Somalia is a nation where its people often focus on discussing about the nature of politics. Those people also look forward to holding positions in the government, regardless of their educational status. We see almost all Somalis claim that they are well-versed in issues related to politics. Strangely enough, most of those people never admit they are ignorant of the rudimentary knowledge in politics.
I started writing this piece when I was listening to one of Dahir Ga’amey Somali songs that he composed after his visit to Buulaburte. In the song, he vividly described the natural beauty of the city – lyrics that resuscitated my dormant memory.
Waxa aan bilaabay qoraalkan waqti aan dhageysanayay mid kamid ah heesaha Daahir Gacameey taas ee uu curiyay mar uu booqday Buulaburte. Heestan waxa uu fanaanka si qurux badan ugu qeexay quruxda dabiiciga ah ee magaalada.
Tan iyo markii uu dagaalkii sokeeye ka qarxay Soomaaliya, dalka waxa uu galay nidaam darro jirtay muddo ka badan labaatan sano. Maadaama uu dagaalkii sokeeye sii dheeraaday, kumannaan qof ayaa ka carartay dalka si ay naftooda u badbaadiyaan. Kuwa dalka ka qaxay waxa kamid ahaa dhalinyaro isugu jiray rag iyo dumar.
Since the civil war broke out in Somalia, the country descended into lawlessness over twenty years. Because of the prolonged civil war, thousands of people fled the country to salvage their lives. Among those fled were the young men and women.
When Somalia gained its independence in 1960, subsequent Somali governments structured a centralized unitary state. In the post-independent system, the President, Prime Minister, and the speaker of the parliament were those in the highest political leadership. After consultation with the political leaders, the President names the Prime Minister and then the Prime Minister appoints his cabinet ministers following a parliamentarian approval.
am taking an online course on Public Policy Challenges in the 21st century. In the first week of the course, the professor and the students were exploring issues that are likely to dominate the US public policy agenda in the year 2030.
After the overthrow of the former military regime in Somalia in 1991, all government institutions were destroyed. The country was engulfed by what a Somali architect described as ‘a man made earthquake.’ All public buildings were ruined by the prolonged civil war and the educational institutions such as The National Library were among the hardest hit.
The official currency of Somalia is the “Somali Shilling”. It is the weirdest currency anyone could encounter. Unlike normal banknotes, the Somali currency is made up of only one denomination, 1000 Shilling banknote. More importantly, private citizens print the money and no one knows how many of the notes are in circulation.
Galdogob is one of the districts of Mudug region. It is about sixty kilometers (60 km) west of Gaalkacyo town, the capital city of Mudug and is 12 Kilometers from the Ethiopian border. Though I was there for short 24 hours, I was however impressed with the progress and peace of Galdogob. The city has three radio stations, one large hospital built by the diaspora, two universities, and several primary and secondary schools. Its income mainly depends on remittances, the livestock rearing, and trade.
