Local traditions and culture in Somalia

This very nice man asked me to take his picture. A lot of people do this. They do get a little disappointed when they find out that you cannot print the picture for them. They would like a copy! What was a bit different was this gentleman was missing his right foot. I noticed as I walked away from him in the market. Then I realised I could see 2 other men obviously missing parts of feet and/or legs in the market as well. When I asked my friend Mohammed, he shrugged his shoulders and said “Who knows? The war? Landmines?” There has been peace in Somaliland since 1988, but the people paid a high price for it. All the people I saw were military aged men. They may have defended their homeland or just been simple farmers who walked onto a hidden landmine. Many come to the large city of Hargeisa because they think it may be easier to get support here. This is an unfortunate everyday way of life for these poor unfortunate people. The man carries on with his life; he just wanted his picture taken.

There is a Charity called the Halo Trust that works in the more rural areas of Somaliland to help find and eliminate these unfortunate destructive devices left over from the war.

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Before you get too excited, just remember that all wives must be treated exactly equally or her family will take offence and you would not want that. What this means is that if you have 4 wives, then you must have 4 houses. If one is given a car, all 4 get a car. If you live in an apartment building, then you would have to have an apartment on 4 levels. Also, time must be spent equally with all. You don’t get to just stay with the one who is not mad at you right now. Essentially you would have to be a rich man to have 4 wives. Most men have to save up just to have the first wife. Sometimes a man may do well and take a second wife. Anything beyond that is extremely rare. Just nice that you have the option if you are a man.

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Suuli is the generic term for toilet. I found it a most useful word to not only say, but to write down as well. I would also make friends with the hotels as they will always let you use their clean toilets if you have introduced yourself first.

Please feel free to add this to your "Custom Travel Guide" and print it off before you go!

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Somaliland is +3 hours ahead of GMT (or UTC). Unlike neighbouring Ethiopia, you can talk about the same time without worrying about local variances. You can express it in European (24 hour clock) time if you wish.

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In Somaliland the Electrical current is 220V (50HzHz) and they use British style 3 square pin plugs (pictured). Modern electrical sockets have a switch to turn it off while putting in and removing your electrical plug. Older ones do not have this safety device. The current is strong enough to kill you. I found out to my horror that sometimes hotels plug in round pin European plugs and this does work (pictured) but is really unsafe. If you have European appliances I would suggest you get an approved adaptor before you go.

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Water is really heavy and many homes and businesses do not have running water. So they use donkeys. These little fellows are super strong for their size and you will see them hauling water around on small metal carriages all over the place. If you get a chance, slip these little guys a piece of fruit, they would appreciate it.

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All across Hargeisa you will see what looks like stone bunkers for very small trees. Somaliland suffers from deforestation and you will see a lot of people cooking with charcoal and wood. The stones are put around small trees so that they will not be burned. The city of Hargeisa is trying to add a lot more trees back into the city.

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If you are travelling independently like I did, you may want someone to show you around. The hotels will set you up with a fantastically overpriced ‘Official’ Guide and or/taxi. Don’t bother. The city of Hargeisa and Somaliland are safe. Also there is no such thing as an ‘Official’ tour guide here. I met MR. MAHAMED AHMED WARSAME in the market area and he showed me around for several days. I paid him less than I would from a Tour Agent who approached m in the street and had a fantastic time. Mahamed used to work for an American company, speaks excellent English and Italian and is well educated. He introduced me to loads of people and also held several impromptu meetings in the market where curious local people wanted to talk to me. I also invited him to dinner and he told me all about the history and culture of Somaliland. He works with the Ministry of Sports and Youth mostly on projects involving Basketball and Soccer.

He can be contacted through his friend Mr. Abdirahman Ibrahim Jama. His email is:
gorod@hotmail.com Telephone is 252 1 302 767.