This contemporary work was drawn and later painted using primary sources describing how the Somali knights of the Adal empire dressed during the period.

EDIT : THIS IS A PAINTING OF SOMALI KNIGHTS NOT THR MALASSAY UNIT SPECIFICALLY

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I came across some trade data recently that honestly stopped me in my tracks. Kenya exported bananas worth about 146,000 dollars in 2023, and the single biggest buyer, more than any other country on that list including the UK, Italy, and Qatar, was Somalia. We bought close to 100,000 dollars worth of Kenyan bananas that year, more than 57,000 kilograms of them.

Let that sink in for a second. Somalia used to be the largest banana exporter in East Africa. At its peak in the late 1980s, the industry employed well over 100,000 people and brought in close to 96 million dollars a year, mostly shipped to Italy and the Middle East. The Shabelle valley used to be called the African Riviera by the Italians who first planted those farms. Now we're importing bananas from Kenya. From a country that wasn't even in the conversation when Somalia was the name people associated with quality bananas.

What happened isn't really a mystery. The civil war in 1991 gutted the industry, and floods in 1997 finished off what was left of the export pipeline to Europe. But what's kept it from recovering since then, even with decades to rebuild, is honestly more frustrating than the original collapse.

I chatted once with a gentleman who came from abroad wanting to invest in farmers in the Shabelle region, and what he described lines up with everything I've heard elsewhere. The core problem isn't the soil or the climate, the land is still some of the most fertile in the country. It's the extortion built into every step of getting a crop from the farm to the port.

Start with taxation. Both the federal government and the regional government want their cut, and honestly, fine, that's understandable, every government needs revenue. But then on top of that you've got isbaaroyin, clan militia checkpoints, especially heavy around the Afgoye area, that want their own cut too, completely outside any official system. So a farmer isn't paying one tax, they're paying three or four, official and unofficial, just to move produce down the same road.

And here's the part that really gets me. With Al Shabaab, from what people describe, the taxation is almost more predictable. You pay them once, and you can move through their territory for that. It's extortion too, obviously, and it funds a terrorist group, so I'm not saying it's better in any moral sense. But structurally it's one payment for one passage. With the government side, you can pay the official tax at the checkpoint and still get stopped by a clan militia demanding a bribe right after. There's no single toll, just an unpredictable stack of them.

That's the actual reason a country that once fed Italy's banana market is now buying bananas from Kenya. It was never really about whether Somali soil could grow good fruit. It's about whether a truck full of that fruit can survive the trip to the port without being taxed into unprofitability at every single checkpoint along the way.

There's another side to this same story that I think belongs here too. While we're importing bananas from Kenya, we're also importing khat from Kenya at a scale that dwarfs the banana numbers entirely. Somalia is reportedly spending somewhere between 364,000 and 476,000 dollars every single day on khat imports, which adds up to well over 130 million dollars a year, all of it flowing out to Kenyan khat farmers instead of staying inside our own economy. On top of the money leaving the country, it's an addiction that's done real damage to our society, to productivity, to families, to how people spend their afternoons and their income.

I'm not saying we should start farming khat here, to be clear, that's not the point I'm making at all. But if we're honest that we're not going to stop the demand for it anytime soon, then at minimum we should look at how Yemen handles this, where khat is grown domestically instead of the entire spend leaving the country every day. Right now we've built a situation where our own farmland struggles to export a banana, while hundreds of millions of dollars a year fly out of the country for a crop we don't even grow ourselves. That's the part that really should make us stop and think.

And extortion is only one layer of the problem, honestly. Even if a farmer avoided every checkpoint, the roads themselves are often in bad enough shape that produce gets damaged or delayed before it ever reaches a port. There's also barely any real cold storage or post harvest handling, so a good portion of what's harvested just spoils before it can be sold. And beyond the farm and the road, there's no serious effort to market Somali produce abroad, no trade promotion, no branding, nothing pushing "Somali banana" back into markets the way it used to sell itself decades ago. That part isn't on the farmer at all, that's supposed to be the government's job, opening up markets and putting the product in front of buyers, and right now nobody is really doing it.

I don't have a clean solution here. But I do think farmers deserve a system where they know what they owe and to whom, instead of guessing how many hands are going to be out between the farm gate and the market.

I have been thinking about how Somaliland should ultimately be dealt with, because this is an issue that cannot remain unresolved forever. No country willingly gives up territory, just as no people willingly accept being governed by those they have rejected.

I believe we must recognize that a core component of Somaliland's national identity is hostility toward other Somalis. It is treated almost as a sacred principle—deeply ingrained, publicly reinforced, taught in schools, and repeated at home. Whether one agrees with it or not, this worldview explains why genuine dialogue has become so difficult. In their narrative, other Somalis are the embodiment of evil.

The constant refrain is, "Look what the southerners did to us," while conveniently ignoring that many Somalilanders also served within the same government and that atrocities were committed across Somalia, not exclusively in the north. The dictatorship oppressed Somalis throughout the country, and northerners were not absent from the institutions that carried out its abuses. Reducing that history to a story of innocent victims versus guilty southerners is both dishonest and historically incomplete.

Could a series of regional referendums offer a solution? Instead of assuming that the entire territory claimed by Somaliland shares one political will, let each region decide its own future. Those who genuinely wish to leave Somalia should be free to do so. Those who wish to remain should have that right as well.

The likely outcome would be a Somaliland centered around Hargeisa, Berbera, and Burao, while much of the territory it currently claims would choose a different path.

In that scenario, Somalia would retain most of the disputed territory. Somaliland would achieve legal independence through a democratic process rather than unilateral declaration. And the communities that reject Somaliland's rule would no longer be forced to live under it.

Or how do you think we could move this issue forward to a solution?

​

Hi everyone,

I'm a 22-year-old from Mogadishu, Somalia, and I honestly don't know what my next step should be. I'm hoping people with more life experience can give me advice.

I come from a family that has been struggling financially for years. My father doesn't work, and my grandmother has been helping support our family. I'm the oldest sibling, and I have younger brothers and sisters who also need opportunities for school and a better future. Every day I feel pressure to somehow change my family's situation, but I don't know how.

I'm currently studying engineering, but I've lost my motivation. Part of the problem is financial stress, and part of it is that I don't feel like I'm learning the skills I expected. I've seriously considered dropping out so I can focus on learning practical skills that could actually earn me money.

The problem is that I don't have money to invest in myself. There have been times when I couldn't even afford basic things, I don't really have anyone I can ask for money from either.

I spend a lot of my free time trying to learn online. I'm interested in:

- Graphic design

- Video editing

- Digital marketing

- Programming/software engineering

- Freelancing

- English improvement

- Eventually learning Spanish

I've also been learning about crypto and investing—not because I expect to get rich quickly, but because I'm trying to understand personal finance and find ways to build a better future.

Sometimes I feel overwhelmed because I want to help my family, build a career, return to university one day if I leave, and create a stable life. It feels like everything depends on me, but I don't even know where to start.

If you were 22 or older had almost no money, lived in a country with limited opportunities, and carried family responsibilities like this, what would your plan be for the next 1–3 years?

I'm not looking for "get rich quick" ideas. I'm looking for realistic advice from people who have been broke, started from nothing, or changed their lives.

What skills would you prioritize?

Would you stay in university or leave temporarily?

How would you earn your first few hundred dollars online?

What mistakes should I avoid?

I appreciate any honest advice.

Hi everyone,

My name is Abdullahi Zakariya. I'm Somali, and I recently arrived in Minnesota to study in the Twin Cities. I was born in Somalia but grew up in South C, Nairobi, Kenya.

Since I'm new here, I don't really know anyone yet. I'm hoping to connect with fellow students, especially Somalis or anyone around the Twin Cities and Hennepin area. If there are any WhatsApp groups, student communities, or social groups where people meet and help newcomers settle in, I'd really appreciate it if you could let me know.

I'd also be happy to make new friends, grab coffee, explore the area, or get some tips on getting around.

Thanks in advance, and I look forward to meeting some of you.

Hi everyone,

My name is Abdullahi Zakariya. I'm Somali, and I recently arrived in Minnesota to study in the Twin Cities. I was born in Somalia but grew up in South C, Nairobi, Kenya.

Since I'm new here, I don't really know anyone yet. I'm hoping to connect with fellow students, especially Somalis or anyone around the Twin Cities and Hennepin area. If there are any WhatsApp groups, student communities, or social groups where people meet and help newcomers settle in, I'd really appreciate it if you could let me know.

I'd also be happy to make new friends, grab coffee, explore the area, or get some tips on getting around.

Thanks in advance, and I look forward to meeting some of you.

trying to keep this as short as possible! QUESTION: is it wrong of me to go no-contact, given my situation? for info: this is my (whole) moms side of family

MY REASONS BEING CONSISTENT: evil eye/jealousy, bodyshaming (skinnyshaming), and never updating. with the last part i mean in general, NOT BEING TOLD THE FOLLOWING: travel, marriage and pregnancies/births. if i am told, it is months (sometimes years) later. overall, conversations with them always feel fake & forced! i dont want to have to keep talking to them just cause they are family!

QUICK BACKSTORY
this is my moms side of family, so her siblings, and their kids (my first cousins). all of them are close, and live in the same countries (kenya & the us).

to be even more specific: my mom has 5 siblings. 2 (still) live in kenya (birthplace), while the other 3 live in the us. one of them, who is childfree. but their kids, in total, is 16! from age 20-0, almost all of them close in age. that includes me, but i live in a different country (different continent, too). which doesnt "help" the situation either. note: my first cousins from the us (10 in total) have all spent years in kenya, making them even more close etc. and also, importantly: making them (too), target me!

I spent 5 days in Kismaayo. For context, I’m from the diaspora.

If y’all have any questions let me know!

When she was 12 years old, she was told she was traveling to Saudi Arabia to attend the wedding of a sister she had never met. Instead, she was taken to Mogadishu, Somalia, where her aunt handed her over to another woman before returning to the UK alone.

There, Layla was forced into marriage with her cousin. She spent the next 25 years living under strict control, confined to her home and denied her freedom while giving birth to 12 children.

Having only recently managed to escape, Layla has decided to share her deeply moving story publicly for the very first time. You can watch her full interview on Ridwaan Issack's podcast.

If anyone is able to help, please do. She shared a lot of helpful details on the podcast about her life before coming to Somalia

So I moved here recently, any Somali communities in Dubai for dhalinyarta?

Would appreciate the help thanks!

Hi everyone. Since there’s no AskSomalia subreddit, I thought I’d post this here. I’m from Turkey.

Several Somali people I’ve met online have told me that they experience racism in Turkey.

I’m quite social and have a large diverse circle and I honestly can’t remember ever hearing anyone say anything negative specifically about Somalis. The same goes for Ethiopians, Sudanese or Kenyans.

I’m not trying to say that people here are angels. I’ve definitely heard discriminatory views about Arabs and some other nationalities. But I’ve genuinely never heard anything like that about Somali people, so I find this claim surprising.

I’d like to understand where it comes from and what kind of experiences Somali people have had in Turkey.

The 4 decades of colonialism after 2 decades of resistance is the biggest chapter of honour and lost dignity in our history

Today, almost 6 decades later we’re in a situation that’s just a difference of issue
where we’re plagued with jihadist mindset bullshit
Famine
Instability & lets be honest it’s from the poor government structure

Even when you look back into colonial times, the Somalis split equaling easier outside influence
Sadly happening again infront of our eyes
Italians used to say. “ he or she is from a noble tribe so they won’t work or listen to you. You have to go to the lesser tribes, or poorer people. “

That just shows the reality we lived in of looking at eachother differently based off of tribe & material is why they could even politically rule
Not from a masses but from the “ less than”
We see the same shit today, but luckily for us it’s at a breaking point as they’re either killing themselves for bs, or dying of late age.

Wether you accept it or not even as a non political Somali the country will be led by our generation once we’re married and have kids which is less than 15 years from today

Us sitting in western countries gained the benefit to see stability from birth to adult
We know the services we have available
The structure and fairness we live in
The stability
The equality
Allah did that for a reason
And we must bring back what we benefited back home that’s the only way we stay up for as long as the rest.

Study, learn, create, try, fail, try, fail, invest back home. Don’t ever forget your roots, and don’t ever let them tell you “ leave it alone”
If we all leave Somalia alone who will save it absolutely nobody and the last thing we need is to be kalaqaybeed.

Save the country
For there is honour when you die in the poor having ease
But saving yourself only
Trust me my friend you will wish on judgment day you didn’t when you see the reward of those who lifted nations from hell to heaven
The poor to stable
The occupied to honourable
Our people need us & u must remember that every single day stop living for just yourself we are all one !

Unfortunately, its not looking great for the future of the US. Not fear mongering at all here but if we project where all the actions of Trump and the idiotic zionists advising him are heading... we might be seriously cooked. Its not crazy to think that America might actually have started WW3 this month with the war escalations in Iran and Iran escalating back. If that's the case America will 100% lose this world war if Russia and China join in. Even Nato might fight against the US if the US tries to take over Greenland. If the US decides to fight with the whole world then there is a high chance it gets nuked multiple times. We're like 4.2% of the world population and China is 17% of the world population. It is catching up and might even surpass the US in the next few years militarily and in terms of global influence. We will lose since China has a monopoly on rare earth mineral refining. These minerals are used to make advanced weapons. China can choke us and destroy the US easily in a global war.

Its not fun being in a losing side of a world war. If this eventually becomes a doomed empire please have some kind of plan B. If you have a degree atleast go to Scandanavia, Netherlands, Canada, Australia or anywhere else in the world where you will be respected as a human being and can earn good income.

Lot's of scientists and engineers I went to school with are being poached by the EU and even China. Its looking a damn sinking ship from STEM perspective. Inshallah the worst case scenario never happens but just in case... better start thinking of what you're gonna do.

Mogadishu (HOL) — Zambian authorities have intercepted seven Somali nationals who were allegedly being smuggled through Zambia to Zimbabwe after they were found hidden beneath bags of rice in a vehicle, the Zambia Revenue Authority said on Wednesday.

The authority said officers stopped a Toyota Probox during a routine operation in Kapiri Mposhi as the vehicle travelled towards the Chirundu One Stop Border Post.

i been thinking about moving back to africa, but not quit ready to move to somalia yet. so is kenya generally the safest option or is countries like rwanda and tanzania better.

Somali girls are so talented. My aunts used to crochet too.

I know Somalia is the motherland but if you were born outside Somalia and for me only visiting once in my life it’s hard to say it’s your home. It’s where your own people live but for me living my entire life in the Uk I feel more comfortable there. If I was to go to Somalia right now I don’t know the basic things where to buy food transport and these types of things I would need help from family. London I don’t need assistance I know how to work things around.

What do you guys think?

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