If you are from Somalia - Back of the line den

[Khayr]

If you are from Somalia, then you better just stay put where you are

 

What I dont understand is why they have included every single country that the U.S. has f'd badly and put embragos against e.g. libya, cuba etc.

 

For our parents that migrated here for the "Citizenship" and "Passport", we are still considered "Somali" because they passports still single us out under "origin country/country of birth" :rolleyes:

[Che -Guevara]

^What else should you be considered?

[Khayr]

What do you mean "what else"?

[Che -Guevara]

^I mean other being Somali and the fact you are from country of interest when it comes to the issues of terrorism.

[Miriam1]

Um - Lucky us then those born in the West/Arabs - nothing remotely Somali on our papers. But who knows they might start measuring our foreheads.

[Faheema.]

You see some Somalis made the miskate when they were completing their application and wrote Somalia both in "Country" and the "Town" field.

 

So, if you are one of the few (like myself ) You would have had Country = Somalia, Town = Hargeisa..that way only Hargeisa appears in your passport.

 

One time in Chicago airport they asked me where Hargeisa was, and I told him it was a small town in England

[ElPunto]

^So you're saying you're one of the few Somalis who is literate and geographically aware

 

To be expected. Full body scanners are here. What's a little more scrutiny for folks from a certain country.

[Faheema.]

^LoL, well if you put it like that ...trying to be modest and all

[ElPunto]

^

 

This is about the only time I'm thankful for having been born in the Armpit of Africa aka Djibouti. The capital city and the country have the same name!

[Abu-Salman]

^So we are compatriots; technically even few Italians and Frenchs let alone all sorts of Arabs (who literally built the city) or Ethiopians are Djibs, some loving it more than other Somalis...

[ElPunto]

^Nevaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

 

Seriously I have only distaste for Djibouti (the country not the people per se). When my dad wanted to leave after his work contract was up - he applied for Djib passports for those of us born there. They told him his kids were foreigners and they shouldn't dream of getting a passport and to make haste in departing the country.

 

Ironically enough the president of Djibouti at the time was also not born in the country but in Ethiopia. And in yet a further irony that is where both parents were born - I should say - what was called the Reserve Area at the time. They came to Mog in the 50s and 60s and welcomed as Somalis and given passports in time. Somalia for all its faults strived for a larger sense of Somalinimo at times.

[Abu-Salman]

Originally posted by ElPunto:

They told him his kids were foreigners and they shouldn't dream of getting a passport and to make haste in departing the country.

 

Ironically enough the president of Djibouti at the time was also not born in the country but in Ethiopia. And in yet a further irony that is where both parents were born - I should say - what was called the Reserve Area at the time. They came to Mog in the 50s and 60s and welcomed as Somalis and given passports in time. Somalia for all its faults strived for a larger sense of Somalinimo at times.

Of course, the natives (Afars and Somali Issas nomads whose place of birth is irrelevant) have preferential naturalisation treatment and some of my relatives struggled too; however, citizenship laws have been recently altered and one can now be Djib through the mother's side (one of the problems was also that forged marriage certificates are straigthforward to get in the region).

 

Hooyo told me around 3 years that they have been successful in even passing a parliamentary bill allowing orphans to get automatically naturalised (they were really struggling after leaving orphanages due to lack of documents).

 

My grand-parents were born in W-Galbeed, maybe some of their parents in the Reserved Area/Hawd (which should make us "Ethiopians" too); however, they settled earlier in what was at that time a French colony.

 

Most Djibs are not sectarian and other Somalis/Arabs/etc even have officers/ministers/MPS/etc (one being from Puntland or Oga-denia in clan terms) or are directly working with/advising Guelleh.

 

We could condemn the corruption and nespotism (which is practised by and affect all groups), but both locals and admin are doing their best in terms of "Somalinimo" (citizen groups were welcoming refugees despite little means)...

[ElPunto]

I understand what you're saying. But I don't think Djibouti will ever be a big enough place to do anything meaningful for Somalis or Somalinimo. It's a state whose existence depends on rent seeking from western governments who see a security threat in the Horn of Africa.

[Faarax-Brawn]

Might as well just stay @home. No need to travel really,coz your kastumo will be inspected. There is always a fool who will ck for everyone else.

 

Fahema,L0L

[Abu-Salman]

I do concur with the fact that Djibs are generally more or less acculturated (though things are slowly changing nowadays) and the small country can not do much directly but many small steps are helpful too.

 

During the socialist era, W-Galbeed traders were using it to contourn local controls and limitations, many local traders are also contributing now to the recovery in "Somaliland", even more Somalis came there later before migrating abroad or were in refugee camps etc.

 

Look at it this way, whenever I go to Hargeysa and around it, much over there have been built by Djib traders, whether it be mosques, farms or houses, or by people who stayed in Djibouti with more established relatives; even Djib public organisations contributed their skills to the recovery whenever the political climate allowed it etc etc...