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Somalia, the Horn of Africa nation, is finally recovering from recent wars and famine. Written by a native Somali, Culture and Customs of Somalia gives students and interested readers an in-depth look at the land and people, past and present. It is the only accessible, comprehensive, and up-to-date general reference on this country. Somalia was once colonized by Europeans, but Abdullahi's superb survey, with its historical context, evokes a Somaliland from a Somali viewpoint.

Somalia, the Horn of Africa nation, is finally recovering from recent wars and famine. Written by a native Somali, Culture and Customs of Somalia gives students and interested readers an in-depth look at the land and people, past and present. It is the only accessible, comprehensive, and up-to-date general reference on this country.

This Muslim country has strong pastoral roots and is known as a land of poets with a long oral cultural tradition. Some highlights found herein include discussion of handcrafts and artisanry, distinctive architecture and nomad housing, camel culture, intriguing food and eating customs, rites of passage, leisure and economic pursuits, education, and the Somali musical genres. A chronology, glossary, and numerous photos enhance the text.

Customer Reviews (1)

An introduction to Somalia.
Having a strong interest in the culture of the African Horn I read this book on Somalia for further insight into one of the African continent's most interesting and remote countries.Somalia has a fascinating culture making it unqiue in Africa for being a transition zone from the Muslim north to the Christain/Animist South.The Somali culture long based on clans is also unique to the Sub-Saharan African realm in that the Somali population is relatively homogenous.Ninety nine percent of the Somali population speak the same language and share the same culture despite being fractured by ruling clans.
This book gives a wonderful introduction and detailed description of the country's culture, history and political-economic situation.The only problem is that more quality pictures should of been added to give the reader a more acurate picture of Somalia rather than being a desolate desert land with starving people.Other than that this book is gold. ... Read more

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Ioan Lewis details the history and culture of the Somali people, providing a unique window into this little-known culture and its increasingly public predicaments. He provides insight into the complex social, historical, and cultural hinterland that is the Somali heritage and pays close attention to the pervasive influence of traditional nomadism, especially its extremely decentralized nature.

Lewis also addresses developments in the Somali political region since the collapse of the Republic in 1991, including the formation and steady development of the democratic state of Somaliland. Though it has grown into a de facto personality, this self-governing outpost of democracy is still officially unrecognized internationally. Lewis concludes with a discussion of the Islamist movement that brought a brief but astonishing period of stability to much of Southern Somalia in late 2006.

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book is new ... Read more

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Discusses the geography, history, government, economy, people, and culture of this peninsular African nation on the Indian Ocean. ... Read more

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Somalia has long been plagued by conflict, humanitarian concerns, and economic stagnation. Most recently, Somalia has been in the news for the increased prevalence of piracy off of the country's shores. Somalia occupies a unique space, both geographically and strategically as the country sits at the crossroads of sub-Saharan Africa and the Near East. The overall security of the region is affected by Somalia's continued lack of internal stability. U.S. interests in Somalia and in the Horn of Africa region are to promote and support regional stability and representative government, to eliminate any platform for al-Qaida or other terrorist operations and to work with governments in the region to transform the countries investing in people with good governance and promoting economic growth. This book explores and examines Somalia today and for the future with it's economic, political, and social issues. ... Read more

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Chapters: Somali Maritime History, Architecture of Somalia, Somali Literature, Somali Cuisine, Demographics of Somalia, Culture of Somalia, Somali Art, Somali Mythology, Music of Somalia, National Emblem of Somaliland, Abdullahi Qarshe, Shax, Dabqaad, High Jump, Abay Siti, Cinema of Somalia, Public Holidays in Somalia, Istunka, Diiwaan, Gelbis. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 91. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Maritime history of Somalia refers to the seafaring tradition of the Somali people. It includes various stages of Somali navigational technology, shipbuilding and design, as well as the history of the Somali port cities. It also covers the historical sea routes taken by Somali sailors which sustained the commercial enterprises of the historical Somali kingdoms and empires, in addition to the contemporary maritime culture of Somalia. In antiquity, the ancestors of the Somali people were an important link in the Horn of Africa connecting the region's commerce with the rest of the ancient world. Somali sailors and merchants were the main suppliers of frankincense, myrrh and spices, items which were considered valuable luxuries by the Ancient Egyptians, Phoenicians, Mycenaeans and Babylonians. During the classical era, several ancient city-states such as Opone, Mosylon and Malao (ancient) that competed with the Sabaeans, Parthians and Axumites for the wealthy Indo-Greco-Roman trade also flourished in Somalia. In the Middle Ages, several powerful Somali empires dominated the regional trade including the Ajuuraan State, the latter of which maintained profitable maritime contacts with Arabia, India, Venetia, Persia, Egypt, Portugal and as far away as China. This tradition of seaborne trade was maintained in the early modern period by later Somali states such as the Gobroon Dyna...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=24348824 ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Countries and Their Cultures, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 5262 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.Covers the broad range of popular religious culture of the United States at the close of the twentieth century. Beliefs, practices, symbols, traditions, movements, organizations, and leaders from the many traditions in the pluralistic American community are represented. Also includes cults and phenomena that drew followers, such as Heaven's Gale and UFOs. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from American Journalism Review, published by University of Maryland on March 1, 2002. The length of the article is 5960 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Appointment in Somalia: A behind-the-scenes look at how reporter Mark Bowden penetrated the military culture and painstakingly reconstructed, minute by minute, the story of "Black Hawk Down". (A Story of Modern War).
Author: Alicia C. Shepard
Publication: American Journalism Review (Refereed)
Date: March 1, 2002
Publisher: University of Maryland
Volume: 24Issue: 2Page: 28(8)

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Helen Fogarassy, editor-in-chief of the UNOSOM "Weekly Review" in Somalia during the 1994 crisis, describes the overwhelmingly positive effect of multinational intervention in the wartorn country. Based on her first-hand observations, Fogarassy argues forcefully in defense of such humanitarian ventures, while simultaneously decrying the oversimplification of the Somalian situation by the world media. She demonstrates how our widespread perception that humanitarian missions in developing countries are doomed to failure is directly related to the images of dead American soldiers being dragged through the streets of Mogadishu. While this picture proves undeniably horrific, success appeared with improved health and educational situations, in addition to a stabilized society with a developing infrastructure and a workable government. Fogarassy's provocative book is sure to make historians, political scientists, and policy makers reexamine the need for humanitarian intervention in other desperate countries. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A unique insight into UN operations at all levels
Mission Improbable gives a very accurate and comprehensive history of the UN operation in Somalia from the historical, political, operational, bureaucratic and personal levels.It describes the anguish of a peoplestruggling to cope both with their own fragmented leadership and with analien monolith, represented by UNOSOM, in their midst.

The bookdetails the minutiae of a UN bureaucracy at its best and at its worst.Onthe one hand, it shows how a group of dedicated people representingvirtually every culture from around the world can establish themselves in aparticularly harsh and dangerous environment, risking their lives to help adesperately needy country get back on its feet and restore its social,economic and political infrastructure.

On the other hand, itdemonstrates the ill-preparedness of the Organization, as a reflection ofthe ill-preparedness of its member state components, to truly understandand to effectively deal with the unique Somalian culture whose goals wereessentially parallel to, if not identical with, the UNOSOM mission.

The book touches repeatedly upon the day-to-day frustrations of atransplanted UN bureaucracy, including the furiously circuitous paths thatmust be taken to get seemingly simple things accomplished, from procuringtoilet paper for personal use to trying to explain the whereabouts of asuddenly missing $4 million in cash.

The author explains theconflicts between the age-old Somali clan system, the glue that holds theSomali people together, and the upstart international presence.Mostimportantly, she explains that this was the fundamental reason behind theinability of the two cultures to communicate meaningfully with one anotherand which led to the collapse of the international effort to resolve theproblem.Nevertheless, as is repeatedly intimated, the Somali peoplerepresented by the opposing factions and left to their own devices, aremaking headway in the formation of a new government which will bring an endto their years of misery.

Overall, this book provides an absolutelyunique insight into the UN operation in Somalia and serves to place in aremarkable light the peace that the Somalis are trying to achieve after animportant jump-start from the United Nations.

This book puts the record straight. Somalia was a success.
The author's experience as an information officer with the United nations Mission in Somalia (UNOSOM) provides accurate information for the public on the achievement of the UN/US intervention in Somalia.Her narrative putsthe record straight by correcting sensational and incomplete internationalmedia reports which helped create the impression that the intervention wasa failure.With numerous examples such as the prevention of famine, thechecking of cholera, the development of markets, the promotion of cattleand fruit exports and the non-retrogression into total anarchy when the UNpulled in March 1995, Fogarassy points out that these significantdevelopments were ignored by the international media because they lackedcommercial newsworthiness.

By introducing a Media Unit as part ofits operation in Somalia, the UN was capable of more effectivecommunication with the Somalis by radio and print.The services of theMedia Unit were invaluable in assisting the Somali reconciliation meetingsin Kismayo, Mogadishu and Nairobi.Additionally, the Media Unitcomplemented the operations of other UNOSOM departments (Justice,Political, Humanitarian and Disarmament, Demining and Demobilisation), aswell as those of other international organisations such as the Food andAgriculture Organization (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and theUnited Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The UNOSOMoperation highlighted a number of shortcomings in the UN's efficiency inmanaging field operations needing review, including in recruitment,management and control.Frequent changes in top management undercut mutualtrust between Somalis and the international community while disruptiverivalries between the Media Unit chief and the spokesman led to dysfunctionin processing and distribution of information, one reason for theinternational media not obtaining wider coverage of UNOSOM activities.

The UNOSOM compound facilitated the harmonious co-existence of people fromdiverse cultures, who realised that racial and cultural stereotyping maskedmuch in common to all societies regardless of religion, race or culture. This awareness helped to appreciate that adversarial politics and politicalparty organisations, the basis of democratic systems in western society,are not readily applicable to the Somali context where individualism andcommunalism are the norms, with decisions reached after extensiveconsultations among clans and factions.The international community foundit convenient to look to Aidid and Ali Mahdi, the principle leaders of twomain groups of clan and factional alliances, and they held these tworesponsible for agreements entered into on behalf of their allies.It wasnot appreciated that both leaders had very lax disciplinary power overtheir allies, unlike in a traditional developed country political partyorganisation.By the same token, the international community, especiallythe US, was impatient with the long Somali process of consultations andhence, the premature abandonment of the Mission when dividends from theintervention were yielding fruit.

One important lesson from theSomalia operation was that treating the host country with condescensionprevented the international community from understanding the Somali psyche. It hindered a faster rate of progress in the restoration of peace andstability. Using utilitarian instruments of incentives and sanctions toachieve goals was counter-productive, yet when funds and facilities forreconciliation meetings were offered, a number of initiatives forreconciliations emerged.Reconciliation that could have led to theformation of a national government was slowed by the Somalis trying tosettle historically outstanding clan differences that ranked higher intheir priorities.

This book is a didactic source of information onwhat transpired in Somalia.It makes the case that the intervention wassuccessful and it appeals for a tapping of the UN's extensive facilitiesfor information the commercial media can use. ... Read more

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The story of the international refugees created by the political tyranny of post-colonial Somalia. The author, an established Somali novelist who went into exile as a form of protest, has interviewed Somalis in Africa and Europe to provide this portrait of how people react, are wounded, how they survive, change and even thrive when they flee their homes and are turned into refugees. It shows how the refugees see themselves and how the host countries treat refugees. It reveals how refugees have adapted, or failed to adapt, to different countries and how their lives became disrupted and recreated as a result of politics and economics. Although it focuses on a particular people, the work should help readers to understand the experiences of people forced by mass migrations to live fragmented lives in the post-modern era of rapid change. ... Read more

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The Pain of Somalia
From the cover:This is the story of the international refugees created by the political tyranny of post-colonial Somalia.The author, an established Somali novelist who has spent twenty-five years in exile himself, interviewed Somalis in African and Europe to create this portrait of how people react, are wounded, survive, change and even thrive when they flee their homes and are turned into refugees. ... Read more

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I. M. Lewis, anthropologist and historian, is widely considered to be the greatest researcher to chart the origins and development of Somalia. In this volume, established and emerging scholars review Lewis's work, along with the findings of others, and advance new, groundbreaking methods and unprecedented topics.

Contributors tackle the impact of colonial powers, such as Britain and Italy; Somali poetic heritage and its relationship with politics; variations between northern/pastoral and southern/agropastoral populations within Somali culture; the significance of clanship, including its influence on livestock trading networks; the origin and nature of Somali "total genealogy"; the political future of the country following the breakdown of the centralized state; and the role of the Somali diaspora. Chapters explain "spirit possession cults," the study of which Lewis helped to establish, and the intricacies of Somali language, names, and terms of kinship. A thorough introduction details the trajectory of Lewis's career and the extent of his legacy after five decades of scholarship.

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High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Wabeeneeye (Somali: Waabaneeye) is a subclan of the Majeerteen clan family, which in turn is part of the Harti confederation of Darod clans.Waabaneeye members inhabit the western and northern portions of the Bari region in Somalia, primarily in and around the cities of Bander Ziyada (Qaw), Bursalah and Bander Qasim (Bosaso). They also inhabit communities in the Nugaal and Mudug regions. In addition, there is a significant Wabeeneeye community in the southern port city Kismayo, and this clan is also well represented in the Somali diaspora doing business in places such as Dubai, Durban, Mombasa, and Nairobi. ... Read more

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High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Black Hawk Down is a 2001 American war film co-produced and directed by Ridley Scott and based on the book of the same title by Mark Bowden that depicts the Battle of Mogadishu, a raid integral to the United States' effort to capture Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid. The movie features Josh Hartnett, Tom Sizemore, Ewan McGregor, Jeremy Piven, Eric Bana, Ewen Bremner, William Fichtner, Sam Shepard, Jason Isaacs, Glenn Morshower, and Orlando Bloom. The film won Academy Awards for Best Film Editing and Sound in 2001. ... Read more