By: Yusuf M Hasan
Somalilandsun – A rejuvenated thence more energetic Somalilandsun is back to business following a back to Erigavo roots sojourn that saw a camel milk, goat and sheep meat feeding regime courtesy of nomadic citizens.
Having been launched on the 1st January 2011 this website operated nonstop for a year and half until a late July 2013 order from the editorial disguised as a request to enhance regional outlets.
The covert order coupled with professional burn out which raised my ire also resulted in a self evaluation as pertains to the pros and cons of continued association with the site.
My-self queries thoughts run
“Why do I care about Somalilandsun whose launch I attribute to my current Zero social life”
“Why continue voluntary and tedious work”
“When was the last time you had time to yourself, to visit family or friends considering you are working your regular job and updating the site in the afternoons and evenings of everyday”
“The only day you are free is Fridays and you never wake up due to the weeklong exhaustion”
With this direction of thoughts an inner voice said, “Hey Yusuf why not look at the positive of Somalilandsun before you make a hasty decision”
So I turned thoughts on the good of the site
• “Somalilandsun is gradually achieving its original objective of availing Somalilanders locally and in the Diaspora, Foreigners and Expatriates etc factual, relevant and timely news of national impact pertaining to Somaliland”
With this one identification of the site’s good and though somehow demoralized I embark on the reorganization ordered by the editorial board with my action plan starting in the west of the country mainly Gabile and Borame towns where our Gabile and Awdal regional stringers are based.
Apart from establishing new networks and having re-equipped stringers dur
ing this excursion to the western regions my Journalistic curiosity led me to post two items that were dear to my heart, the plight of local Khat growers and the Arabsiyo Mass Graves
Being undermanned and operating on voluntary basis thus achieve objective dear to heart I embarked on a similar mission, order disguised as a request, to the Eastern regions (Toghdeer and Sanaag) In Mid August.
Having convinced the editorial board that haste is imperative they acquiesced to a 4 wheel drive car hire and thence east bound bypassing Berbera-Sahil and Burao-Toghdeer thus direct to Erigavo the district in the Sanaag region origin of grandfather before shifting to Kenya courtesy of Aggression by Sayid Abdulla Hasan-The Mad Mullah.
Despite the 300kms of rough road that begins a few kilometers from Yerowe in Toghdeer region my official mission of strengthening the sites reporting base was made more successful by the reception of my town based and better more ruralite relatives in Haldaghan 46 kms NNE of Erigavo town where each visit to a relatives compound ended up with a goat or sheep slaughtered and meat consumed to the last morsel by me and retinue of male kinsmen especially the young curious to be associated with their returnee relative.
Every morning breakfast was liver of last evening’s goat/sheep plus a massive dosage of fresh camel milk then meetings with elders discussing various aspects of livelihood constraints that they wanted me to be take to the attention of the government in Hargeisa since the Sanaag regional government has remained deaf and blind to their plight and pleas.
Despite being well fed I kept wondering what elected representatives do and if the situation in Haldaghan, Mirhido and Medeshi areas are anything to gauge by then it is nothing.
With my journalistic antennas raised I managed to post a few articles of my Sojourn not only during the Sanaag visit but Toghdeer and Sahil regions as well
Of major interest were Rainy season employment, local cooling system, solar powered income generation, the Somali Gimbar woes, School under the tree and the good/Bad & ugly of Burao.
Meanwhile thanks to the readers who after reading the plight of Haldaghan children’s quest for education at the Birdaha under the tree school have offered to support through financial and material contributions.
We are working with the school’s committee and relevant details of PayPal, Dahabshil and Salaam financial accounts will be made public for donations.
To our readers thanks for your more than a fortnight’s patience we are back more rejuvenated and energetic than ever before.
The worst part of my trip to the east was in watching the best part of a slaughtered animal part, stomach, being thrown away because tradition dictates that it be not consumed.
The other was the massive destruction of the environment through unchecked charcoal burning.
The best apart from feasting on camel milk and meat was goat and sheep herding.
The saddest sight of the entire trip was the Birdaha under the tree school
The happiest was spending quality time with upcoming generations of cousins
Sojourn Articles
Somaliland local khat farmers disfranchise produce for want of market
Somaliland: Arabsiyo mass graves safe
Somaliland: Rainy Season is Boom Time in Awbarkadle
Somaliland: Local and Effective Refrigeration
Somaliland: Solar Powered Income Generation
Somaliland: Sanaag Residents Lose Millions in Gimbar Currency Scam
Somaliland: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Burao Town
Somaliland: Haldaghan Children’s Difficult Quest for Literacy in Sanaag Region
