The Horn Of Africa States: The Untold Story Of Somalia – OpEd

It is always good to experience the experience. Very few place can earn the title of ‘experience’ and Somalia would not be in the radar when such places come to mind. One may think of Türkiye, Rome, China and its Great Wall or for that matter La region de Tours which contains many of the castles of ‘la Loire’ in France or Cairo and ancient Egypt

But Somalia is a treasure trove yet to be discovered not only by others but also by its own people, who really have no idea of the beauty and the gem they hold in their hands but which they waste through criminalities, wars, and senseless clan competitions for ‘power’ that does not exist.

The beautiful and pristine beaches that stretch for over three thousand kilometers, unstained and fresh, an ancient history of both culture and empires, unknown to most and the ruins they left behind, indeed, call to be discovered. They say that there are over one hundred and seventy thousand archaeological sites in the Somali space, and who knows some of them may date back to the dawn of time!

The location of the Somali country made it all possible. It is in the easternmost part of the African continent and it stretches into the Somali Sea, the Gulf of Berbera now known as the Gulf of Aden and the Indian ocean, which could have been the Somali Ocean. It was always the center of maritime trade connecting ancient Egypt, ancient Arabia, ancient Persia, ancient India and, of course, ancient Africa, and as far as, even China. The cultures of all these multitudes have over millennia melted into each other to create the beautiful Somali culture, and the Somali identity – a unique story which stands out as the ‘Somali this’ or the ‘Somali that’.

The Somali country has always been and still is at the crossroads of both culture and trade and its ancient cities of Zeila, Mogadishu, Berbera, Hafun and others stand out as a testament to an untold story yearning to be told. Its impressive coastlines and breathtaking landscapes including deserts, plateaus and mountains, some of them escarpments facing the coastlines of the country, present unique experiences before many millions descend on it, not in the distant future but much earlier.

Somalia’s culinary delights developed through the confluence of centuries of influences from other parts of the world add on to the unique Somali experience. Riverine regions, equatorial forests and deserts, mountainous reliefs make fantastic contrasts that have also attracted diversified fauna and flora in the country, which also add to the Somali experience. There are reported to be nearly seven hundred different species of birds, differing reptiles and of course, the general game of East Africa, the gazelles, the gerenuks and the predators that live on them – the leopards, the cheetahs and the other cat folk in the country.

It is, indeed, a country which is full of surprises. It presents different aspects of itself than is known of it today – a troubled country full of violence. One such surprise, for example, is to notice in Hargeisa or for that matter Borama and any other city or town, where substantial wealth in terms of gold, cash of different currencies or other assets without any particular protection, with no one attempting to rob or steal them unlike many of the world cities of today.

Another surprise could be the intermingling of the population of the country from its north to its south and from its west to its east without any troubles despite the violence. Somalis trade with each other and eat with each other and enjoy together their true Somali culture of poetry, songs and folklore dances despite political differences.

And the bigger surprise one would discover in the country would be that it is only the corrupt politicians who are causing most of the headaches in the country acting and playing almost childish gang-like games against each other at the expense of their own innocent and sometimes hungry populations.

The best surprise would perhaps be its climate, which while cyclical could be generally pleasant and consists of only two seasons – the rainy season and the dry season. It roles over the country and depending on where one is, it could either the rainy season or the dry season. But it is not all rainy or all dry. It may have bursts of rain or spells of really dry weather in between the rains and the dry periods.

The rains are monsoon-like and provide water for agriculture and general fodder for the large livestock populations of the country. The climate of the country was always and still is the determinant of the migrant nature of the people – the nomads who move from one area to another although current borders are becoming obstacles to that old way of life. This could be another surprise as people are now settling and animal husbandry becomes more settled as well.

The country offers new experiences for those who are tired of going to the same places – the crowded Mediterranean coasts or the far east. It is a unique story full of untouched treasures and opportunities. These could be water sports in its vast coastal belt or mountaineering int its vast mountain ranges or just travelling its plateaus and grasslands and deserts. 

Somalia is not the Somalia presented by the international media. Although it has its own tragedies, the country has an efficient and affordable telecommunications and financial systems, produces most of its food,  enjoys an efficient aviation industry which connects even villages to the outside world. There is, indeed, a remarkable resilience despite the despair painted by the media.

Somalia offers a new paradigm, which needs to be discovered and the best served will always be those who move first to find out about the country. But one must note that Somalia has the longest coastline of Africa. It has the largest camel population in the world and it is the largest frankincense producer in the world, and it is the only homogeneous nation in the African continent. It has prehistoric rock paintings and many other archaeological sites numbering in the thousands to be discovered. It is a unique story to be discovered and told. It is, indeed, an experience to be experienced.