SOMALIS: REPEATING THE SAME MISTAKE OR THINKING ALONG SAME OLD LINES WHILE EXPECTING DIFFERENT RESULT

It is a casual conversation at a hotel lobby in Garowe for afternoon tea or an early evening chat after breaking fast in Ramadan. It is a typical group of persons talking about different issues in the locality or beyond that on wider Somalia. It is customarily called “arm-chair fight” (Fadhi-ku-dirir), exchange of views, by some, or cynical personal take on politics and politicians, by others. At times, it is passionate and lively. It is boring and pessimistic, in other moments. Given the nature and type of participants, and perhaps, their backgrounds in life, you don’t expect orginal or novel ideas to come out from this setting. It is a deliberation along the old English phrase “killing the time”, not used or heard in modern times.

The takeaways of these conversations are always the same among the Somalis:

1. A conversation touches different topics in a scattered brain fashion.
2. There is a disregard of professionalism and need for expert advice. It cites no references of authorities. It doesn’t refer to rich Somali poetry as they are common folks in the society.
3. It is thinking along the same old lines while expecting a different result.
4. It is disregarding the other points of views.
5. The views are highly opinionated, full of unexamined falsehoods and half-truths.
6. It is devoid of any tendency to learn from the experience of the conversation.
7. It is about whining and blaming others for any misfortune. It is always someone else’s faulty. It is often playing the victim card. Occasionally, it is showing off someone’s perceived better clan heritage and superiority.

This is a typical debate in Somali society of today. The conversation is only deemed civilized, if participants refrain from personal attacks for the personal views of others on controversial issues on current affairs and politics. On this, it is rare to see two Somalis concurring in their views on Somali regional or national politics. Think of consensus-building in a such a society. When there is no common vision and collective national objectives and strategy, think of making a nation-state. Isn’t this where the core of all Somali problems lies? Have your say.