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Cultural identity of somalia
Cultural identity of somalia
Culture of the Somali people
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The Culture of Somalia
SGT Carlisle, Anthony
FIRE SUPPORT SERGEANT ALC
635 NCO Academy- Sill
SFC Greene, Evan
In this essay, I will discuss the different and unique culture of Somalia. Culture is not only just a different environment but also consists of language, food, religion, morals and customs. Somalia, which is also known as the Federal Republic of Somalia is in the Horn of Africa. Somalia resides on the coast of Africa, it boarders the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. The terrain mainly consists of plateaus and rugged mountains. Mogadishu is the capital of Somalia and he largest city. Mohamed Abdullah Mohamed is the current president of Somalia, he was elected in February 2017. The country itself is composed of a homogeneous,
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Most of the land also consist of rain fed dry land farming and dry inland farming that uses local rivers as the primary sources of water. Agriculture is one of the most important aspects in Somalia, they depend on it for not only food but also is a very major way of generating economic income. The country also has very unpredictable rainfall that can affect farming. Somalia currently comprises of four climate seasons throughout the year Livestock is also a major factor in the economy. Somalia livestock industry accounts for approximately 40 percent of the of the country’s gross product. In Somalia livestock exports accounts for almost 80 percent of all exports in the country. In the year 2015 Somalia traders experience an astonishing $384 million dollars in exports alone. Somalia exportation of sheep and goats hit its peak in 2011, when it became the world leading …show more content…
Somalia had struggled with poor economic and internal fighting. After the revolution, the coalition then divided into two groups, one group was led by Ali Mahdi and Mohammed Farah Adid led the other. The fight between the two clans led to the starvation of people of Somalia, because of the fighting over agriculture. The clans used foot suppliers to control the people and secure their loyalty. During the year of 1991, three hundred thousand people died from starvation. Due to Somalia lack of government, the international community stepped in to provide and aid UN help on peace keeping. The UN main mission was to restore civil governance and law into the country. In 1993 Operation Gothic Serpent was started with the goal of capturing General Mohammed Farrah Aidid. The battle lasted 15 hours, then the mission suddenly took a wrong turn when a Black Hawk helicopter was shot down during the mission. Operation Gothic Serpent became one of the most intense battles the U.S. forces faced in Somalia. In the early year of 2014 the armed Islamic group Al-Shabaab formed and began carrying out attacks against civilians near the capital of Mogadishu. Civilians have also been killed during crossfire between Al-Shaab and the government. According to the UN, they estimate that 90 percent of the population have fled due to the ongoing fighting. The current ongoing civil war has cause considerable damage
The troops were being sent in because warlords were allowing their people to starve to death. The world had sent food, and the warlords hoarded it. The world had decided to stop this. Today's mission was to invade the Habr Gidr clan that was in Mogadishu Somalia. The clan was led by Mohamed Farrah Aidid, but that day's targets were two of his lieutenants. They were to be arrested and imprisoned with other clan members that had already been captured.
As seen from Gettleman´s text, “But Awil is not a rebel. He is working for Somalia's government. The U.S. and other Western nations support the fragile Somali regime, which is battling an Islamic insurgency, as part of the counterterrorism strategy for the region.” As apparent, the United States has put a counterterrorism strategy into place, to help bring down the power that Somalia
In August of 1992, President George Bush Sr. sent US soldiers into Somalia to provide humanitarian relief to those Somalis suffering from starvation. The major problems in Somalia started when President Mohammed Siad Barre was overthrown by a coalition of opposing clans. Although there were several opposing groups, the prominent one was led by Mohammed Farah Aidid. Following the overthrow of Barre, a massive power struggle ensued. These small scale civil wars led to the destruction of the agriculture in Somalia, which in turn led to the deprivation of food in large parts of the country. When the international community heard of this, large quantities of food were sent to ease Somali suffering. However, clan leaders like Aidid routinely hijacked food and exchanged it for weapons leaving thousands to starve to death. An estimated 300,000 Somalis died between 1991 and 1992 (Clancy 234-236). US soldiers were later sent into Somalia to capture Aidid, but when the operation got bloody, displeasing the American public, Clinton withdrew troops (Battersby 151). In The Morality of War, Brian Orend outlines ethical guidelines that should be followed in all three stages of war: jus ad bellum, jus in bello, and jus post bellum. Orend states that a nation can be moral going into war, but immoral coming out of one. Did the US act justly in all facets of the Somali conflict? The United States espoused all the guiding principles of jus ad bellum but right intent, upheld the principals of jus in bello, and clearly failed to uphold several aspects of jus post bellum during the armed humanitarian intervention in Somalia.
Because of the Civil War, which broke out in 1991, much of Somalia’s economy has been devastated. The war left many homeless and drove them to raise livestock as a means of survival. The economy used to be based on exports of cattle, goats, and bananas but as of early 1992 much of the economic trade had come to a halt. Now the economy is primarily based on the raising of livestock, which accounts for 40% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (Alhaus). Due to overgrazing, soil erosion, and the clearing away of many trees, Somalia has very few natural resources, which have not been exploited.
Somalia is a country that has been fought over since the 1800’s when it was used as an important coal refueling station for ships. England, France, and Italy claimed part of the country for themselves. In 1960 the British and Italian colonies merged creating what is known today as Somalia. In 1977 the French colony became what is known today as Djibouti.2 Mohamed Siad Barre seized power to become the president and soon sided with communist Russia during the Cold War era. Siad was more of a brutal Marxist dictator than a president emphasizing nationalism as opposed to clan loyalty which goes against Somalia’s culture. He is over run by his own people returning the country to a clan-based culture. The aftermath of this results in a civil war between clans in 1988. After Siads withdrawal, he becomes a clan leader of one of many clans in the country.3 Soon after the revolution, the coali...
Al-Shabaab initially began operations within the Somalian borders in resistance to the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and Ethiopia, and later dictated their role in opposing western influence in the region. The ultimate driving force behind the organization is to establish an Islamic state in Somalia. In 2007, the group’s affiliation with Al Qaida was established, although many organizational experts believe the relationship is volatile and unsubstantial at best, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. By 2008, the U.S. government officially recognized al-Shabaab as a Foreign Terrorist Organization; concurrently the groups reached its peak in strength, influence, and potency to the country of Somalia. The organization has proven its ability to control southern Somalia and areas of Mogadishu while also executing operations throughout the Horn of Africa through.
At that time in the early 1990’s the U.S. was the only superpower country left in the world. The Soviet Union collapsed after the Cold War and the left the U.S. at the top. With the U.S. being the only superpower left, it meant that they were the only ones who could try to keep peace between other countries and hopefully end violence in the world. At the time, Somalia was a complete disaster and still is to this day. They have no structural government and warlords rule parts of the country. The one warlord at the time, Mohamed Farrah Aidid, was stealing shipments of food from the U.S. to the starving citizens in the rest of Somalia. The U.S. did not like this, so they set up a plan to capture Aidid and his men in a building near the Bakaara Market. The U.S. just got done defeating Saddam Hussein’s army in the first Gulf War. Before the war, Hussein had one of the largest armies in the world. The U.S. defeated them in a couple of weeks and gave them a massive amount of confidence going into this raid to try to capture Aidid.
The Somali community inhabits the horn of the African continent. As a member of the Somali ethnic group, I am familiar with the intricate social systems that support the community. Nomadism is practiced in the Somali community. Livestock keeping is done for social as well as economic reasons.
Laura Smith – Spark on www.cnn.com writes, “Half of the 258,000 Somalis who died in the famine were children younger than 5.” (Smith-Spark et al. May 02, 2013) Somalia was once considered to be one of the most prosperous countries in Africa, but now is considered as one of the worse. How did this horrible transition occur to such a prosperous country? This horrendous result is due to the famine, lack of resources, and lack of trade. Oxfam International states, “Famines result from a combination “triple failure” ("Famine in Somalia: causes and solutions"). This triple failure includes production, access, and response failures. Somalia has been the victim of a two-year drought. Oxfam International states, “particularly in the expectation of the next harvest being 50% of normal.” ("Famine in Somalia: causes and solutions") Because Somalia cannot feed its people, this issue creates malnutrition and affects all ages, especially the young. This is a massive problem in their economic system. The young die too early, therefore creating a gap in the age distribution, which can affect Somalia’s work force in the future. This could also make the economic system weaker. If the only people living in Somalia are old, then there will not be any work done. One reason that they die so young is because of the lack of food. The availability of the food is minimal. Oxfam International states, “The drought has killed off the pastoralists’ prime livestock assets (up to 90% animal mortality in some areas), slashing further their purchasing power.” ("Famine in Somalia: causes and solutions") Somalia ‘s access to its food is limited because the people of Somalia cannot feed their animals. The people of Somalia also cannot trade for food, because dead...
Brief History From the 1500s to the 1700s, African blacks, mainly from the area of West Africa (today's Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Dahomey, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Gabon) were shipped as slaves to North America, Brazil, and the West Indies. For them, local and tribal differences, and even varying cultural backgrounds, soon melded into one common concern: the suffering they all endured. Music, songs, and dances as well as traditional food, helped not only to uplift them but also quite unintentionally added immeasurably to the culture around them. In the approximately 300 years that blacks have made their homes in North America, the West Indies, and Brazil, their highly honed art of the cuisine so treasured and carefully transmitted to their daughters has become part of the great culinary classics of these lands. But seldom are the African blacks given that recognition.
In sub-Saharan Africa, thousands of languages, cultures, and geographical regions helped influence our African society. The ways in which we produce our artwork, spiritual ideals, and ritual performances are organic and raw. From the tropical regions of Congo and Ghana, to the arid regions of Mali; I pass through the global gateway into a domain where the Western world lost its roots and artistic imagination and grandeur. Africa appeals most to me for its ability to create a realm where the living, dead, and artistic ideals come into a single unit of tranquil philosophy.
The Somali were struggling and since there was no one to aid them with their struggle for a secure government, the United States and United Nations began aiding the Somali people. The U.S. and the U.N. sent out deliveries of necessities the Somali people need to live off of, but warlords attempted to cut off the deliveries for the people, which infuriated the U.N. and U.S., who began to fight back against the warlords, causing greater tension in the capital. Aideed, a warlord, shot down two Black Hawk Helicopters, leading to the death of eighteen U.S. soldiers and hundreds of Somali people. The fighting continued, leaving multitudes of deaths on both sides of the war. After years of endless fighting, the United Nations and United States tried to the best of their abilities to aid Somalia and its corrupt government, however in the end, they were unable to find a solution to assist
The History and Culture of Bangladesh Bangladesh came to existence in 1971 when Bengali East Pakistan seceded from its union with West Pakistan. It is located in southern Asia bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India. Bangladesh and West Bengal form a region which is called Bengal; and Bangladesh is sometimes referred to as East Bengal. It has a population of around 138,448,210 people. (CIA World fact book)The nation’s rapid growth has led to serious overcrowding.
Muslim, ever wonder what this word really means? Who is classified as Muslim? Someone that is Muslim is not a terrorist, nor a bad person. They are humans. Someone that is a Muslim only has an Islamic belief. This word originated in Arabia where this whole culture developed (BBC “Islam”). Islam followers, or Muslims, were introduced to their culture from the Prophet Muhammad (BBC “Islam”). The word Islam comes up very often, but who knows what it means? It is said to be the “submission to the will of God (BBC “Islam”).” Majority of the U.S. population today see Muslims as bad people only because a certain group attacked the United States. We, as a whole, discriminate today towards Muslims and any human with an Islamic background.
The Zulus tribe is an independent clan and the largest ethnic group in South Africa. The Zulu clan reputation is well known for their proud, fierce, and barbaric behavior. According to Ethnologies, in 1816 a new chief Shaka Zulu conquered and created a nation that was named after him. His descendants made up the Zulu clan. During the year of 1820, Native Africans did not have any political rights. The king of the Zulu ethnic groups or clans was the only one allowed to have judicial and legislative power. Zulu chiefs steadily demanded increasing tribute to taxes from their acquired great wealth, commanded large armies; in many cases a Zulu military status allow men to achieve distinctions chiefdoms.