right.

Maybe it is true that you can pick up the major points through a brief translation (or presentation) but in a place where every story has two sides, I can’t help but think that missing the nuances means missing all the key details.

Long story short, Somali classes start this week – 3 times a week in the afternoons.





And as one side note, the conference was held in the rather stunning Mansoor Hotel. However, I realized that perhaps I’ve become too adjusted here when it took someone else pointing out the antelope for me to remember that it’s not quite a standard sight…

“Just take a closer look at how carefully the older women sit”

There’s this part of me that’s always hesitant to write about topics such as FGM – in some way, it just seems incredibly clichéd. However, it’s come up a lot recently – in my conversations, in day-to-day experiences, and even in the news. In fact, the BBC has given it quite a bit of press recently – discussing a new ban on the practice in Egypt and heightened prosecution of the practice in the UK.

Just to give a broader context, in Somalia, about 98% of women have been circumcised. The main aim of the process is to ensure that a woman remains faithful to her future husband (“Who will marry her otherwise?”) and it is also often discussed as a religious duty and a hygienic practice.

Female circumcision can take three different forms:

• Clitoridectomy (or “sunna” circumsicion) – part or all of the clitoris is amputated
• Excision – the clitoris and the labia minora are removed
• Infibulation – after excision, the labia majora are cut or scraped away to create raw surfaces, which are held in contact until they heal, either by stitching the edges of the wound or by typing the legs together. A small opening is left for the passage of urine and menstrual flow. (For further information see links…)

Around here, the third practice of infibulation is most common. And one small detail that I somehow just fully realized is that after marriage – meaning the night of the wedding or at most, the day after – women who have been infibulated must either be forcibly penetrated or un-stitched then penetrated the next day.

I have always been extremely wary of outsiders trying to change local practices – but in conversations about this topic, FGM has always been the one area where I think there is no debate. However, this post has nothing to do with understanding a local culture, assessing international intervention, evaluating the rights of an individual – it’s about me, as a woman, being physically nauseated by a practice that has no silver lining. You can talk about ways to make circumcision medically safe, you can talk about the fact that we have practices in the west that could also be considered barbaric, you can talk about the ways the “developed” world similarly tries to deprive women of their own sexuality – but here, for me, there seems to be very little room for discussion or for acceptance.

I also want to note that women cannot simply be seen as the victims in this situation. Of course, men must be held accountable for their role in societal norms, but it is mothers that pass on this tradition to their daughters, females that accept it as a duty and women that promote it as a rite of passage. Every woman that I’ve discussed this with has acknowledged that it’s simply not discussed between the genders and husbands have minimal involvement in the procedure – or the decision on when it should occur.

When I first started this post – probably a few weeks ago at this point! – it was really meant as a rather unconstructive rant to air some of my own frustrations. As one quasi-constructive addition, I do think it’s time for FGM activists to acknowledge that this is one issue where exposure to “other ways” may be irrelevant. After all, the practice continues in Denmark in much the same way as it exists in Mogadishu.

Instead, it is time for some serious engagement with Islamic leaders to begin. In fact, I would argue that they are the only ones with any influence in the matter. So much of this practice is based on the misconception that it is a religious duty – when in fact, it is not mandated by the Qur’an and at most it simply falls under the “permissible” category of Sharia law. Clearly there is a much larger and much more in-depth discussion to be had on separation of culture and religion in places where it is so deeply intertwined, but for the time being, this is one topic where the conversation needs to be put on fast forward.

Returnees and Refugees

For all practical purposes, Somaliland is a land of returnees. Virtually every Somalilander has been displaced at some point in the past decade and recent years have shown a tremendous increase in the resettlement of Diaspora Somalis.

However, Somaliland has also recently become host to a number of Ethiopian refugees -- with estimates of thousands living in the nation's borders but only a few hundred with official recognition.

While there is a much longer discussion to be held on this topic, for the time being I wanted to post a few pictures of the soccer match organized by UNHCR on Refugee Day (June 20):

Independence Day... Kind of.

47 years ago on June 26th, Somaliland first gained its independence from Britain. A week later, it became part of Somalia proper, changing the nature of the holiday. Today, Somalilanders officially celebrate May 18th as the day the state restored its sovereignty – 16 years ago.

However, we did get the day off and President Dahir Riyale Kahin issued this editorial in the Washington Times.

Project Runway: Getting Dressed in Somaliland

Packing for Somaliland, I knew that I would need to cover my arms, legs and head at all times. What I didn’t know was that the way I covered myself mattered nearly as much. It turns out that skirts are not just preferable – they’re mandatory, and the more scarves you haves, the better – often one for your head and another for your shoulders, or a larger scarf to form a proper hijab.

To help me get started, one of my coworkers presented me with a gift of two Somali dresses and another coworker came with me on my first trip to the market. Little by little, I’m learning how to mix and match and I’m also slowly learning to walk around without tripping on my underskirt.

Blog Update:

Over the past week or so, I’ve been going back and forth about how I feel about the issue of headscarves – particularly in the work place. At the end of the day, the fact remains that I am not a Muslim and that aside, I don’t necessarily agree with the premise behind headscarves. Interestingly enough, a recent New York Times article has served as the deciding factor to my internal debate. I do think it's important for tolerance to go both ways. For that reason, though I would never attend an out of office meeting or go into town without a headscarf, I’ve decided to stop covering my hair while in my office. Out of respect, I will continue to only wear skirts, wear Somali dress, and always have at least one large scarf with me at all times, etc., but at the moment I’m testing out this change.

And as one other headscarf related note – though I’m yet to receive a comment about my hair, while wearing a scarf I’d often get comments about whether I looked like a “Somali woman” or an “Arab Woman” based on how I had it tied. It’s also been interesting to notice how many Somalis have pointed out that, religious similarities aside, they are not Arabs…