Nottingham connected
The academic team in the IPCS, Hargeisa was incredibly
passionate about their work and very proud of the
fact that their graduates included the leaders of the
major political parties as well as ministers of the
current cabinet. I really hope that my first impression
remains linear throughout the project, creating a
real opportunity for mutual learning and academic
innovations within the IPCS and beyond.
This made me think of what American anthropologist
James Ferguson said about his frustration towards failed
development in Africa. Ferguson (2006: 191-192) notes:
Today, anthropologists in Africa tend to be
asked not “What can you do for us” (that
time-honored question) but rather: “How can
I get out of this place?” Not progress, then,
but regress.
I would like to think, perhaps, the tip of the Horn of
Africa is a different scenario all together. I felt that there
was still a strong sense of hope as the people here were
passionately talking about African philosophy and
indigenous models of democratic practice.
Later that afternoon, we visited the Hargeisa Cultural
Centre, a fascinating place that seemed to be playing
a prominent role in reviving and reconstructing
Somaliland identity and cultural traditions.
When we arrived at the centre, we were welcomed by
Ibrahim who gave us a tour. Ibrahim was born two
days before the military dictator Siad Barre’s army
callously bombed Hargeisa in 1988. His eyes were
filled with tears when he described how his mother
had to painfully flee to Ethiopia with a newborn baby
in her arms. Ibrahim’s father was so traumatised that
he would still refuse to return to Hargeisa after these
many years.
Designed in a traditional Somali style and constructed
beautifully with local materials is the drama theatre
in the cultural centre. Its walls are covered by Somali
blankets and the spectators’ arena is nicely designed to
face the stage that lies with some musical instruments
in the corner.
On the wall behind the seats, it read ‘culture is a
basic right’.
There were also a few hundred audiocassettes of classic
Somali songs, which Ibrahim mentioned were being
digitized for preservation.
On the way back from the theatre, we saw a dozen
children sitting on the stage of the open theatre while
the two elders sitting opposite them were reciting
the script for their forthcoming play. Abdi explained,
‘Somaliland is traditionally an oral society. Reciting
poetry; telling stories and memorising proverbs
with moral lessons is an integral part of this society.’
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The cultural centre served both political and social
purposes by preserving the traditional culture as
well as cultivating national identity of Somaliland as
a distinctive, stable and culturally prospering nation.
A well-resourced library in the Centre housed a good
amount of publications about Somaliland.
When we returned to Abdi’s car which was parked
outside the Centre, I noticed that he had left his laptop
openly on the front seat. I thought I could not leave my
laptop visibly like that in my car in the UK.
I asked myself, ‘Is Hargeisa safer than London?’
The security system seems to be surprisingly robust
in Hargeisa where community policing reportedly
provides approximately 60-70 percent of security
related intelligence to national security. The state takes
the matter of public security austerely as it is strictly
linked with Somaliland’s commitment to deliver
peace and stable democracy as well as its diplomatic
ordeal to disassociate from the state failure in Somalia.
Perhaps, the UK Independent Party Leader, Nigel
Farage has a point in vocally supporting Somaliland
for its membership in the Commonwealth to reward its
success with peace in the last 25 years.
However, the art gallery in the Centre also revealed
the painful side of Somaliland where we saw thought-
provoking paintings by some young artists. These artistic
representations incorporated the themes of politics,
corruption and forced migration faced by Somali society.
As the entire Western Europe is engaged in a debate and
challenges about the ‘refugee crisis’, the excruciating
misery of the loss of family members in the dreadful
journeys to Europe and persecution of human smugglers
were very powerfully depicted in these paintings. In
one of the paintings by a young artist named Hanad,
a Somalilander sets off for a new life in Europe but is
kidnapped en route by the smuggler who demands
a ransom for her release. The mother, back home in
Somaliland, who is portrayed as cooking meals for the
family is devastated by the news and screams in agony.
In a different painting by the same artist, the cruelty
of human smugglers in an overcrowded boat was so
vividly portrayed. The scene displayed the horror of
humanitarian disaster as well as deprivation, disparities
and desperation that led to triviality of human lives.
One can easily see the obvious but also feel agitated by
what is driving these series of events.
With these incredible pieces of art, the cultural Centre
represented an interesting blend of national pride and
social challenges that characterized Somaliland. The
involvement of youth in production of the atmosphere
of the Centre and its social and cultural activities
indicated an important aspect of learning and revival
of Somali Culture. However, it is certainly a limited
representation of Somaliland and not at all the entirety