This 2,000-year-old city in Yemen is known as Manhattan of the desert...

ral Hadhramaut district, Shibam has roots in the pre-Islamic period, and evidence of construction dating from the 9th century.

Shibam is known as the first city on earth with a vertical masterplan.

A protected UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1982, the city is home to densely packed buildings ranging from four to eight storeys, beginning in 300 AD but now mostly built after 1532.

Thanks to a fortified ring wall, the city has survived nearly two thousand years despite its precarious position adjacent to the wadi floodplain.

Wikimedia Commons/Aiman titi

As an important stop on the spice and incense trade route,Shibam emerged as a beacon of wealth in the Southern Arabian plateau. The city began as an enclave for rival families seeking prestige, political power, and protection from Bedouin thieves.

The notion of stacked housing quickly became the architecturalmodus operandi, and thus began the construction of hundreds of mud brick buildings. The solution the contiguous tower-houses eliminated vulnerabilities from attack, while simultaneously exhibiting the wealth of the residents.

Wikimedia Commons/Jialiang Gao

Shibam was built atop the pre-Islamic capital of Shabwa after its destruction in 300 AD, largely levelling the former community.

A few fragments remain from the earliest construction in Shibam, including a mosque built in 904 and a castle built in 1220, however the city was largely rebuilt after 1532 when a devastating flood swept the region, crippling the foundations of the city's ancient towers. Despite its strategic location on the highest point of the wadi floodplain, Shibam has frequently been the subject of flooding, prompting the fortification of its outer walls.

Flickr/ Najeeb Musallam

The city is surrounded by fertile land employed for agriculture, using an integrated urban system for the simultaneous generation of food and building materials. After crops are harvested from the surrounding land, soil is collected for construction inside the walled city - and construction is a continuous process, with the towers requiring regular maintenance with fresh coats of mud.

Shibam is historically revered for its ingenious urban planning methods, particularly with architecture that harmonizes with a population deeply devoted to traditional Muslim culture. Early incarnations of Islamic architecture can be noted in the fenestration on the higher levels of the structures while the ground levels were dictated by security, creating a fortress-like defense system to protect the affluent residents inside.

Flickr/maartenF

"Sometimes called the 'Chicago of the desert' or the 'Manhattan of the desert', the old city of Shibam presents to historians and urbanists one of the earliest and most perfect examples of rigorous planning based on the principle of vertical construction," reads the UNESCO brief on Shibam. Credited as the home of the first highrise apartment buildings, Shibam has become a symbol for the rise and resilience of middle eastern culture in the desolation of the surrounding desert.

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Tea is a national disgrace

Joel Golby- The Guardian
Britain’s favourite beverage is a boring, beige relic of our colonial past. But if we admit that to ourselves, what else are we going to start doubting?
'I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that doing the tea run in the office is one of the worst punishments that can be inflicted on a human being.' Photograph: Dimitri Vervitsiotis/Getty Images

Go into any house in England and you will be offered some tea. Barge in. Just walk in to a nana’s house. “Oh, sorry,” the nana will say. “Can I get you a cup of tea?”

The nana will walk slowly to the kitchen. She will boil a fresh kettle of water and warm a teapot first. She has a complex hierarchy of doilies. Six different biscuits on the same ornate plate. “Sorry about the biscuit selection,” the nana will say. “Only I wasn’t really expecting visitors.”

It is a crime that you don’t go and see your nana more, but that’s a conversation for a different day. Tea is the thing now. Turn to the nana. She has Countdown on in the background but she has it on mute. Turn to her. “Nana, old lady, whatever your name is: tea – ” you are making very intense eye contact with the nana now – “tea is shit.”

Tea is shit. We don’t examine this enough in England. We just putter along, thinking tea is good; but it’s not good. It’s a lukewarm mug of leaf water, presented as a cure-all for life’s ills. “Nice cup of tea,” people say, when you’ve watched a vivid car accident or been given a terminal diagnosis, or gone for a walk and it’s started raining. Whether the mafia has kidnapped you and made you kill a man with a gun to win your freedom or if you’ve done quite badly in an exam, someone will say: “Let me get you a nice cup of tea.”

We argue about how best to make tea. “Milk first!” some people say, wrongly. “No,” others say. “Milk after.” People are basically willing to raise fists over this. They are ready to duel to the death over how long a bag should be left in a mug, or whether a bag should even see a mug in the first place, whether a bag should be locked in the prison of a teapot and squeezed of its blood through a spout. “No sugar!” people shout, as you waddle off to make another interminable cup of tea for them. Another will chime in: “A hundred sugars!”
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Academics have recently uncovered the oldest teain Britain, proving once and for all that we have been tea bores for more than 300 years. If you do not think we are collectively boring about tea, offer to do an office tea run right now. Someone will hold up one single finger while they rootle about in a desk drawer for a bag of green tea. Someone else will pass you a tiny carton of sweeteners or some agave. You’ll have to carry all of this to the kitchen, where there is someone you vaguely remember from the Christmas party waiting to make small talk with you. You have to go down to reception and ask if they’ve seen “the tray”. I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that doing the tea run in the office is one of the worst punishments that can be inflicted on a human being.

How did we get like this? Liking tea has its roots in colonialism, but making a big thing of enjoying it now is somehow worse. Because it’s morphed, over the ages, from that fragrant hay box academics unearthed this week, which we used to brew and drink like normal people, into something else. It is now at once the twee height of Englishnessbut also the most basic solution to any problem, a coddle in a mug.

And through it all, nobody has thought to go: hang on, it’s just hot brown slop you dip biscuits in. Because this is the fear, isn’t it? Once we examine tea, once we put that central tenet of British culture under the microscope, what else will we start to doubt? Gin? The royal family? Dancing dogs on TV talent shows? Black pudding? An inherent hatred of the French?

Once those old cultural keystones are gone, there is nothing but collapse. Sans tea, the concept of Englishness can be distilled down to nothing more than a poster reading: “Keep calm and carry on thinking Wayne Rooney is a slightly better striker than he is”. Without tea, the only thing that demarcates us from the rest of the world are dads who wear fancy dress to international cricket games.

And this is it. This is our reality – big, stewing pots of the stuff; types of tea named after earls; chipped mugs with steam rising out of them; some dickhead saying “It’s a bit tannin-y, isn’t it?”; special little teapot-shaped dishes on the side piled high with old, cold teabags; special rectangular biscuits designed for dunking. This is our world, awash with a liquid more overrated than oil.

Is tea good? We never ask. It is not good. It is exactly fine. And liking it is the worst possible English trait, up there with colonialism and the class system and thinking dentistry is bad. Next time you have a cup of tea – and look around you, you are probably surrounded by it, three or four mugs of the stuff at various degrees of room temperature, biscuit crumbs down your cardigan – next time you have a cup of tea, as you lift the heavy mug to your mouth, think: is this actually good? Zoom out. Analyse. Is this nice, or do I just have Stockholm syndrome?


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Somaliland entices tourists

The quasi-independent region of Somaliland is trying to market itself as a tourist destination. 

On the walls of the Oriental Hotel, built in 1953 and the oldest in Hargeisa, Somaliland’s capital, are new posters depicting beaches and historic sites under the hopeful banner: “Wonderful Somaliland – The Newest Tourist Destination in Africa”.

Developing a tourist industry offers one means to boost Somaliland’s livestock-export-dependent economy and change global perspectives that remain focused on Somalia to the south, continuing not to recognise Somaliland’s 1991 declaration of independence.

No one claims it’s going to be easy, however, especially given Somaliland’s continuing lack of statehood and most Western governments warning citizens against all travel to it as part of Somalia. Fortunately, not all tourists come from the West.

“Ethiopia is our neighbour and with its large population offers a big market,” says Mohammed Abdirizak, manager of Hargeisa-based Safari Travel Tour and Culture travel agency. “Many of its middle class are going to Kenya and Djibouti for holidays when they could be coming here.”

Somaliland has much to attract Ethiopian tourists and other nationalities: 850km of virgin undeveloped coast line, some of the world’s oldest rock art in the Las Geel caves, ancient mosques, traditional camel markets, and more.

“The feedback we get is good,” says Jim Louth, director of UK-based adventure travel company Undiscovered Destinations, which sends small tourist groups to Somaliland twice a year. “They find the local people are very nice, Las Geel with it rock paintings is a big hit, and they like the feel of Hargeisa.”

Already Somaliland’s diaspora are returning to discover a homeland which many never knew after fleeing the 1980s civil war that killed tens of thousands and almost destroyed its infrastructure.

And in addition to Ethiopia’s burgeoning middle class, Somaliland could also benefit as an onward destination for the increasing tourist numbers lured to Ethiopia, says Mark Rowlatt, a 56-year-old habitual traveller planning his Somaliland itinerary from the Oriental Hotel. Estimates for tourists to Somaliland in 2014 are hard to verify and vary from 300 up to 1,300. Though hardly a deluge of visitors, for Somaliland such numbers are a significant step in the right direction. Although improving that trend faces a major obstacle.

“I don’t see tourist numbers increasing while Western governments have travel advisories in place,” Louth says. “Poor old Somaliland is placed with Syria and Yemen, and that means you won’t get hotel groups interested or foreign investment in infrastructure either.”

And infrastructure needs improving – or simply building. The ancient maritime town of Berbera beside the Gulf of Aden offers a rickety and crumbling façade near much of its waterline. “There’s very little at the beaches in terms of infrastructure – there needs to be more,” says Georgina Jamieson, development director for UK-based tourism consultancy service Dunira Strategy. “Though that’s part of the beauty, it’s very untouched. Some say it’s like what Egypt looked like prior to its tourist boom.”

But in addition to inadequate infrastructure – a problem not limited to beaches – dissuading more mainstream tourists, Somaliland’s strict Islamic culture means women swim fully clothed and no cold beers are served at sundown. And already there are increasing reports of thefts on the beach and foreigners being aggressively hassled for money.

“We concluded that over the short term Somaliland’s historical sites are its strongest assets,” Jamieson says of a 2014 Dunira Strategy feasibility study of heritage tourism as a driver of sustainable economic growth in Somaliland.

“The only way we can sell the country’s assets is to have international recognition,” says Jama Musse, director of the Hargeisa Culture Centre. “Tourism will not grow without that recognition. It’s a simple fact. The world does not know about us.”

As a result, Musse explains, foreigners don’t know who to contact, no one takes responsibility, and the types of institutions normally operating abroad to protect tourists’ interests don’t exist. And with no proper authority recognised, there’s the danger of anyone offering advice without accountability. Some say Somaliland’s government isn’t doing enough to support tourism, although it could be excused as distracted by more pressing matters. Somaliland’s economy remains perilously fragile, with non-statehood depriving it of large-scale international support and access to global financial systems and institutions. In addition, poverty is widespread and swathes of young men lounging on streets testify to chronic unemployment rates, all of which could undermine peace and security.

For now, though, Somaliland’s peace holds, and those tourists choosing to take their governments’ travel advisories with a pinch of salt can visit in relative safety. On a late February Friday afternoon at Berbera’s Baathela Beach, one visitor seemed suitably impressed. 

“With its small waves it reminds me of the Mediterranean,” says Xavier Vallès, an NGO health consultant in Somaliland who grew up next to the beach in Barcelona, before stripping off to take a dip.

- See more at: http://africanbusinessmagazine.com/arts-and-culture/travel/somaliland-entices-tourists/#sthash.4JvfDrsj.dpuf


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waxaananu taageersan nahay gooni-isutaaga Beesha Cimraan! boqor faysal cismaan

Daawo:Haddanu nahay Beesha Habar-yoonis in badan baa wax isku jireene in Islaantu umusho oo Umul baxdo,waxaananu taageersan nahay gooni-isutaaga Beesha Cimraan!

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Nairobi:- THE chewing of miraa will be restricted to five hours a day if the national anti-drug body has its way.

Nairobi:- THE chewing of miraa will be restricted to five hours a day if the national anti-drug body has its way.


National Campaign Against Drug Abuse Authority director Mohamed Fazul has said they are in the process of drafting a law that seeks to regulate the chewing of the mild narcotic also known as khat.
He did not say how the law will be enforced.
According to Fazul, Nacada proposes that miraa chewing is restricted to between 5pm and 10pm.
“It is a drug with two active ingredients – cathine and cathinone,” said Fazul. “We are drafting a law to regulate its usage and consumption.”
He was speaking in a phone interview with the Star.
Reacting to the proposal, Nyambene Miraa Traders’ Association spokesman Kimanthi Munjuri said: “To seek to know who exactly is chewing miraa and at what time is not a problem as such. Even where miraa comes from, it is controlled. There is an unwritten rule in Meru, set by the council of elders, that chewing of miraa among the youths is not allowed before you are circumcised…also it is frowned upon when women chew miraa in this region.”
He welcomed Nacada’s proposal to regulate miraa use.
“Chewing miraa should be controlled. Our current problems [the ban of the miraa trade in the Western nations, most recently the UK] was brought about by lack of control, where people mostly of Somali origin used to chew miraa for days in the UK and then later complain that it is harming them health-wise,” Munjuri said.
“Everybody suffering from all manner of situations and drug abuse hides behind miraa. You find someone taking only one bundle the whole night, during which he adds consumption of other drugs like bhang, and then, because miraa is the one they are seen chewing or holding, their obviously visible drugged state is blamed on miraa,” he said.
Munjuri said the only recommendation they have for Nacada is to have the chewing time set for between 2pm to midnight and not between 5pm and 10pm as he had proposed.
But Changamwe MP Omar Mwinyi, who has intensified his campaign against the drug in his constituency, said restricting the sale and consumption of miraa is not enough.
He said miraa destroys families, especially in the Muslim community, and also eats into the economy.
“This should not be about regulation. It is supposed to be banned,” said Mwinyi on the phone.
Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya organising secretary Sheikh Mohamed Khalifa yesterday supported Mwinyi’s sentiments that the drug should be banned.
He said there is no need to regulate the sale and consumption of a drug “that has no benefit to the society”.

Source: The Star




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War Culus Cod ah.......... Madax Dhaqameedka iyo Salaadiinta Beesha Bariga Hargeysa Oo Ka Hadlay Abaalku Shirka Beelaha Magaado

Madax Dhaqameedka iyo Salaadiinta Beesha Bariga Hargeysa Oo Ka Hadlay Abaalku Shirka Beelaha Magaado









Madax Dhaqameedka iyo Salaadiinta Beesha Bariga Hargeysa Oo Ka Hadlay Abaalku Shirka Beelaha Magaado




Hargeysa()-Qaar ka mida Salaadiinta iyo Madax-dhaqameedka Beesha Bariga Hargeysa ayaa sheegay inaanay wax luga ku lahayn hogaankooda dhaqanka ee beeshoodu dhaqdhaqaaqa maalmihii u danbeeyey la hadal hayey ee abaabulka shir ay Beelaha Habar Magaado iskugu imanayaan isla markaasna kaga wada hadlayaan danahooda Siyaasadeed

Salaadiintan iyo Madax-dhaqameedkan Beesha Bari Hargeysa Oo Shir-jaraa'id ku qabtay Magaalada Hargeysa ayaa waxa ka mid ahaa Suldaan Yuusuf Muxumed Xiirey afhayeenka Dhaqanka Somaliland Suldaan Nuur Faarax Xuseen Boqor Maxamed Nuux Aadan Suldaan C/raxmaan Cawaale Hurre Suldaan Maxamuud C/laahi Xaaji Aadan

Suldaan Mahad Maxamuud Xirsi(M.Careej,Suldaan Cali Yuusuf (bada cas) Ugaas Xuseen Geele Abokor,Boqor Faysal Cismaan Faarax Sul.Maxamed Sul.Xasan Barre.






Afhayeenka Guud ee Hogaanka Dhaqanka Suldaan Yuusuf Maxamuud Xiirey oo ku hadlaayey afka Salaadiinta Beesha ayaa waxa uu golaha ka cadeeyey inaanay jirin shir iyo abaabul ay og yihiin oo Habar Magaadle isagu imanaayo isagoo isla markaasna xusay inaan la majare-habaabin bulshada oo aan loo sheegin wax aan jirin

Suldaan Yuusuf Maxamuud Xiirey ayaa waxa uu sidoo kale Carabka ku adkeeyey inaanay haboonayn in hab qabiilaysan oo cunsuriyadi ku jirto laysku abaabulin balse ay haboon tahay in Bulshdu Xisbiyo Qaran ayeynu leenahay waa in markaa hanaanka Dimuqraaadiyada lagu dhaqmaa isla markaana laga waantoobaa waxyaabaha qabyaalada iyo Cunsuriyada keenaaya ee Amniga iyo karaamada qaranka waxyeelaaya

Women don’t need mahram OK for travel within KSA

Women don’t need mahram OK for travel within KSA



Saudi women stand at the entrance of a shopping mall, in this November 7, 2013 file photo. (AFP)


RIYADH: ARAB NEWS
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Around 64 percent of Saudi women are unaware of their right to travel inside the Kingdom without obtaining the approval of their guardians, local media reported, quoting a recently published study.
Similarly, the study found that 59 percent of Saudi men were oblivious that women are allowed to travel domestically without the prior consent of guardians.
The study, which was conducted by Khadija bint Khuwailid Center for Businesswomen at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, was designed to measure public opinion regarding Saudi women’s participation in national development and the problems facing them in the labor market.
Around 3,000 male and female individuals above 18 years old were randomly selected from 11 cities across the Kingdom to participate in the study.
The study also found that 66 and 70 percent of women and men respectively strongly rejected the idea of women traveling without their guardian’s consent.
Meanwhile, Brig. Gen. Suleiman Al-Yahya, director-general of
the Passport Department, said the department has no intention of canceling travel permits for women.
The only exception will be made for women abroad on scholarship, he said.
Citizens living abroad will no longer need to employ paperwork agents or visit passport offices and will instead be able to use the Abshir online system.
“This online system is fully protected from hacking attempts,” he said.


The Interior Ministry, meanwhile, has promised to implement an e-linkage project between the Social Affairs, Justice and Commerce Ministries.
“Citizens find it easy to criticize system shortcomings because they are oblivious to the amount of work undertaken by the department in enhancing performance and expanding services,” he said. “The mediator phenomenon will soon disappear.”
“There are 500,000 Saudi citizens living in Egypt and 150,000 living in Kuwait,” said Ambassador Osama Al-Sanousi, undersecretary for Consular Affairs.
“The ministry, however, does not have accurate statistics about the number of Saudis living permanently in other countries because of the absence of a mechanism to monitor such figures,” he said. “As such, Saudis living abroad should register at the local embassies in the countries in which they reside.”
“In addition, Saudis living abroad should refrain from discussing sensitive topics and should only answer questions in the presence of a lawyer in the event of arrest,” he said.
“Embassies are tasked with bailing out their citizens and protecting them getting into prison,” said Al-Sanousi.


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Folkestone Khat Arrest Believed To Be UK First

Folkestone Khat Arrest Believed To Be UK First


A man has been arrested for possession of the now-banned stimulant khat in what police believe is a UK first.

The 20-year-old was stopped by officers based at the Channel Tunnel in Folkestone, Kent, as he attempted to board a train for Calais on Tuesday.

Kent Police said officers found about 500kg (1,102lb) of khat in pillow cases in the boot and back seat of his car.

Possessing khat became illegal in the UK on 24 June when the plant was decreed a class C drug.

Officers have seized the khat, believed to be worth at least £15,000, for analysis.

The herbal stimulant has been chewed by people in parts of Africa and the Middle East for hundreds of years.

Source BBC News
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Wedding halls shut for wild celebrations

Wedding halls shut for wild celebrations



JEDDAH: NADIM AL-HAMID

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Police patrols have recently shut down more than 15 wedding halls across the city, according to First Lt. Nawaf Al-Bouq, spokesman for the Jeddah police department.
Speaking with Arab News, Al-Bouq said the owners of the wedding venues were accused of violating safety regulations in allowing families to gunfire in celebration of their wedding ceremonies.
The spokesman explained that firing guns in the air is a potentially fatal activity, which may result in the death of bystanders.
He cited examples of fatalities caused by celebrating gunfire in the past, emphasizing the Jeddah Police Department has many times warned individuals against the dangers of joy gunfires and has since banned the practice.
“We have deployed undercover patrol cars to monitor and arrest violators. It’s imperative that we end use of firearms in public as it could lead to tragic incidents,” he said.
The governor of Makkah and the Ministry of Interior, he said, have issued strict directives regarding the matter and wedding hall owners have been explicitly prohibited from allowing such practices on their premises.
Al-Bouq underlined that penalties would be imposed against the wedding hall owners and individuals participating in the gunfire in any celebration


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majaajilo xisbiyada Somaliland.flv

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Somaliland:The Lost Nomad

Somaliland:The Lost Nomad





“Hearing stories about the lost nomad with a flash light trying to find his home in the middle of the night at first might strikes as funny, but when you hear about men kidnapping animals from their own heard to sell at the market for a bundle of khat, you realize that this is a serious issue.

khat does a bustling trade esti­mated at well over $50 million annually. Doctors warn, how­ever, that the drug is not only a drain on limited Somali resources but is also destroying lives.

According to a report by Tristan McCon­nelly of the Global Post/Pulitzer Center “It is not unusual for men to spend $5, or $10 a day on Khat making the habit a huge drain on a very limited resource, the Government’s entire annual bud­get is les then $50 Million, around $14 a head for each of Somaliland’s 3.5 million citizens”. It is apparent when looking at the numbers mentioned above that it all does not add up. Yet again we all are aware of the fact that remittance sent by most Somalis living abroad makes up for that difference.

This money sent by hardworking fam­ily members to most Somalilanders: who do not appreciate the value of a hard earned dollar, or euro. This easily obtained money is the source of all evil, namely the evil of the ever flourishing trade of Khat that is bound to lead to the decay of a proud nomadic culture.

Living in Hargiesa for the last three years I have noticed the changes in how Khat was used in the past as a social ac­tivity: an event set aside for weekends after a long work week, where men sat for a chewing session with their peers or other family members to talk about politics or other society related issues.

This session mostly would take place at home where (foh) traditional in­cense would burn and sweet tea would be drunk with khat. Whereas now all you see are men walking around at all hours, with their bundle of Khat under their armpit chewing while walked with a single bottle of water in their hand. Other times you see them Chewing while working and mostly just sitting in one of those dirty little chewing rooms provided by the Khat ladies at every cor­ner in the city.

Recently I made the trip to Haji-Salah where my mother’s family leave. The land is breathtaking, the grass is green and the sand is an unusual red color. A land where all you see is animals of all kind grazing happily, Camels, goats, sheep, and even the donkeys happily grazing along with all the other animals. Our trip was relaxing and fun, my friend, my daughter and I enjoyed the fresh air, where my mother fed us real tasty fresh meat and a lot of milk. Inspite of all this I could not help but come back from this visit with the uneasy feeling that the Khat trade does not only affect the city folk but extends to a rural areas as well. While in Haji-Salah, we indulged in some evening story telling under the stars while we sat around the matt after dinner. There is one story that my moth­er told us that inspired me to write this article. As my mother heard it from her neighbor and its goes like this:

“There was this family from Burao who came to Haji-Salah to get away from the city and enjoy the country side for a few weeks, this family set up a camp outside in the wood away from the village. One evening when getting ready for sleep they heard what they thought was an attack on their camp. They said all of a sudden the woods lit up all around them, kids, and women in the camp where scampering, and screaming “We are be­ing attacked” “We are being attacked”, scared out of their minds. While all the men in the family where by then ready to fight whatever was attacking them. Things calmed down, when neighbor who run in to see what the commotion was about told them not to worry it was just some animal herders equipped with a flash lights trying to find their way home after a chewing session in the vil­lage.

” My mother also explained the interest­ing phenomena witnessed by her every afternoon when the two heads of the nomadic family are seen walking by on their way to the center of the village, led by the man who is on his way to a chew­ing session, followed by the female who is on her way to sit with other women in the area for a bit of gossip.

On the morning of our return back to Hargiesa we left early, I can hear my mother telling my cousin who was driv­ing us to take the safer road .I did not pay attention why she was so worried at the time but as we were on the road I asked him what the issue with the road was. At first he ignored my ques­tion, and then I asked again, the answer was not comforting. It turns out that my driver needed his morning fix of khat so against my mother’s wishes he took the dangerous road that all the khat driv­ers take early morning to bring Khat to rural villages in that part of Somaliland. I was not happy with him, but the only way we can get off this road was to get to the next town and then catch a safer one.

As we drive on I noticed that the road we were on was rough and windy with real dense trees, so it would be really hard to see incoming traffic, and since there was only one lane a fast coming car would have caused a head on collusion in the event of an accident. We were not driving for more than ten minutes when I see a cloud of dust heading our way, I immediately told our driver to sound his horn and to slow down. As turned out the driver did not hear our horn, and at the last minute got out of our way as he comes to a Halt. Our driver steps out, starts chatting with the occupants of the landcruser, after a while he came back with a smile on his face holding his bundle of Khat.

The driver who looked fatigued with blood shot eyes told us it is best we got of this road as soon as possible. He explained that they were not the only khat truck on the road that Morning. At the end of this journey I came to the conclusion that the trade of khat, and it’s consumption by most Somali’s is a serious problem, a problem that not only affects the folks in the cit­ies, but extends to the nomadic families living in rural areas of Somaliland.

Hearing stories about the lost nomad with a flash light trying to find his home in the middle of the night at first might strikes as funny, but when you hear about men kidnapping animals from their own heard to sell at the market for a bundle of khat, you realize that this is a serious issue. Also the dangers present­ed by Khat drivers on our roads driving tired while under the influence of khat and God knows what else, is not one to take lightly.

Is our nomadic existence in jeopardy? Is it time to address this subject seri­ously? These are questions I would like our conscious readers to answer. Let us keep in mind that this green leafy prob­lem is a plant that we import from an­other country, one that does not grow in abundance here in our own country.

By Nuura




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Ethiopia:What the Somalis can learn from Ethiopian Cultural Festival?

Ethiopia:What the Somalis can learn from Ethiopian Cultural Festival?



The Cultural Festival that held in Jigijiga was an immaculate efforts undertaken by both people
and Government. It was human expression depicting the unity of people of 70 tribes of different culture, different region, different languages, and different religions, but under one
nation. In a period of twenty one years, Ethiopia has shown remarkable transformation from
feudal system into a capitalistic nation that embarked on economic and social success in urban
improvement, modern highway system, transformation of peasant agriculture into commercial
farming, and attracts foreign investment in industrialization projects.

The core of such successes came from people who believe in the shrine of nationhood and the unity of their country.
While Ethiopia was undergoing such economic transformation, Somalia was heading towards
disintegration into a governance system so alien to a united Somalia. The present system of federalism was crafted by unholy alliances of UN, IGAD, and Europeans who after many years of
negotiations came to believe that the Somalis have more pledges to clanism than nationhood.
The medical subscription given to them happened to be a bitter pill that can’t be swallowed.
Right on the eve of forming federal system in different regions, it is apparent that clan feuds among the people living in the same districts came to the surface. This shows that the system has so much loophole that it can never result cohesive national government. It is a hodgepodge system that promotes clanism, lacks economic vitality, puts the regions on the mercy of central government for financial handout. Majority of the regions that will embody federalism, their people have no market economy, because they are either pastoralist or subsistent farmers. Despite this fact, the formation of regional governments emulate that of central government headed by president, cabinet ministers, and parliament.

The constitutional wrangle that pops up every now and then and the challenges erupting from
regional leaders, like Farole, is a clear indication that the system is elusive and inapt that can’t function unless the constitution is subjected to review for amendment.
If federalism works in Ethiopia why it doesn’t work in Somalia? Ethiopians are people who subjected to rule and law for more than hundred years. They are zealous and patriotic. If even there are particular groups who oppose the government their dedication to their country remains unchanged. In the case of Somalis, if the head of the state is not their clan, they have no loyalty to that government. There is an anecdote that says two men who attended Friday pray came out of the Masjid. One of them said that he was impressed by the message of the Imam.
The second one asked “ What is Imam’s clan?” This shows how clanism is embedded in minds of Somalis and if the Imam is not your clan you turn deaf ear to Allah messages.
In the absence of national government much have been done in regions and districts that development never reached in the past. All by the efforts of clans, cities grew by leap and bound, educational institutions were built and managed by private people, and water wells were dug in areas that never had accessibility of water with the incomes came from Somali
Diaspora. The district authorities have no financial sources to run social services, like dispensaries, hospitals, cities sanitations, and security. The spirit of self-reliance is so apparent in Somaliland where good governance and democratic elections held through out the years
despite some deficiencies. Dependable security apparatus that exists in Somaliland is worth of emulation.

All in all, the major deterrent to national unity is the abhorrent belief jn every Somali unless his/her clan gets a lion’s share in the political power, they withheld their recognition to that government.
Mohamed H.Bahal



By MGoth
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SOMALILAND: President Attends Ethiopian 8th NNPD Festival

SOMALILAND: President Attends Ethiopian 8th NNPD Festival

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By M.A Egge

HARGEISA: (Somalilandsun) - The President H.E. Ahmed Mohammed Mohamud is in Jijiga to Ethiopian 8th Nations, nationalities and People's Day.

The Head of State who was invited by the Ethiopian government is expected to be away for two days.

He was accompanied by cabinet members Hon. Hersi Ali Haji Hassan, Hon. Dr. Abdillahi Aw Dahir, Hon, Abdillahi Mohammed Dahir (Ukuse), Hon. Dr. Mohammed A. Omar, and then Hussein A. Abdillahi of the Presidency, Livestock Development, Commerce, Information and Water respectively.

The Ethiopian 8th NNPD is scheduled to officially open today. It is a festival that the Federal Government of Ethiopia invests in greatly to make it successful. It is the first time to be held in the Somali region of Zone5.

The Ethiopian Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Day is a remarkable day in which various nations and nationalities would give their genuine promise to stand against poverty and to contribute what they could to assist the country's effort to bring sustainable development.

The 'Day' is as well expected to mutually enriching exchange of culture, experience sharing, and of indigenous knowledge. One of the expected upshots out of the 'Day' is that it can inspire all the nations, nationalities and peoples of Ethiopia. while the individual from one ethnic group goes back home, it will be initiated to sense a bit about its counterpart's lifestyle, faith, social structure, level of development, etc and thereby tempted to reflect broad horizon of outlook, depth of tolerance and dynamism. Such an event is absolutely essential to furthering peace, cooperation mutual understandings, instigating for development and prosperity.


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Jigjiga ready to host 8th Nations, Nationalities Day

Jigjiga ready to host 8th Nations, Nationalities Day

Jigjiga, 6 December 2013  (WIC) – Preparations have been finalized to successfully host the 8th Nations, Nationalities and People’s Day (NNPD), according to organizing committee of the event .

The 8th Nations, Nationalities and People’s Day will be held in the Somali Regional State on December 8, 2013 under the theme “Our Constitution for Our Renaissance.

In an exclusive interview with WIC today, Committee Coordinator, Ibrahim Ali, said cultural teams from Tigray, Amhara, Oromia, Afar, SNNP and Gambella regional states as well as other parts of the country have already arrived at Jijiga town.
In addition to the warm welcome they expressed to the guests, residents of the Jijiga town have been exerting utmost efforts for the peaceful and successful culmination of the celebration, he said.

Ibrahim said the Somali Regional State along with the residents had been making preparations to successfully host the 8th Nations, Nationalities and People’s Day.
Guest houses, meeting halls and stadium are ready for the celebration, he said.
Guest houses, meeting halls and stadium are ready for the celebration, he said.

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Jigjiga ready to host 8th Nations, Nationalities Day

Jigjiga ready to host 8th Nations, Nationalities Day

Jigjiga, 6 December 2013  (WIC) – Preparations have been finalized to successfully host the 8th Nations, Nationalities and People’s Day (NNPD), according to organizing committee of the event .

The 8th Nations, Nationalities and People’s Day will be held in the Somali Regional State on December 8, 2013 under the theme “Our Constitution for Our Renaissance.

In an exclusive interview with WIC today, Committee Coordinator, Ibrahim Ali, said cultural teams from Tigray, Amhara, Oromia, Afar, SNNP and Gambella regional states as well as other parts of the country have already arrived at Jijiga town.
In addition to the warm welcome they expressed to the guests, residents of the Jijiga town have been exerting utmost efforts for the peaceful and successful culmination of the celebration, he said.

Ibrahim said the Somali Regional State along with the residents had been making preparations to successfully host the 8th Nations, Nationalities and People’s Day.
Guest houses, meeting halls and stadium are ready for the celebration, he said.
Guest houses, meeting halls and stadium are ready for the celebration, he said.

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Future for Our Young Somalia Children.

Future for Our Young Somalia Children.


by Ahmed Yassin

Often, we hear of new colleges or universities opening in Somali,. We need to look into the educational background and qualifications of these teachers and into what they are teaching our children. We need to know that the curriculum is relevant to prepare them for the jobs that are in demand today and in the future.

We need to educate our children to prepare for the future by studying in order to compete for the highest demanding jobs in today’s market whether they live Somalia or outside of Somalia. Every year the United States, Europe and the Middle East bring to their countries, more than 60,000 people from India or other countries that are educated and/or trained specifically in technology and medicine. We need to identify the highest demanding jobs in the market today and what is coming tomorrow so we can always aim to improve the lives of our children. We can always follow the new trends and evolution of the market and direct children so they can be leaders not followers.

We have seen a lot of Somalia children who have received undergraduate degrees from universities but are still dying every day in the Mediterranean Sea. However, there are foreign workers in Somalia who work with the NGO organization including private security and maintenance. Are we preparing our children for the jobs that are in the highest demand today?

I traveled to more than 30 countries during the last 3 years and sat down with different University and College deans and asked them what they are trying accomplish. We transform education with technology and innovations.

There are more than 100 technology certifications and they are all highly in demand; for example, Microsoft alone has almost 20 different certifications and so does Cisco. There is a technological position called Cloud Engineer. In this occupation, you can work with big organizations and live anywhere in the world that has internet access and still do your job. We know that the United States operates drone airplanes during military combat. This force is driven by technology.

There is a technology firm I associate with that brings at least 10,000 Indian engineers to the United States for contract opportunities every year. Those employees earn $80,000 to $150,000 dollar a year. It takes six months or less to educate these employees.

Our children can be educated between six to nine months to earn this kind of income. They can get contracts outside of our country if they can find no opportunities within our country. Also, other countries will sponsor them because there is a demand for these fields. To educate 100 students, it will cost 0 dollar. The only training equipment they need is a virtual lab that can be used from anywhere there is access to the internet.

We don’t have to be in Somalia to educate our children. There are so many ways that we can help our children today. Technology allows us to communicate and guide them step by step, such as using Video Conferencing and Web Conferencing. We need to set standards and let our children know that if they don’t take control of their lives and educate themselves with our help, they will fail in life.

Here are some examples I saw last year, when I went back home after 20 years:

I went to Somaliland in July of last year and when I was coming back I met two Indian engineers at Berbera Airport while we were waiting for the airplane. I spoke to one of the engineers and asked where he came from and what he does for a living. He stated he came from Puntland and was working for a telecom company installing equipment. Also, he mentioned that he was coming back after 3 weeks to work on contracts that were worth $150,000. He would be working for two months to fix some more equipment. In addition, he would be training four Somalia persons on minor troubleshooting techniques

I asked him if he was going to train those young Somalia persons how to fix the equipment if there is a problem and he responded to me “No, only to troubleshoot so I can keep my customer”. I told him what I do for a living and where I live. He asked me for my contact information and if I could work with him on different contracts in Africa. I told him that I am not ready at this time.

I spoke to the other Indian engineer and asked him where he came from and what he does for a living. He told me that he had been working in Somaliland for two year as a graphics designer and he was coming back after one month. I asked him how much does he earn and he told me more than $100,000 a year.

Approximately two months ago, I met another United Kingdom architectural engineering in Atlanta, GA who is working for SAMCable in Somaliland. A friend of mine introduced me to him while I was in Somaliland. Based on the conversation that I had with him regarding the field that he is working in at SAMCable, and because I consider myself an expert in that field, if he was in the United States, his skills and use of terminology would not allow him to secure a job making more than $200.000 dollar a year, as he quoted as being his salary.

We can help our children to prepare for the future so can they take the lead in our country, nearby or neighboring countries and the world.

We can always say to them, ”If you are the smartest person among your friends or associates, you need to meet new friends and associate who are smarter than you to advance your knowledge and quality of living. If you fall and you can look up you can get up.

Ahmed Yassin
Solution Architect Information Technology
Atlanta, GA
Yshiine1@hotmail.com



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The Hollywood Perception of Somali Men

The Hollywood Perception of Somali Men

by Kowthar A. Yabarow

Being an eighteen-year-old college student has made me a relatively active user of social media. With this being said, I've noticed a particular trend with Somali women continuously undermining the overall capabilities of Somali men. Of course, Somali men don't live up to our standards. That's because no man does. Unrealistic expectations defined by Hollywood romantic comedy films have clouded our idea of a "good catch."

As for me, I've come across more Somali women than men who bash their own kind. Every race has its bad apples but to generalize the entire Somali male population is an ignorant assumption. There's nothing wrong with reaching your full potential, but let's remember a four-year degree and a job doesn't change your cultural identity. Being successful and Somali can be one in the same. I hope you realize you're still Somali and by bashing your own people this indeed is considered as self-hate. You actually may suffer a problem deeper than what others assume.

As for interracial couples, I support that. In fact, I think they're beautiful. But when you turn to other races solely because you're ashamed of your own it comes down to the saying "if you don't love yourself, who will". And when you act upon the genuine and sincere beliefs that Somali men are inferior, I suggest you take a step back, sit down, and come to realize you just said that your father, brother, uncle or even grandfather are also inferior. Let's not forget that they too are Somali men.

And let's face it, our priorities need help. Our generation of Somalis are so fixed on finding the "right" person that they end up compromising the most important ingredient in a potential husband; his deen. I'm all for being specific. I mean, you are choosing someone you plan on spending the rest of your life with. But there's a huge difference between knowing what you want and ruling out the potential of an entire population. Yes, you may never come across the perfect "Somali man" but nobody is perfect. By viewing the world as a stage, you realize that although you've come across a couple bad performers it doesn't mean the show is over.

There are plenty of handsome, successful, righteous Somali men in the world. So before you make a hasty conclusion about Somali men, take a deeper look and come to realize that what you attract just might be a reflection of yourself. Above all else, put your trust in Allah because "Good women are for Good men" (24:16) so you will receive what you deserve.

So to Somali girls with this mindset, I most certainly believe you are beautiful and while you're confidence may seem attractive it could be mistaken for arrogance. Don't let a few negative personal experiences taint your perception about an entire Somali male population. The Somali men may think it but never say it. So there you have it. This is directed to a few, not all. No offense taken, only opinions shared.Kowthar A. Yabarow


“Visit my blog @www.wadnagalore.weebly.com” or Twitter/IG - Miminikoko

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القبائل الحميرية في القرن العشرن

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Somali mother attacked love rival at school gates after threatening to break her legs if she didn’t stay away from her partner

Somali mother attacked love rival at school gates after threatening to break her legs if she didn’t stay away from her partner

Woman attacked fellow mother in front of horrified children and parents
Maryam Hussein, 24, launched into fight with Maryam Mohammed, 32
Hussein was in a relationship with Miss Mohammed's former partner
Hussein had earlier threatened to 'break her legs' if she didn't stay away


By WILLIAM TURVILL

A woman attacked a fellow mother and love rival in an 'ugly' brawl outside a primary school at home time.


Horrified children and parents watched on as Maryam Hussein, 24, launched into a fight with Maryam Mohammed, 32, Manchester Crown Court heard.


The fight occurred at the end of the day at St Philip's Church of England Primary School in Hulme, Manchester.



Maryam Hussein (above), from Hulme, Manchester, attacked Maryam Mohammed at their children's school gates





The women ended up rolling about on the ground as the victim's 10-year-old son tried to help his mother, the court heard.


Hussein was in a relationship with the victim’s ex-partner, and had warned her that she would ‘break her legs’ if she didn’t stay away from him.


Violence erupted after the women went to the school to pick up their children, with Hussein kicking Miss Mohammed’s car and damaging the wing mirror.


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Hussein’s 22-year-old brother Abdullah joined the bust-up, kicking the victim when she was on the ground and ‘aggressively’ restraining her little boy when he tried to help.


Mum-of-three Hussein, and her brother, were both given community punishments.


Hussein, of Clarendon Street, Hulme, admitted common assault and criminal damage. Her brother, of Walmer Street, Rusholme, admitted common assault.




Hussein had earlier threatened to break the legs of the victim before they met at the school gates



Prosecuting, Steven Wild said: 'Miss [Mohammed] received a phone call at 10 o’clock in the morning in which Miss Hussein said: "Listen bitch, you don’t know me, but you will know me now. If you and your kids don’t stop talking to Abie [her partner] I’m going to have to come and break your legs."

'Miss Mohammed said she would need to speak to Abie because he was the father of her children.'


Miss Mohammed ‘thought nothing of it’, and later that day went to collect her children from St Philip’s.


But at the school gates she saw Hussein, who repeated the threat.

The court heard that when the victim asked Abdullah Hussein to tell his sister to leave her alone, he said: 'This is my sister - if you don’t stop what you’re doing I’ll break your legs myself.'


At that point Maryam Hussein lunged and the two women began to struggle.


Miss Mohammed was later seen by a police officer ‘clearly distressed with visible injuries’, including with scratch marks on her face.

Robert Golinski, defending Maryam Hussein, said: 'The prospects of repetition are extremely remote.'


The court heard Hussein is no longer with the man at the centre of the row. Her brother was said to be ‘deeply ashamed’.


Sentencing, Judge Robert Atherton described the incident as ‘ugly’.


Maryam Hussein was given a 12-month supervision order with a requirement to attend a probation service programme - and given a retraining order which bars her from contacting the victim.


Abdullah Hussein was given 56 hours of unpaid work.



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2445389/Woman-attacks-fellow-mother-Hulme-Manchester--school-gates-fight-man.html#ixzz2h0T2jwWc
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Somaliland: 195 Rape Cases Reported To Police

Somaliland: 195 Rape Cases Reported To Police


By Somalicurrent

Somalilandsun - Rape cases in Somaliland increases according to the ministry of Interior of the area.Interior minister of Somaliland Ali Mohamed Waran-Ade said that only Friday (27th September 2013) the police has received eight cases of rape,

including rape against children under the age of ten.

The minister said that they are investigating the culprits of the shocking acts against the women.

Last year, 195 rape cases reported to the police, 67 out of that number were children under the age of ten and 19 years old boy, according to Baahi-Koob, a sexual assault referral office of Somaliland's Ministry of health, Hirad radio in Hargeisa reported.

"Rape violations are increasing every month and year," said Baahi-Koob programme manager Abdikadir Ahmed Mohamed who talked to Sabahi website a month ago. He said 30% of reported cases were gang rapes and 55% of the victims were under 15 years old.

Baahi-Koob says that they have recorded 104 cases of rape in Somaliland during the first four months of 2013.

According to a local source, women from minority tribes in Somaliland suffer the most gang rapes.

South Somalia rape cases

In southern part of the horn of Africa country, the rape is higher then the reported cases in Somaliland.

Amnesty International report released August this year said that women and children living in Somalia's makeshift camps for displaced people face a high risk of rape and other sexual violence.

According to the United Nations, there were at least 1,700 cases of rape in IDP Camps in 2012 in Somalia, with at least 70 per cent of these being carried out by armed men wearing government uniforms. Nearly a third of the survivors are reported to be under the age of 18.

Most victims don't report the rape cases to the police because they fear being stigmatized and had little confidence in the authorities' ability or will to investigate, Amnesty says.

"Women and children, who have already been forced to flee their homes because of the armed conflict and drought, now face the additional trauma of living under threat of sexual attack," said Donatella Rovera, Amnesty International's Senior Crisis Adviser.

"The inability and unwillingness of the Somali authorities to investigate these crimes and bring the attackers to justice leaves survivors of sexual violence even more isolated and contributes to a climate of impunity in which attackers know they can get away with these crimes,"

"Concrete action must be taken to ensure justice for the victims and to send a strong and unequivocal message that sexual violence cannot and will not be tolerated."

Somalia had no central government more than two decades, famine, drought and civil war made the lives of ordinary people tough, but now hope returns to the country after the election of the country's first president and permanent government in September last year.





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