The deep-rooted problems within Somali society.

[DoctorKenney]

When I watch the news of what's going on in Somalia, I'm concerned by the conduct of Somalia's politicians, as they consistently put clan/personal interests ahead of national interest.

 

For example, Ahmed Madoobe and his RasKamboni militia is allied with AMISOM, which is allied with Ahlu Sunnah Wa Jama'ah (ASWJ), which is allied with Ethiopia--to defeat Al Shabaab. All of these disparate groups have absolutely nothing in common, other than their common opposition to Al Shabaab. Some of the Islamist groups who oppose Al Shabaab share many common characteristics with them. Many of them commit human rights violations against civilians, leading to public anger.

 

If RasKamboni were truly serious about bringing peace to Somalia, then why don't they start the process of integrating their forces into the Somali National Army? Why doesn't ASWJ do the same thing? Why is Faroole abusing the rights of Reer Khaatumo?

 

Somalia is a nation filled with men of different agendas, who hardly trust one another and refuse to cooperate. There are already talks of Reer Bari attempting to "secede" from Puntland, Galmudug state is struggling to get off it's feet, and the creation of "Azania" State is being delayed by different clans opposing one another. Hiiraan state could be split into 2, just to appease a few clans. Different tuulos are now attempting to set up their own administrations, and being "autonomous".

 

It's as if Somalia is headed on a trajectory where in a few years, our "nation" will be filled with autonomous clan states all opposing one another.

 

Men like Siad Barre, Aidiid, and Sayid Hassan are heroes in one clan, but villains in another. It is scandalous for a Somali to marry someone of Maryan Mursal's clan, and most Somalis are more loyal to their clan then they are to Somalia.

 

Somalia needs a comprehensive nation-building program. It needs to enlist the support and cooperation of the average Somali citizen, and put pressure on different clans to start cooperating with one another. Most of all, Somalis need to stop thinking of themselves as “H-Block” or “D-Block”...but instead see themselves as Somali.

 

But this is the major problem: Many of the Somalis who profess to be anti-tribalist are in fact very tribalist and they take actions which harm the functioning of Somalia. Even many of the diaspora Somalis engage in this toxic tribal behavior in North America and Europe!

 

The corruption exists in the minds of Somalis born in the 1950's, 1960's, and 1970's. Obviously, mandating that parents teach their children values such as patriotism, hard-work, and cooperation would be impossible to carry out. There are just too many families and each child would be inclined to listen to his parents rather than the government.

 

Somalia is not a nation yet, and we're not a mature society yet. We haven't let ourselves mature as a people, capable of forming a functional state. Most nations in the past were like this, but in the 19th and 20th centuries, they started the process of nation-building, forming into functional states. A classic example of this is Germany, which only existed since 1871 when the “Prussians” and “Bavarians” saw themselves as German instead of something else. I am confident that Somalia will be a functional, prosperous state with a high standard of living, but I'm also aware that this can never happen during my lifetime. However, we can start the process now so that my grandchildren and benefit from a better Somalia, inshallah.

 

It's far easier to destroy then it is to create. Constructing a building can take years, but one explosion can tear the building down in a few seconds. Creating a state is far more difficult than destroying a state. Somalia has seen progress in the 1960's, only to have this progress reversed under Siad Barre. The civil war destroyed us even further. The election of Hassan Sheikh may/may not be a positive development, but the events which took place after the election shows us that Somalia still needs a lot of work.

 

What do the people on SOL think is the best solution to this serious problem, as we can't honestly expect AMISOM to be around for very long.

 

 

If you advocate a bottoms-up approach to this serious problem, how do you suggest it be carried out??

 

http://images.travelpod.com/tripwow/photos/ta-0112-bc5a-788d/somali-flag-lng-life-mogadishu-somalia+1152_13000501101-tpfil02aw-27353.jpg

[Somali philosopher]

Best we can do is not pass the disease of tribalism to our children and instill in them the value of Somalinimo. We already know our generation is going to miss out on seeing the Somalia we all want so let's at least help our grandchildren achieve that dream of unified strong Somalia

[DoctorKenney]

Somali philosopher;881754 wrote:

Best we can do is not pass the disease of tribalism to our children and instill in them the value of Somalinimo. We already know our generation is going to miss out on seeing the Somalia we all want so let's at least help our grandchildren achieve that dream of unified strong Somalia

Well, there's no way that can be implemented nor organized. I have no control of how the average Somali man raises his children. And unfortunately, many of the Somali diaspora children who grow up in Europe/North America are tribalists themselves. There has to be an effective policy to counter this.

 

Even Somaliland and Puntland are nothing more than facades. It is a lie, there is no real functioning civil administration and society is in turmoil in both those regions.

[Chimera]

You would need a 500k strong Somali army of orphans with no ties to qabiil sustaining at least fifty years of undisturbed peace and progress. Only then will the concept and appeal of clan be significantly degraded in Somali society to the point of it being a thing of the past. That was the case with Germans, Scots and more vividly the Japanese.

 

Either that or a huge economic boom and educational revolution.

[sharma-arke451]

there's nothing wrong with qabiil, qabyaalad is the evil. if only qabiil is used positively, the dream of a nation will sink in.

[DoctorKenney]

What I'm saying could be an effective policy, would be to gather a mid-sized group of Somali men in the diaspora. (It doesn't need to be more than 100 men). They have to be men, as we all knowhow difficult it is for a woman in Somalia to be taken seriously.

 

They would have to be scattered across Somalia, ranging from little villages to large cities. But these men have to have the same agenda, and it can be similar to the agenda espousedby the Somali Youth League (SYL) in the 1940's. And these men would have to undertake the long, arduous process of nation-building. They would have to gain the trust of the local Somalis by engaging in productive, honest behaviour.

 

What I believe is a good strategy would be to target the young, and Somalia has an abundance of young boys/girls. 45 percent of the entire Somali population is under the age of 14. This is an immense pool of promising young Somalis.

 

 

 

What we could do is start some sort of a Boy Scouts organization in Somalia. I understand that this sounds strange at first, but think of the enormous potential such an organization can have, especially in a country such as Somalia. The United States benefited immensely from the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). The BSA taught millions of young American boys the values of patriotism, hard-work, independence, honesty, respect, and tolerance. Some of these Boy Scouts went on to become military generals, Presidents, and prominent scientists. No one can doubt that the Boy Scouts have been proven to instill positive values in society. This organization in Somalia doesn't have to be called a Boy Scouts Organization, but it could be very similar to the one which exists in the United States.

 

Different chapters can be opened up in various cities and towns, from Mogadishu to Beledweyne to Borama to Hobyo to Garowe etc. This would require significant funding (but the Somali diaspora is fully capable of funding such an endeavor).

 

 

 

This Organization can start recruiting young boys from poor families. These boys can be between 4-10 years old. They can start feeding the boys, teaching the boys how to read while at the same time assisting the boy's family if they are in need. These young boys can be incorporated into this Boy Scouts organization, and then start the long process of instilling positive values into the children's mindsets.

 

These boys can be taught things such as:

 

1. Hardwork

2. Respect for authority

3. Somali Patriotism

4. Respect for women's rights

5. Independence

6. Honesty

 

This Boy Scouts organization would also have to gain their legitimacy by assisting the local community. They could dig wells, plant trees, build Masjids, care for the elderly, etc. Gradually, the local population would accept the presence of the Boy Scouts in the community, and grow to trust them. This newly elected Somali government is incapable of delivering even basic services to the people, so this new Boy Scouts organization would have to go places in Somalia where others might not want to go.

 

Over the course of a decade or two, these young boys will grow into patriotic and honest Somali men, numbering in the thousands. The Boy Scouts would have a flood of applications from Somali families all hoping to send their young boys to such a fine institution.

 

While delivering basic services to the people, the Boy Scouts would also gain political power while at the same time raise a new generation of capable and intelligent Somali men. These Somali men would be perfectly capable of being effective soldiers, teachers, engineers, doctors, politicians, and accountants. From a young age, they were taught these values, which would translate into a transformed society.

 

This new generation of Somali men would see themselves as Somalis, rather then their tribes. They would respect their women, including their wives and be a positive force in the community.

[DoctorKenney]

Apophis;881785 wrote:

I think those who have grown up in the West will be the death of clannism, especially when they return en mass to the country. But on a wider point, I believe clannism is the end result of the loss of continental identity in Africa. People, in the 50s and 60s were proud to reference themselves as Africans and see other Africans as their brothers, then the rot of the 70s set in with nationalism and identifying with a country was strongly propagated by dictators across the continent. This has further broken down to what we see now in most of Africa (not just Somalia), where politics and governance is managed by tribal power and collusion.

The Somalis from the West suffer from the same disease as the Somalis in Somalia. Don't pretend as if Tribalism doesn't exist in the United States or Canada. Also, many of the Somali teenagers in Europe/North America are indifferent to what goes on over there. They've lived their entire lives in the West, and they don't see themselves risking their lives just to visit Somalia.

 

Also, Somalia--for all intents and purposes--does not have a real government. It's just a facade, and I'm very disappointed to be saying this.

 

I would love for Somalia to be a prosperous nation in my lifetime, but I know that is extremely unlikely. However, we can start the wheels in motion, so that in 70 years Somalia can be a prosperous nation such as Japan or Germany.

[DoctorKenney]

I've been to Somalia a few years ago, and for a period of time I was in Beledweyne. What shocked me when I was there, was that the young Somali children went to Duksi Quran class everyday except for Friday. They sat in the Quran class, reciting the Quran from 7am-4pm. They never learned math, or science, or literature.

 

All they learned was to memorize the Quran, and many of their Duksi teachers were themselves uneducated, capable of only reciting the Quran and nothing else. Now, memorizing the Quran is perfectly good, and I believe all Somali schools should have Quran classes alongside other classes. However, I think studying only the Quran all day everyday is a little excessive. Duksi teachers are basically fathers to these young Somali children, as these kids spend most hours of their day under his direct supervision.

 

Now imagine that this Duksi teacher was suddenly replaced by an educated and competent Somali man who teaches these children positive values while at the same time using them to help improve the community. This would be extremely beneficial to everyone involved. This would require dedication from the Somali man, as he may have to work his entire life for the sake of the nation.

 

 

 

P.S.

Now, the reason why I'm so emphatic about educating the young Somali boys first rather than all Somali children is simply due to a lack of financial resources. In a nation with as little financial resources as Somalia, it is imperative that we make as big an impact as possible. Somalia is a very patriarchal society, and for a woman to gain influence would be extremely difficult. It would be better to first educate the males of the society, and then when they start moving forward we can focus on the young females in the country. This is not to be misinterpreted as sexism, it's just more strategic.

[DoctorKenney]

Apophis;881797 wrote:

You cannot advance any nation while handicapping half of it's population (unless of course you're "gifted" with unlimited oil wells).

Somalia's social norms are what's handicapping Somali women. Women in Somalia today are less free and independent than they were in the 1960's. We need to change that for sure

[Chimera]

DoctorKenney;881793 wrote:

P.S.

Now, the reason why I'm so emphatic about educating the young Somali

boys

first rather than all Somali children is simply due to a lack of financial resources. In a nation with as little financial resources as Somalia, it is imperative that we make as big an impact as possible. Somalia is a very patriarchal society, and for a woman to gain influence would be extremely difficult. It would be better to first educate the males of the society, and then when they start moving forward we can focus on the young females in the country. This is not to be misinterpreted as sexism, it's just more strategic.

“If you teach a boy, you educate an individual; but if you teach a girl, you educate a community."

[DoctorKenney]

Chimera;881800 wrote:

“If you teach a boy, you educate an individual; but if you teach a girl, you educate a community."

Okay fine.

 

Getting through with the logistics of this program is going to be a real problem. Somalis can't seem to agree on anything, and to find 100 like-minded patriotic Somalis would be a very difficult achievement

[DoctorKenney]

It took the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) 23 years to build a functioning Islamic State. It took Vladimir Lenin decades to transform and take over Russia. It took Ho Chi Minh decades to take over Vietnam.

 

What we see in the news about Somalia can be classified as superficial developments, and the civil war shows little signs of abating.

 

Somalia has a lot of potential, the potential to be the richest nation in Africa. It has the potential to be a major force in the region, capable of providing a decent standard of living for it's citizens. However, we've allowed men like Siad Barre and Aidiid to destroy the very fabric of our nation. We need to start all over again, and although the existence of a prosperous Somalia is unlikely in the next 50 years, we should still move forward and build it. We can ensure a decent standard of living for every Somali family inshallah.

 

Thomas Jefferson never witnessed a prosperous and powerful USA. However, he took actions which ensured America would be a superpower in a few generations. Even though he knew he would never see a powerful USA, this didn't stop him from working towards that goal.

[Xaaji Xunjuf]

You are not looking for solutions waryaa you just want to ignore what happened and move on where did various somali tribes came together and made peace ever since 1991. It never happened so if you wanna solve the root cause of all the problems the civil war as we know it ended but there is still a cold war there is still distrust and animosities between the communities that's why you have 4.5 clan fiefdoms and thats why you have neighboring countries finding deep holes in ur societies.

 

Thats why you're leaders don't trust each other that's why the international community plays a huge role in what happens in Somalia. Tribalism is not the core issue here tribalism existed before the civil war but Somalis never ever experienced before colonialism that they can or should share a state the notion that wax ba la wada leeyahay is very unfamiliar with Somalis that's why they introduced something called clan federalism waxba la kala leeyahay.

 

The problems u need to tackle is why don't Somalis trust each other why would they trust a Kenyan over their fellow Somali or an Ethiopian or an ugandan. Was it the former dictatorial regime or is it because modern Somali statehood was just an experiment that failed. Somalis need to face the realities on the ground not run away from it.

[DoctorKenney]

Xaaji Xunjuf;881839 wrote:

You are not looking for solutions waryaa you just want to ignore what happened and move on where did various somali tribes came together and made peace ever since 1991. It never happened so if you wanna solve the root cause of all the problems the civil war as we know it ended but there is still a cold war there is still distrust and animosities between the communities that's why you have 4.5 clan fiefdoms and thats why you have neighboring countries finding deep holes in ur societies.

 

Thats why you're leaders don't trust each other that's why the international community plays a huge role in what happens in Somalia. Tribalism is not the core issue here tribalism existed before the civil war but Somalis never ever experienced before colonialism that they can or should share a state the notion that wax ba la wada leeyahay is very unfamiliar with Somalis that's why they introduced something called clan federalism waxba la kala leeyahay.

 

The problems u need to tackle is why don't Somalis trust each other why would they trust a Kenyan over their fellow Somali or an Ethiopian or an ugandan. Was it the former dictatorial regime or is it because modern Somali statehood was just an experiment that failed. Somalis need to face the realities on the ground not run away from it.

How can we move on as a nation if we can't even work together on the most basic issues? Something like national security, which Somalis should be fully capable of ensuring can't even be accomplished due to disagreements. Somalia--as a nation-- can't even keep control over their own territory.

 

Somalia--in it's current predicament--will look like Afghanistan in a few years, at best. The President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai is barely capable of holding the country together, while different ethnic militias square off while at the same time the Taliban is causing massive damage. Do you not see the problem here? Afghanistan is no longer a nation, but just a land of competing ethnic/tribal groups---Just like in Somalia. The only reason why there's some semblance of governance there is due to the 100 000 heavily armed NATO troops protecting this weak Afghan "government".

 

As I said before, every 1 year of destruction requires at least 2 years of nation-building. Afghanistan was a stable state until the Soviets invaded. And because no comprehensive nation-building took place afterwards, Afghanistan will never know real peace. Once NATO withdraws from Afghanistan, it will collapse on itself. And when AMISOM withdraws from Somalia, it also would collapse on itself.

 

You even said to me earlier:

 

Xaaji Xunjuf;881839 wrote:

In Somalia the civil war of tribes is long over you are living in the early 90s

there is no real proper reconciliation conference needed

for long lasting peace to be reached.Puntland is a peaceful entity galmudug is peaceful so is ximan iyo xeeb aswj and Mogadishu.

Those regions are not peaceful at all. They're not even capable of controlling their own territories. We need more than just a conference.

[Alpha Blondy]

Dr. Keeney,

 

an excellent, timely and thought provoking thread I must say. i completely agree with you. things have to change and when you've reached the lowest depths of the abyss, the only way is up my brother. we must do ALL we can to find solutions to the problems that hinder the collective will of our people. right now, the priorities as you've already mentioned must be put on security and stability.

 

i'm sure you're familiar with Hobbs notion of High and Low Politics. Somali politics, particularly Somalia has been based on High Politics and issues to do with sovereignty- although there is a lack of sovereignty as Somalia has developed a tendency to inviting external forces in aiding the threat of islamic radicals. in terms of security, there appears to be intermittent periods of security and no functioning internal security apparatus etc!. thus Somalia's political landscape is not guided so much by general principles of existence by creating a peaceful and harmonious living for its citizens but a desire for the participants to survive politically in response to the changing circumstances. SECURITY is absolutely imperative and only through a strong internal security apparatus can the the next set of pre-conditions needed for a viable transitional towards development be achieved.