Only in Hargeisa

[Suldaanka]

A Kenyan Aid worker who stayed in Hargeisa for a while posted this on his blog

 

 

One of the first things that strucks new comers to Hargeisa is the peace and orderly of the city. But what really amazes them is when they stride through the city center and find all the expensive gold and diamonds which are displayed openly in the middle of the street. Huge piles of Cash some as high as 2m are displayed right next to where the car's tyres go in the road.

 

But what really strucks them dumbfounded is when at mid-day, a city of around million people goes to the Duhur prayers and all that Cash and Gold and Diamonds are left as they are untouched unsecured and on the streets.

 

And that is not only during the day but also equally at night it is true. Business people leave their businesses as they are at night, the only thing they do is to cover them with plastic blankets just incase it rains.

 

 

Mutual Respect

The call to prayer in Hargeisa leads to a mass exodus from the city's cafes, places of work and the market. Nothing remarkable there, but what is incredible is the law and order that prevails in the eerily empty city centre. Nobody feels the need to lock up their wares. The currency exchangers who I wrote about the other day leave their thick wodges of Somaliland Shillings piled high on their tables (admittedly any dollars and euro are most likely under lock and key), market vendors leave their stalls unattended while cafe owners leave their kitchens wide open. In Nairobi, in fact any other city I have ever travelled to, bricks of cash worth hundreds of dollars left unwatched would disappear in seconds. And in Hargeisa we are talking about a city where perhaps as many as 90% of men are unemployed, destitute and need of cash to buy the next bundle of khat.

 

Why on earth doesn't someone run and grab? People can explain the sins of theft and quote from the koran until they are blue in the face, I still don't understand why desperate people here don't steal.

 

More than anything else it is I admit rather a sorry indictment of western values and morals that I consider this display of mutual respect for one's property so remarkable.

[Nephissa]

But what really strucks them dumbfounded is when at mid-day, a city of around million people goes to the Duhur prayers and all that

Cash and Gold and Diamonds are left as they are untouched unsecured and on the streets.

. Bes hee, xoogaa naga kala yaree, xataa atleast mid run u eg noo sheeg, laakin saan xaaraaan. Kacbadi aaba ka dhigtee meesha ayadaan waxna la xadine.

[Jacaylbaro]

^ ^ ^ ..

[Jacaylbaro]

Why on earth doesn't someone run and grab? People can explain the sins of theft and quote from the koran until they are blue in the face, I still don't understand why desperate people here don't steal.

 

Waar kani isagaaba wax xadi gaadhay baan is idhi ,,, cadhaaba ka haysa maxaa wax loo xadi waayay ,,,

[Kool_Kat]

Originally posted by Suldaanka:

And that is not only during the day but also equally at night it is true. Business people leave their businesses as they are at night, the only thing they do is to cover them with plastic blankets just incase it rains.

What if there are high winds at night? I hope the plastic blankets are strong enough...OR else they will be 'dumbfounded' subaxii!

 

Dahab iyo luul aa banaan looga seexanaa aa? War wuxu doqonsanaa? Caadi maba noqon karaan kuwa saas sameynaayo, unless you tell me the gold and diamond fall from the trees like the leafs do in the fall...Sheekoy kunacay!

[Suldaanka]

Nephthys,

I am not saying that no one that steals anything in Hargeisa. But what I am saying is the absolute true facts on the ground which anyone can verify and see for himself/herself. This is not a "one time" made up story but something that anyone can verify at any time.

 

A typical open market suuqa dahabka in Hargeisa center. There are also specialist stores for gold similar to Dubai's.

 

 

 

 

Hargeisa money market - Suuqa Sariflaha

[Kool_Kat]

Oo lacagtana ma plastic buste baa la saaraa markii Duhurka la'aado iyo habeenkii iyadana?

[Suldaanka]

^^Are you planning for something?

 

Maya lacagta iyo suuqa dhan sidiisa ayaa looga tagaa.

[Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar]

Ee meel walba ee Soomaaliya saas ka tahay, so what is new? Xataa Xamar oo ugu amaandaran saas ah. Wah.

 

 

A money changer carries Somali currency at the Bakara open air market in Mogadishu June 10, 2008. A hardline Islamist leader rejected on Tuesday a U.N. brokered peace pact signed in Djibouti by the Somali government and some opposition figures, and vowed that war would continue.

 

Meesha dukaamaha dahabka oo iridaha u furan laga tagaayo salaad laga aadaayo iyo waxaas la sheegaayo waxaaba laga dhigee Sacuudiya, circa in 1980s, islaamihii kasoo noqon jiray saas sheegi jiree.

[Kool_Kat]

Suldaanka, I am not planning anything...I was just thinking that may be inaa the wrong country qaxooti ka ahay, that's all...Money, gold AND diamonds laying around!

 

Lacag aa banaan looga seexday waakaa asmacaa, xadaa dahab iyo luul, laakiin maalinkaa ii keentid Jaadaa banaan looga seexday - iyaah war maa wadeynaa hee?

[Suldaanka]

^^ LOL

Jaadka hadii dhawr saacadood banaanka yaalo oo la iibsan waayo xoolaha ayaa la siiya. Waa baarixi garooba. No one buys it.

 

 

I read a couple of years ago a European man who went to Hargeisa and lost his wallet. After 24 hours of missing his wallet, he heard his name anounced on Radio Hargeisa. Radio Hargeisa has a programme for "Lost & Found" where people who loose things or children listen to the program and recover if they are lucky.

 

Apparently, the European man was dumbfounded when he was told that his name was anounced on Radio Hargeisa and his wallet was held at the Police Station for him to recover it. He goes, the next morning he was able to get his wallet intact with everything including the $500 USD cash in it.

 

The Polie told him that two young boys found it on the streets and brought it back to the police station. The poliec station as by norm contacted Radio Hargeisa. He was amazed.

 

 

MMA,

I think Saudi Arabia could be another place this amazing thing can happen. But you can't compare the oil rich Saudis with Hargeisa's 90% unemployed population.

[Kool_Kat]

Hadoo kale ayeeydey (allaha unaxariistee) wexey dhihi jirtay "kabaxay hadeyba xaaladu intaas mareyso"...What's next, using the dollar as a toilet paper? Shiish...Good luck!

[Suldaanka]

^^huuno, ma meel beenta la isu maaweeliyo ayaa ku noolayd?

 

If it makes you chill, I will search for that article I am refering to. I am sure Google must have stored it somewhere.

[The Zack]

Laakin waxaas oo lacag ah haddii la sarifo it could be couple of hundreds of dollars. Bahashu value malaha marka cid xadeysa malaha.

[LayZie G.]

KK, lol, inaa lillaah waa inaa raajicuun.

 

I read the title and already migraine aa i qabtay.(no joke)

 

Everywhere you turn, you have another secessioner posting a thread about how wonderful s-land is, its almost as thought they don't believe it themselves, so sanka ay dadka ka galinayaan so ayaga madaxooda u galo.

 

Seriously KK, soon Suldaanka will claim that the waramps organization waxa laga aas-aa-saa-say S-Land.

 

So what there are few individuals who had returned lost items over the years? Every society's got them.

 

Poster, I bet you didn't know that my waramps tag helped me get my keys back. A combination of my car keys(which were $300 to replace (taxes in)) along with my house keys by waramps sent by mail. This great nation of ours, aka my adopted Country Canada has better citizens than your sovereignty seeking little tuulo, ya dig. These types of threadS won't help your overrall goal, ee why don't you try to do a better job next time. That also goes for the other notorious secessioner and his europe-trash tourists postings of the so called "ministers" of your administration, enough is enough.