Welcome to MoreSomalia!

This website was created in June 2022 and seeks to provide useful information about Somalia in English. The information will be delivered in an easy and fun format. MoreSomalia is currently delivering 1 new article every month, and a few extra posts on social media (instagram, reddit, twitter) in between.

You will see posts about: issues and developmental solutions in Somalia, the Somali people, the language, the heritage, Somali industry, and maybe Somali politics. Somalia is facing 4 main categories of challenges as explained below. We will explore some of the many solutions to the challenges of Somalia. They are not unique to Somalia, other countries have faced them and many have overcome them, and so can Somalia.

There will be quizzes and images/videos showcasing the beautiful landscape and culture of Somalia. You will also see visualized maps and charts containing statistics about the Somalia.

The focus of the website is on:

  1. Getting a better understanding of Somalia
  2. Exploring sustainable and growth solutions for a better Somalia in the future.

Since this is a massive task, hopefully external authors will be able to contribute to the website.

Enjoy!

What is Somalia?

This is Somalia, an East-African country in the Horn of Africa which has the longest coastline of the mainland continent. The official name is the “Federal Republic of Somalia”, reflecting its political structure.

Somalia is a relatively young country, who gained its independence in 1960 (63 years ago). Since then, there has been a rule of democracy, dictatorship, a civil war, transitional governments, and now finally a stable government since 2012.

It has a population of around 17 million Somalis living in its 630K square kilometer area, almost all of whom are muslim. The language is Somali, categorized as “cushitic” like its speakers, who are often described as one of the most homogenous populations in Africa. 1 people, 1 country, 1 religion, 1 culture, 1 ancestry. But is it really as simple as that? No, there is much more to it. The Somalia we know by international borders and Somali inhabited land is not the same. Somalis also live in the Somali regions of Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya, all together referred to as ‘Greater Somalia’. In addition, Somalis themselves are subdivided into different clans, and a large diaspora are currently living outside Africa.

Somalis have a background as pastoral nomads which fully dominated until the relatively recent urbanisation.

The capital of the country is Mogadishu, where the central federal government resides. Besides that, there are 6 federal member states. The parliament is divided into an Upper House (senate) and a Lower House.

Why was MoreSomalia created as a website?

I created this website, to increase my own knowledge about the issues in Somalia and the solutions to them, to share the information, and to have an online community where insightful people can comment/discuss the solutions. So what are the actual issues?

A list of Somalia’s challenges

It comes as no surprise that Somalia is undergoing a series of challenges. However, there are solutions to every one of these issues. How do we know? Because the issues are not unique for Somalia. No country exists today without previous conflict, and the most successful ones have been through some of the worst.

Here’s a small list which highlights the main issues in Somalia:

  1. Environmental crises:
    • Drought
    • Floodings
    • Locust attracts
    • Climate change
  2. Healthcare and social issues:
    • Hunger and thirst
    • Poverty
    • Diseases
    • Mental illness (post trauma)
    • Lack of education
    • Unemployment
    • Addiction to Khat and other drugs
    • Displacement (due to environmental catastrophes)
  3. Conflicts and terror
    • Al-Shabaab
    • Clan clashes
    • Militias
    • Piracy
    • Crime
  4. Political-Economic issues:
    • Corruption in politics
    • Corruption among police and military
    • Clan-related seclusion
    • Lack of innovation and development
    • Poor political centralization (regions wanting to break free or govern themselves)

So will Somalia and its citizens ever catch a break? When will Somalia become so strong it can handle setbacks in one of these categories rather than re-enter another crisis? Solutions to these issues will be explored in the many posts created on the website.

What solutions?

All the ones available.
Desalination, Reforestation, Modern Farming, IT solutions, Disaster relief, charity and aid, Vaccination, Clean water, Stock markets, Education, Employment sectors, Catastrophe preparedness, Inclusive political institutions, Clan history and tolerance, Centralization of government power etc. These solutions already exists in some countries and to some extent in Somalia as well, but new innovative approaches to tackle the issues are also emerging.

These solutions are often talked about but never understood deeper than at surface level. If they are truly going to be implemented or improved upon it is important to take your time to dive deep into it. Gather as much information about it, while still focusing on the bigger picture. The Somali people want to see Somalia succeed, and it is very apparent they are willing to go very far to make this happen. We will explore each of these topics together while trying to stay as neutral as possible, and provide objective information. Information and data is gathered from freely available sources and will always be linked.

Follow on all the linked socials @MoreSomalia. Content will be uploaded regularly when I have time. I hope you will enjoy following along!