Ne jetez pas vos rames tant que la pirogue n’est pas à la rive (Proverbe Mpongoue – Gabon).- Perseverez.
Do not throw your oars as the boat has not reached the bank (Mpongoue proverb – Gabon). – Persevere.
Why the name: Mogadishu?
Have you ever wondered what the name of the capital city of Somalia, Mogadishu, meant? Somalia has been in the news in recent decades, particularly after the humiliation the American army received with Operation Restore Hope in 1993 at the hand of the local proclaimed president-to-be Mohamed Farrah Aidid, and also because of pirates roaming its coasts in the 2000s. The movie Black Hawk Down shows part of this operation with the ensuing Battle of Mogadishu, while Captain Phillips focuses on pirates.
The city of Mogadishu is located on the Indian Ocean coast of the Horn of Africa, in the Banaadir administrative region (gobol) in southeastern Somalia. The name Mogadishu is said to come from the Persian word Maq’ad-i-Shah, which means “the seat of the Shah.” This is a reflection of the city’s early Persian influence. Locally, it is spelled Muqdisho. To locals, the city is also known as Xamar.
So where does the Persian influence stem from in a city on the horn of Africa? Well, for starters, the city was founded in the 10th century by Arab traders. However, 2500 years old relics and pictographs were found on rocks in northern Somalia attesting to the area’s ancient occupation. Tradition and old records assert that southern Somalia, including the Mogadishu area, was inhabited in early historic times by hunter-gatherers of Khoisan descent who were later either driven out of the region, or assimilated by other migrants in the area.
In 1331, the Moroccan explorer Ibn Battuta visited the city when it was at its zenith. He described Mogadishu as “an exceedingly large city” with many rich merchants, which was famous for the high quality fabric that it exported to destinations including Egypt. Batutta added that the city was ruled by a Somali Sultan, Abu Bakr ibn Sayx ‘Umar, who was originally from Berbera in northern Somalia and spoke both Somali (referred to by Battuta as Mogadishan, the Benadir dialect of Somali) and Arabic with equal fluency. The Sultan also had a retinue of wazirs (ministers), legal experts, commanders, royal eunuchs, and other officials at his service.
There appears to have been a strong Persian presence in both Mogadishu and Zeila for a time. A Shi’a influence can still be seen in some areas, as in the southern Somalia veneration of Fatimah, the Prophet Muhammad‘s daughter. Moreover, in the olden days, the city’s textiles were forwarded far and wide throughout the interior of the continent, as well as to the Arabian peninsula and as far as the Persian coast.
The Chinese navigator Zheng He visited the region with his expedition from 1413 to 1415. From the 13th to the 15th centuries, Mogadishu was an important city of the Ajuran Sultanate. The city was governed by the Muzzaffar dynasty. Mogadishu is one of the rare cities on the East coast of Africa which was never conquered by the Portuguese whose attempts to occupy the city failed in the 16th century. However, the Muzzaffar dynasty lost control of the city to the Hawiye Somali when the Ajuran sultanate was defeated in the 17th century.
By 1892, Mogadishu was under the joint control of the Somali Sultanate of the Geledi and the Omani Sultanate of Zanzibar. The Geledi Sultans were at the height of their power. They dominated the southern ivory trade, and also held sway over the Jubba and Shebelle valleys in the hinterland.
In 1905, Italy made Mogadishu the capital of the newly established Italian Somaliland. The Italians subsequently referred to the city as Mogadiscio. After World War I, the surrounding territory came under Italian control with some resistance. Thousands of Italians settled in Mogadishu and founded small manufacturing companies. They also developed some agricultural areas in the south near the capital, such as Janale and the Villaggio duca degli Abruzzi (present-day Jowhar). In the 1930s, new buildings and avenues were built. A 114 km (71 mi) narrow-gauge railway was laid from Mogadishu to Jowhar. An asphalted road, the Strada Imperiale, was also constructed and intended to link Mogadishu to Addis Ababa.
British Somaliland became independent on 26 June 1960 as the State of Somaliland, and the Trust Territory of Somalia (the former Italian Somaliland) followed suit five days later. On 1 July 1960, the two territories united to form the Somali Republic, with Mogadishu serving as the nation’s capital.
In 1990, Mogadishu fell under the control of rebels who forced President Mohamed Siad Barre into exile. The rebels formed rival factions each recognizing different presidents, and civil war broke out. In 1992, the United Nations sent armed forces led by American forces. After deadly combats, the American forces were defeated and forced to run away by Aidid‘s troops.
Today, the amazing sandy beaches of Mogadishu with its vibrant coral reefs are prime land for tourist resorts. Since the city’s pacification on 2011, the city is slowly rebuilding, and establishing international trades with other cities and countries. Mogadishu traditionally served as a commercial and financial centre. Mogadishu’s economy has grown rapidly since then. The Port of Mogadishu is the official seaport of Mogadishu, and the largest harbour in the country. Please enjoy this vibrant, reviving, and historical city. Do check out Somaliagenda.com for amazing pictures of Mogadishu and its people.
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Proverbe Bamiléké sur l’Incorrigibilité / Bamileke Proverb on Incorrigibility
Quand tu lies les mains d’un coupable, il commet une faute avec ses pieds (Proverbe Bamiléké – Cameroun). – Il est incorrigible.
When you bind the hands of a guilty person, he commits a fault with his feet (Bamileke Proverb – Cameroon). – He is incorrigible.
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The Clever Son
Here is an Ethiopian tale from the Afar region of Ethiopia. You can read the entire story on the Ethiopian Folktales‘ website. Enjoy!
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Once there was a very intelligent Afar boy aged fifteen, but he was always upset and angry because he knew what was happening in his house. His father was having an affair with one of his mother’s servants and his mother was having an affair with someone outside the household. And the boy knew about this and he was very angry.
Then one day, as he was asleep in the corner covered with clothes, his mother’s lover came in and didn’t notice him.
And he said to his mother, “You’re a very generous woman. You’ve given me everything I’ve ever asked for. Now tomorrow what I want is to eat the big white ox that belongs to your husband.”
And his mother said, “There’s no problem, as long as you come with ten of your friends.”
Then the next day, her lover came with ten of his friends.
She went to her husband and said, “Look, all of my relatives have come and we’ve got to feed them and they’re so many, I can’t give them just injera1 and ordinary things.”
And the husband said, “OK, I’ll slaughter the big white ox for you so you can feed them.”
And he took the ox under a tree and was slaughtering him using his big dagger.
Now the son was very angry and when he went to his father his father had already cut up the pieces of meat and he gave them to the boy, and told him to take it to the guests. Now as they were going along, wherever he passed a rock he bent down and put a piece of meat on each rock. And he continued walking towards the men. And when the father looked up, he saw the pieces of meat on the rock.
“I wonder what’s wrong with my son?”
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Blague Africaine: La Rencontre avec St-Pierre / African Joke: Meeting with St-Peter
Un homme en très mauvais état se présente devant St-Pierre, après une mort apparemment violente.
Celui-ci demande: – Mais qu’est ce qui s’est passé ?
L’homme explique: – J’étais guide de safari en Afrique et j’accompagnais un groupe de six femmes belges et une suisse. En traversant un pont de lianes au dessus d’une rivière infestée de crocodiles, un coup de vent nous a fait basculer. On a tous réussi à se retenir aux cordages. Nous étions suspendus en l’air et comme le pont menaçait de lâcher à cause du poids, il fallait que quelqu’un se sacrifie. Comme j’étais le seul homme…
Une minute plus tard, St-Pierre voit débarquer les six belges dans le même état que l’homme qu’il vient de conduire au Paradis. Il demande immédiatement aux arrivantes: – Mais ce brave homme qui s’est sacrifié, a-t-il donc fait ça pour rien ?
L’une des belges explique alors: – c’est à cause de cette maudite suisse qui nous accompagnait…
Quand le guide s’est laissé tomber, elle a dit: – Un homme aussi courageux, il mériterait qu’on l’applaudisse…
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A man in very poor condition appears in front of St-Peter, after an apparently violent death. The later asks: – What happened?
The man explains: – I was a safari guide in Africa, and I was leading a group of 6 Belgian women and one swiss one. While crossing a liana bridge on top of a river full of crocodiles, a gust of wind tipped us. We all managed to hold onto the ropes. We were hanging in air, and since the bridge threatened to falter because of the weight, someone had to be sacrificed. Since I was the only man …
A minute later, St-Peter sees the 6 Belgian women arrive in the same state as the man he just led to Paradise. He immediately asks the newcomers: – But this brave man who sacrificed himself, did he do it for nothing?
One of the Belgian ladies replies: – It is because of that cursed swiss who was with us …
When the guide fell, she said: – Such a courageous man, he deserves to be applauded …
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Proverbe sur la Convoitise / Proverb on Coveting
Si vous ne suivez pas ce chemin, à quoi bon de vous orienter sur le soleil (Proverbe Ekonda, République Democratique du Congo (RDC)). – Ce n’est pas votre femme, pourquoi la regarder! N’enviez pas ce qui n’est pas à vous.
If you do not follow this path, why bother to walk under the sun (Ekonda Proverb – Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)).- It is not your wife, why are you looking at her! Do not envy what is not yours.
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1850s Correspondence of Ndate Yalla Mbodj to the French Governor of Senegal
I would like to share with you letters from Ndate Yalla Mbodj, the last Lingeer (Queen) of the Waalo, addressed to the French Governor of Senegal in the 1850s. These are treasures from history, and I thought it very interesting to translate them from French to English. Reading these letters, one can see the duplicity of the French who would take lands from the Waalo people without asking, and will treat the people of the Waalo with great disdain. These are from the National archives of Senegal. For the French version, visit: Seneweb.
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National Archives of Senegal 13 G 91
Correspondence of the Kings of the Waalo
Letter number 85 received by the governor
of Saint Louis on May 23rd, 1851
Ndatte Yalla to Mr. the Governor,
The goal of this letter is to let you know that the island of Boyo* belongs to me, from my grandfather down to me today. There is nobody who can claim that that country belongs to them; it belongs to me only. I did not sell this country to anybody. I did not entrust it to anybody, nor to any white person. The people to whom I entrusted my land have to right to do anything to it, I will have nothing to say. Nobody can take this land without their authorization; to prove to you that this letter comes from me, when the dispute had been settled in Lampsar, you went back to the fort. There I came to see you with my husband, you were accompanied by Mr. Alsace and de Bamar, you told me that you wanted to see me alone to talk, I told you that there was only my husband and brother present.
You also asked me who was the King of the Waalo today. I replied that the King of the Waalo was me. If this is true, and this letter comes from me, I desire that no one should take possession of my territory.
The island of Boyo is located in Mauritania, 15 km north of Saint-Louis in Senegal. It houses the village of N’Diago. It is the cradle of the Boye family of Saint-Louis.
Continue reading “1850s Correspondence of Ndate Yalla Mbodj to the French Governor of Senegal”
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The Khami Ruins: Remnants of a Great Civilization in Southern Africa
Today we will be talking about the remnants of a great stone civilization in southern Africa: the city of Khami. The Khami Ruins are the remnants of the capital city of the Kingdom of Butua of the Torwa dynasty . It is located on the west bank of the Khami river, 22 km west of Bulawayo in southern Zimbabwe. It was the capital of the Torwa dynasty for about 200 years from AD 1450 to AD 1644. It emerged at the time of the disappearance of Great Zimbabwe.
Today, the site of the Khami ruins is a national monument and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986. The site is dominated by a series of terraced stone ruins, often highly decorated. It reveals seven built-up areas occupied by the royal family with open areas in the valley occupied by the rest of the population. The complex comprises circular, sometimes terraced, artificial platforms encased by dry stone walls. The beautifully decorated 6m-high by 68m-long retaining wall of the Precipice ruin bears a checkerboard design along its entire length. The imposing front façade marked the main entrance. The Precipice Ruin was a ritual center with the longest decorated stonewall of its kind in the entire sub-region. Nearby are the Cross Ruin with its mysterious stone Dominican Cross, believed to have been placed by a contemporary missionary, and the Northern Platform once used to process gold. The nearby Passage Ruin consists of two adjoining semicircular platforms accessed by a narrow passageway. The platforms, rising 2-7 m above ground, carried clay huts and courtyards where the rest of the populations lived. The remnants of cattle kraals and huts for ordinary people can be seen from the Hill Complex. The ruins include a royal enclosure forming the Hill Complex located on higher grounds, stone walls and hut platforms. There are also ruins on the eastern side of the Khami River.
To build the structures at Khami required engineering and architectural feats, since the stone found at Khami (laminar granite) was different from that found in other areas of Zimbabwe (biotite). This stone was harder to quarry and produced shapeless building stone; over 60% of the stone produced at these quarries would not have been of building quality. The building blocks thus needed to be shaped, but even then the stones were not suitable for building free-standing dry stone walls. The builders of Khami thus made an innovation and produced retaining walls instead. Moreover, building platforms made the houses cooler than those in the open areas below. Khami’s architecture conforms to that of Great Zimbabwe in a number of archaeological and architectural aspects but it possesses certain features particular to itself and its successors such as Danangombe and Zinjanja. Retaining walls and elaborate decorations were first expressed in the architectural history of the sub-region at Khami.
Archaeological finds include 16th century Rhineland stoneware, Ming porcelain pieces which date back to the reign of Wan-Li (1573-1691), Portuguese imitations of 17th-century Chinese porcelain, 17th-century Spanish silverware, etc. These indicate that Khami was a major centre of trade, presumably linked (like Mapungubwe and Great Zimbabwe before it) to the Swahili ports on the East Africa coast.
Unfortunately, Khami was invaded by Changamire Dombo, around 1683, who led a Rozwi army from the Mwenemutapa (Monomotapa) state. The Rozwi made Danangombe (Dhlo-Dhlo) another area of the Khami site as the new capital of their empire, the Rozwi Empire. In the 1830s, Ndebele raiders displaced the Rozwi from Khami. A small site museum provides useful background information to the site itself. If you are ever in the vicinity, do not forget to visit this amazing site, remnant of a great stone civilization.
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Proverbe Peul sur l’Impartialité / Fula Proverb on Impartiality
Quand une mère a des jumeaux, elle doit dormir sur son dos (Proverbe Peul). – Un chef doit être impartial; il doit s’occuper de tout son monde.
When a mother has twins, she should sleep on her back (Fula proverb). – A chief needs to be impartial; he should take care of all his people.
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Made in Togo: A 3D Printer from e-waste
Just as almost everywhere else in the world, 3D printing offers the possibility of revolutionizing entire industries. In Africa, the 3D printer could bring a new industrial revolution, allowing goods to be made with less dependence on imported commodities, at a cheaper rate, and creating jobs locally. For the past three years, in Lomé, the capital of Togo, members of a small and innovative community have been building 3D printers. The machines are now part of an ambitious education program.
In Lomé, piles of discarded computers, printers and scanners from industrialized countries accumulate in trash dumps. Afate Gnikou, a system’s developer, has found a place to work on his invention in a group of like-minded computer-lovers. It is called WoeLab; enjoy. BBC also did a video about it.
African Heritage 