BN

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Posts posted by BN

  1. Posted

    AYOUB;826799 wrote:
    ^ Caalmadow is just part of Golis chain, isn't it?

    Yes, brother, the wider Golis chain is across the North.

     

    @Chimera, I'm sure it's centuries old at least. But the method in the photograph is more traditional; new cooperatives are being established and more modern practices are being implemented in local communities.

     

    Also, for those who do not think this is an area of investment or commercial production I would visit this blog of a brother who returned from Sweden to Arabsiyo to beekeep (He's got a great blog at somalihoney.com - Getting into beekeeping in Somaliland). Our homelands have Sidr trees that help bees produce rare honey that is sold for $200 - $1000 per kilo. You can read more here: http://www.somalihoney.com/search?updated-max=2012-02-28T21:51:00%2B01:00&max-results=7&start=14&by-date=false and here: http://www.sidrhoney.net. Unfortunately, the market is not well known but hopefully that will change soon. The potential of the country is there for those who can see it!

     

    The brother keeps his blog updated with lots of photos. Here are a few.

     

    3.JPG

    13.jpg

    8.JPG

  4. Posted

    One of my favourite threads. Thank you for all who added, I especially liked the Carta songs (Eebow iyo kii Af Maymay:

    ). Ta dambe waa hees macaan.

     

    Soomaaliyaa, Soomaali baa leh - Cabdi Tahliil:

     

     

     

    Ninkii kala saar lahoow

    Ninkii kala sooc wadoow

    Ninkii si xuun uu fikiroow

     

    Haday taladii kuseegtoow

    Sidaad moodeeysay maahee

    War hooy Soomaaliyaa, Soomaali baa leh. :-)

  5. Posted

    The strength of our people is remarkable. Ilaahay ha u fudeeyo.

     

     

    POLICEMAN_MG_2607.jpeg

    "Six years ago I became a policeman, and in that time I have been hit by three improvised explosive devices. The shrapnel still lodged in my shoulder, groin and arm causes me no end of problems. But I feel lucky because many of my friends are dead. Al-Shabaab calls me from time to time to try and intimidate me and tell me to quit the force."

    Hussein Jiinow Afrah, 28.

     

    PORTER_MG_2149.jpeg

    "I'm a porter at a maize mill and I have a wife and six children. I can't afford to send them to school on my salary, and unfortunately I cannot speak to you very long because I only get paid for each bag I carry. I get ten cents per bag so I have to keep working."

    Hussein Moalim Mahadi, 50.

     

    MAJOR_CLINIC_SECURITY_MG_2977.jpeg

    "I have had three wives and have 28 children. I'm a retired major in the TFG and now am a security officer in Villa Somalia. I was shot by an al-Shabaab sniper in the Villa Somalia compound in February 2011. The bullet is still in my neck, and it is hard for me to breathe when I lie down. The surgeon said I would lose my voice if he tried to remove the bullet."

    Major Abdi Abdullahi, 62.

     

    MILL_WORKER_MG_2156.jpeg

    "I am a maize husker in a milling factory. I make $80 a month, and since my husband is unemployed I have to support my nine children on my salary alone. My dream right now is simply to hold onto my job and support my family even though the dust causes me allergy problems."

    Fatima Mohamud Mohammed, 40.

     

    IDP_MG_2637.jpeg

     

    "I live at the K7 camp for internally displaced people. We came from Lower Shabelle because of the drought and problems with al-Shabaab militants. I can't remember how long I have been here. Everyday at 11:00am I get in line for food, but sometimes when I get to the front there is nothing left. After the food line, I spend the rest of the day looking after my younger brothers and sisters. I'm in the middle of eight kids. When I grow up I want to be a mother."

    Fatima Abukara Abdi, 12.

  10. Posted

    Waxay igu tahay in filinkaan uu si fiican cadeyey sida ee noolaan geela sharafta leh ee Caluula. Runtii waa reer magaal, oo kaluun cuno, ma ka cabsadaan doonta!

    Geelow, sii dabaalo ee sii wad xariif nimada sidaan tusaale noqoni laheed geela oo dhan ee Soomaaliya. Kix Kix Kix. Yaab badanaa.

  11. Posted

    lol;29793 wrote:
    At last I heard wat i was affraid of, " I look Good".. and that did it..

    LOL. Walee nimankaan waan ku qoslay. Soomaalidu waxay yidhaahdaan, "Nin is faanshay waa ri is nuugtay." Nasiibkaada hal maalin baad ku baratay; waqti badan ma kaa lumin.

  13. Posted

    Markaan Xamar joogay, waxaan xasuustaa roobab xoog leh oo ku sii da'i jirey magaaladaas. Caruurta wey ku ciyaari jireen, lakiin odayaasha baa roob iyo barwaaqo ilaahay ku mahad celiyey. Kuwa hadda wadanka joogo, waxaan ka codsanaa inay sawiro qaadaan oo ee soo bandhigaan. We take such common occurrences for granted where we are these days...

  14. Posted

    ^^ Waa runtaa. Turkey has a successful model for assisting countries like Somalia. Not only with urgently needed aid but with economic, health, cultural and transportation links that act as force multipliers for development. This benefits both parties, and the Turks are to be commended.

     

    250px-Somalia_Turkey_Locator.svg.png

     

    50px-Flag_of_Somalia.svg.png50px-Flag_of_Turkey.svg.png

  18. Posted

    Insha'allah, I hope to return soon. A visit within the next year and then a small scale manufacturing venture when feasible. Somalia/land are excellent opportunities at the moment, whether it be fisheries, frankincense, agriculture, or processing centres. Ideas abound. There is a palpable energy. Leadership is the Achilles' heel. But while there is risk, the opportunity to live in your homeland, contribute and help develop the country can be far greater.

     

    Best of luck to those who venture forth!

     

    BN

  20. Posted

    Thought I would share today's New York Times article on the New Mogadishu. Very uplifting, and nice to see recognition for this positive news in the int'l press.

     

    **********

    A Taste of Hope in Mogadishu

     

    By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN

    Published: April 3, 2012

     

     

    MOGADISHU, Somalia — Up until a few weeks ago, all visitors who landed at Aden Abdulle International Airport in Mogadishu were handed a poorly copied, barely readable sheet that asked for name, address — and caliber of weapon.

     

    No more. Now visitors get a bright yellow welcome card that has no mention of guns and several choices for reason of visit, including a new category: holiday.

     

    Outside, on Mogadishu’s streets, the thwat-thwat-thwat hammering sound that rings out in the mornings is not the clatter of machine guns but the sound of actual hammers. Construction is going on everywhere — new hospitals, new homes, new shops, a six-story hotel and even sports bars (albeit serving cappuccino and fruit juice instead of beer). Painters are painting again, and Somali singers just held their first concert in more than two decades at the National Theater, which used to be a weapons depot and then a national toilet. Up next: a televised, countrywide talent show, essentially “Somali Idol.”

     

     

    Full Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/04/world/africa/somalis-embrace-hope-and-reconstruction-in-mogadishu.html

     

    Photo slideshow (not sure how to upload): http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2012/04/03/world/africa/20120405-SOMALIA.html?ref=africa#1