Tallaabo;944842 wrote: But Nuune don't you think the Habashi army will behave very well towards the people since their dirty work is being done by the Liyu police? That's the point in having an ethnic police force dee. But the important thing is to understand that these are not Somalis really, but an extension of Ethiopian state power with a Somali face. And thanks Tallaabo for your concern, but I will be fine I have local connections/affiliations everywhere I'm going, and I will use common sense and caution when I am alone.

Che -Guevara;944810 wrote: And guys, Safferz is indeed a guy:D haha Che, you weren't supposed to expose me like that Alpha Blondy;944817 wrote: forget it, inaar. its futile. you needn't bother, ruunti. even Saffz has refused to ''meet up''. it's not nice....but i'll sleep it off.....and tomorrow is another day, you know. p.s - Saffz, i wouldn't ''meet up'' with you, inaar, if you were the last woman on earth with the last remaining drops for a refreshing whiff of No.5....ee sida uula soco, adigo mudane, inaar. LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL p.s.s - saffz, would probably bore to death. she seems very talkative and stuff........ yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawn:D..... Awww Alpha's feelings are hurt I just have a lot to do in Ethiopia and I'm not sure how it would work, but if I can squeeze in a trip to Hargeisa this time (I'm thinking about going to the book fair), you owe me coffee.

Chimera;944799 wrote: Past conquests, mon amie.

Ohh I see what you mean now, you're responding to what I wrote in the pic lol So no more flirting with Chimera :rolleyes:

Xaaji Xunjuf;944789 wrote: Bring just money and make sure u have family members there jigjiga is nice and a car and i think you will do fine dont take strangers in your car in jigjiga if those guys who wear blue uniform stop you be nice , do not be rude , if you going to dhagaxbuur and other regions , if you are a woman make sure u take men because there is lost of human trafficking and Somalis are involved to and make u take a spare tire with you because its no mans land.Its recently allowed to take pics , but do not just take pictures if the blue uniforms there ask them for permission or they will give a big fine. Strictly do not talk about politics say nothing bad about the DDS admin in jigjiga to any one. furthermore just enjoy your trip try to eat hilib geel and enjoy the weather and the beautiful nature. Thanks Xaaji! Also really helpful. Chimera;944786 wrote: I would Safferz. Wha :confused:

nuune;944787 wrote: I don't think Alpha can read your handwriting yaa Safferz . Safferz , now you are all set I guess, if you are spending a lot of time in Dire Dawa/Harer do let me know so I can arrange a team to show you around if you need any tour. Alpha is not what many people think, if you ever wanted to meet him up then I can guarantee he is a genuine guy and not typical cayaal-suuq-khamarji-dibjir-aalokoliisti-tubaake cune. Thanks nuune -- I won't be in Harar and Dire Dawa very long this trip, but I may take you up on that offer next summer I will be there on a business visa, since I have institutional support to do preliminary fieldwork in eastern Ethiopia. It will be the first of many trips back and forth for me over the next few years. I was just teasing Alpha, I'm sure he's a nice fellow

Alpha Blondy;944779 wrote: off whether you're real or NOT. cos i reckon, you're a script shared communally between wadani and adams. Do I get my seal of verification?

She just won the Brunel University African Poetry Prize today, out of a field of 655 poets: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-22358337

Verification of what?

Alpha Blondy;944643 wrote: Saffz, i might be in Ethiopia around the same time. do you want to meet up? my itinerary is fairly flexible. Part of safe traveling is to avoid predators dee

Haatu;944712 wrote: PS: Safferz, I pretty sure you have the necessary log ins to access Tallaabo's pdf, so be a darling and post it here for us? I logged in, but unfortunately I only have electronic access to articles from the journal from 1995 onwards (this article is from 1987). But if you guys are really interested in reading it, I can put in a scan request at the library and they will scan the hard copy and email it to me in a day or two

nuune;944605 wrote: Ok, let me give you some guidelines, since you said you will spend all your time in Jigjiga, I would advise you also to visit Harer and Dire Dawa, my two most favorite cities of all times. What you can take, a camera for photos(no need for this since your smartphone can do the job), a smartphone, a laptop,a small camcorder is also ok, but be careful, I say ok but watchout for big camcorders you might carry, they will ask you about them in Addis Ababa airport on arrival. You can travel alone anywhere, even in Jigjiga, but watch out the Liyuu police in Jigjiga, if they talk to you, iskaga dhoola-caddee iskana sii soco, hadey isku kaa sii waalaan, tell them inaad dhiyaaspora tahey, nowadays they respect people who come from the diaspra. There is no harrasment of women around Jigjiga, but if you go deeper, say into Wardheer, Danood, Gaashaamo, Awaare and other areas, then be careful and make sure family members always travel with you What you can wear, it is a Somali city, and Islamic, so you are expected to be modesty, goono yixaas waa ok iyo topkeeda sagaaro, cambuur maroodi isna waa ok, madaxaad ku dadato qamaar ama shawaal garanuug isna waa ok. You can wear you califallaax as well if for partying purposes, but I won't advise that. internet in and around jigjiga is limited, but you can get limited 3g on your smartphone and make sure you get a simcard from Addis(needs personnal informatisiyoon to be given), at some major hotels in jigjiga, wifi is available, but pretty much you can do everything with youur smartphone 3g browsing, it is cheap. mobile phones communications in major towns and cities are available, specially the places you mentioned. Language, no Amharic in the kililka 5aad, Somali is the main language, even the signs are in Somali, you will be lucky to find amharic in signs even as a second language. you will hardly see any amhaar o xabashi, welcome to the Liyuu-police. If your intentions are for research purposes on particular field and not related to tourism, then you will need to tell this your embassy in your country, this way they will give you some pass to manuufar around, if youdon't mention that your sole purpose of travel is for research, then they will held you at Addis Ababa airport, and confiscate nyour equipment, and tell you to go back and get proper visa arrangement if youu are lucky, otherwise they will put you into jail even if you are from the USA. So be careful, you said you will be there next month, what visa do you have, and if tourism visa, don't you ever mention the word research. Everythinng I said WATCHOUT and be CAREFUL, you can do and free in Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa, Harer and any other places such as Habashi regions, Tigranaya regions. Thank you nuune. I will also be in Dire Dawa and Harar but didn't mention that because those cities are technically not kililka 5aad, and I wanted to ask about that region specifically.

I'm quite well educated sweetie but I agree with you, there's no discussion here.

Maaddeey;944556 wrote: You speak Amharic, know Maqtal is in jail because of his loyalty to/ grandfather's resistence history and still don't know how to dress or if a camera is an issue! No need to mock me, I'm well aware of how women dress but wanted more specific information because even this varies across the Somali territories. Fot instance I was able to wear my regular sundresses with a cardigan and hijab in Hargeisa, but I could not do that in Mogadishu. And as I mentioned, I have a professional camera and take photos without issue in Somalia so I was asking about the Somali region of Ethiopia specifically. I am looking for info from people who have been there recently, not those projecting their own ideas about the conditions there from afar.

xabad;944539 wrote: i believe somalis are madaw phenotypically but not genetically ( we have some madaw genes but not much ), in my eyes we are madaw no dispute about that. but i love how she goes all afro centric if you point out we have eurasian genes. Uhh... race is a social construct that has no basis in biology whatsoever. The human genome project was the last nail in the coffin for the antiquated notion that genetics could be understood through the lens of race. If you don't understand this basic fact that has been accepted by the scientific community for decades now, then there's no point in having a discussion because you lack a key point of reference necessary for a conversation about Somali origins. xabad;944540 wrote: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/gnxp/?p=12232#.UX8-ikq7PMw When you break apart West Eurasian ancestry the Ethiopian and Somali groups have their contribution almost exclusively from an ancestral component in southern Arabia There are so many resources to check if your honest and not being afro centric like these crazy egypt was black characters who have taken over such discussions on the web. I asked for a scientific article, not a blog post or journal article. That means an article that has been peer reviewed and published in an academic journal.

Chimera;944528 wrote: Wow, you go girl. SomaliPhilosopher;944526 wrote: Yea safferz the police and soldiers are the main concern and who I was mainly referring to. Both of my run ups have been with them. Not fun! ! Ahh, I see. I'll leave the big camera at home, in that case.

Chimera;944522 wrote: No mahram? This is not NYC, Seoul or Vienna. It's not the 7th century either. I live alone, I travel alone and I have no issue getting around by myself.

SP, I haven't had issues with my camera in Somalia, so it's not everyday people I'm worried about... my concern is police, soldiers, etc, but I'm not aware of the political climate and practical restrictions since I haven't been there recently so I'm hoping someone who has can speak to that question.

Mad_Mullah;944514 wrote: No cameras. They'll sy you're ONLF -- look at Maktal he's got a Canadian passport and they're still not letting him go. Makhtal is not a random name in the context of regional politics and resistance -- his grandfather was Makhtal Dahir, so the case is more complex than the rendition of a regular Somali (not that he has any association with the ONLF, but his family connection is the logic of this particular arrest). Have you been to the region or is this your perception of safety there?

Has anyone here been to the region recently? I'm going to Ethiopia in about a month, and I'm starting to think about some of the logistics and security concerns for my (solo) trip there. I've made a lot of inquiries and talked to people before planning my itinerary but I'll raise a few questions/concerns here on SOL for additional insight. Most of my time in the Somali region will be in Jijiga, with shorter visits to smaller towns like Degeh Bur and Kebri Dahar. - fieldwork equipment -- DSLR, tape recorder, laptop, etc. I'm wondering if the visibility of professional camera will be an issue (never a problem in Somalia, and the tape recorder is easy enough to tuck away somewhere)... should I take a smaller, more discrete camera? - traveling alone as a woman -- how do women typically dress? is it similar to say, Hargeisa? is street harassment as much of a problem? - internet/communication -- is it difficult to find internet (restaurants with wi-fi, internet cafes, etc) outside of Jijiga? - language -- how widely spoken is Amharic, and is it possible to practice speaking it there? - overall safety -- anything to be aware of or keep in mind? particularly for a researcher...

xabad;944420 wrote: your entitled to your opinions but not facts. this is indisputable genetically sxb Provide one scientific article to back up your claim that Somalis are not indigenous to the Horn of Africa.

QansaxMeygaag;944270 wrote: Really? My first impression of the introductory chapters where she sets the stage is that she has gone to great lengths to do her homework... I am assuming she situates 1991 in its broader historical context, yes? Lidwien is a very good historian and I suspect many of the responses to her work are knee jerk reactions rather than productive critiques.

Not your typical Somali kulaha :mad:

Wadani;944395 wrote: Actually it predates colonialism. And Somalis of yore were anything but self-loathing. Their belief in being Arab didn't stem from an inferiority complex (which many many Somalis suffer from nowadays), but they just really believed in the myths of descent from Arab patriarchs. I didn't say colonialism, and I don't think the widespread belief in the Arabness of Somalis' as a denial of their blackness/Africanness is that innocent either. Our first encounter with Europeans was with the Portuguese in the 16th century (who wrote about Somalis as "Moors" in Africa), which is a long time for ideas of race to develop and configure themselves within the Somali imagination. Wadani;944395 wrote: The protoypical Somali of even two generations ago was very proud, fierce and independent. That's a romanticized trope too

Wadani;944383 wrote: haha yes but I think we internalized that bs from Europeans. There isn't a single Muslim society in the world that doesn't claim (or have a segment of their population claim) descent from the Prophet or the Sahaba, but not many of them are the self-loathing black Africans we are.