Diaspora Class in the Somali Peninsula

[Alpha Blondy]

Class is very evident with the Somali experience but it’s very often externalised and associated with 'others'. Somalis are known for being egalitarian and this maybe the reason why it’s sidelined.

 

I suppose the collapse of the Somali state in the late 1980s and early 1990's meant any class structures/social hierarchies were eliminated. In recent times, however, settlement pattern across the Somali peninsula suggest that the mutually opposed ‘urban’ or ‘nomadic’, dichotomy is no longer applicable. In urban and settled areas, you can see the stark differences between the ‘have’ and ‘have nots’. In my travels across Somaliland, Djibouti and Somali Region in Ethiopia, I noticed many interesting social dynamics, not least, class structures in place. All across Somaliland, particularly, in major urban areas, groups associate with their social equivalents. This is no longer determinated by family/tribal ties. Its seems apparent that relative affluence is the new currency of these groups. This creation of class structures is, no doubt, intensified by the 'Diaspora', who express their class sentiments by their conspicuous and lavish lifestyles.

 

Unbeknownst to me and very much absent from the literature were the number of 'local' people who were quite well off. You'd imagine in such a society, you'd either have the the very rich or those living below the poverty line, but the number of 'Ethnic Somalilanders' who were prosperous was much higher than I anticipated.

 

In the West, perhaps, the concept of Class is expressed differently by Somalis. You will occasionally find many Somalis reverting to the so-called ‘ethnic class/Black Middle Class’ model. This is often expressed by listening to neo-soul/conscious music, loitering in Costa/Starbucks with an IPAD2 screaming out for attention or having a liberal arts background.

[Abu-Salman]

This trend of absurd levels of inequalities is now increasingly common; it is among the highest priorities and responsibility of the state to adress such dire state of affairs that directly affects every other major sectors, whether it be health, environment, crime or stability.

Countries such as Cuba have amply demonstrated that this need not be the case and that World-leading, remarkable health, social, educational and even scientific achievements necessitates little resources but rather committment for equality.

 

What is most perverse is that conspicious consumerism go side by side with widespread lack of the most basics; one of the multiple side-effects being that the youth as well as not so young focusing on how to "get out of the country" in search of an elusive eldorado that would hopefully enables them later to afford similar cars, villas or gadgets, should they survive the perilous journey that is.

This also distort priorities in the minds and is akin to psychological torture (perceived or relative poverty is extremely detrimental on many fronts).

 

One of the solutions may lies with prohibitive taxation of non-productive, luxury goods or economic rents, regular serious levies on estates, cars and other non-essentials (though this issue go well beyond mere economics);

what is the point of having an administration anyway if the countless traffic or burns victims still rot away in the hospital in front of the presidential palace for lack of the cheapest, essential generic drugs and doctors do not even possess nutritional supplements to save children lives and futures?

 

Finally, the fact that Somali perception of "class" relates more crudely to the material dimension does not helps of course (eg businessmen that seldom ever read a book or clueless politicians can be rated as "very successful"), just like the general naivety about titles and academic backgrounds or relevance etc (many attach importance to and state "PHD holder" as if that proved anything, "eng" prefixes command authority even if it's just at best 3 years degree from the corner university etc).

[Yunis]

^ I doubt Somalis can ever embrace the literal sense of so-called ‘Class’ along economic or academic achievement. For all aspects in Somali society (education, health, governance, justice…) the Camel herder in Somalia would most likely have similar views with a Sheikh, Imaam, PHD’s, MBA, Eng holders, primarily due to the fact clan lineage dictates among any other alignment for social balance and cohesion. Other than ways and means of pursuing professional career, for Somalis credentials / titles doesn’t necessarily translate to elitism mindset for social order.

 

For communities such as Indians / Chinese you’ll find expatriates social class is re-structure similar to the countries they left behind, As any previous immigrants before us, the first generations were always tied to the socio-economic structures of their perspective origins. Less we can count pseudo-intellectual youths who pontificate at a bosh star-bucks in suburbia as evidence of one Somali group that re-aligned itself into the hierarchical social order.

[Alpha Blondy]

Yunis;749420 wrote:

Less we can count pseudo-intellectual youths who pontificate at a bosh star-bucks in suburbia as evidence of one Somali group that re-aligned itself into the hierarchical social order.

lol. its pathetic isnt sxb.

 

Mind you, my initial premise was that the huge disparities that exist these days, will in the medium to long term have profound social consequences. Some of these can already be seen across Somaliland. The creation of a stiff-upper lip members of society is evident all across the peninsula. I think this is to be welcome. A society must be organised and have hierarchies.