Before I start my story, I send condolence to the families of two officers who were killed premeditatedly while they serving the Nation. We expect from the President to bring to the justice to those who did horrendous crime and those Gov. officials who disregarded their SOS message. I’m not politicizing the issue, but telling the reality that every law abiding expected.
Borama is my destination to go every year to be away from political media bombardment here in America. Within a year, you see tremendous changes in buildings that is sources of lower income people. The City so expands that that you wonder if utility supplies of water and electricity can cope with the expansion. In the morning when I get up I prefer to walk for a mile, but you hardly get someone who accompany you. So I miss walk and talk.
Then, after that, I call friend and ask which Hotels we meet among the four luxury Hotels. You go and sit with number of people for 3 to 4 hours and chitchat with current affairs. People avoid political discussion to avoid confrontable issues. They prefer to hear laughable discussion. At times you see someone greeting with your name and yet you can’t say his name out of memory lapse.
The waiters serve mostly tea with ginger, but also if you prefer juices extracted from papayas and orangs whose prices bit high. What is amazing is every one volunteers to pay the bill of the day unlike in America where individualism exists.
By I:oo PM, every body goes home or Masjid for pray. This is the daily routine pass time. Some times you wonder how the 4 luxury Hotels pay their expenses. Majority of the customers order tea and you rarely see people ordering lunches. On top of that, there are no sufficient gusts to fill rooms. Once and while you see tourists coming from Hargeysa. With all that odds they survive to pay their expenses. The only two days I change my routine pattern were my visit to Amoud University and also agriculture project initiated by an entrepreneur, Abdi Farah Good from Djibouti. With regard to the University it has made an impact upon the growth of the City which reached cosmopolitan size. Somali people from different Regions settled the City. If you ask them why they have chosen Borama, they will tell you for two reasons namely peace and education .I had the opportunity to address the full faculties students and lectured about Agricultural Development. My two friends, Ahmed Geedi, educator and Osmali Baydaani who is soils and solar scientist contributed lively discussion. About America, I told them that for foreign professionals, like them they can’t get decent job unless they do career changes.
With agricultural degree, all science subjects are complete, but in order to be full teacher, they should take missing educational subjects to earn teaching certification. Being bilingual in English and Somali is a plus to be hired in Schools were are predominant Somali students.My day with the students was enjoyable. We visited Agricultural project initiated by an entrepreneur, Abdi Farah inan area located Saw mountain ranges. He brought heavy agricultural machineries and planted high quality vegetables. He also, starts building Green House to grow inside different crops round the year. He dug two water wells in different spots and people living near the Project greatly benefitted. I told him to grow exportable fruits, like oranges which is highly demanded in international markets and bring hard currency. He had already plan to bring grafted orange seedlings from Brazil of the popular Valiancy variety. This is the Project I tried number of times to convince the Ministry of Agriculture but got nothing but duff ears.
The City is the host of limited dogs, undernourished searching foods in the trashes dumped alongside walks. They are available in every streets day and nights. Their birth rate is so fast to the extent you see them everywhere. You hear unabated barking at night, perhaps fighting an intruder in their areas. I do not know if ever-reported Rabies disease from dog bites was. The problem of the dogs is beyond the City authority. It is high time that the Government launch an appeal to International Animal Lovers to assist solution to this alarming dogs problems. There is a curse from Allah if his creatures die because of food starvation.
I hate to talk about politics but I can’t desist to mention points of great concern. Somaliland reached great leap forward in many political and economic sectors.
However, the current dead lock about holding election will put the Country great Leap backward. The exchange of tit for tat in the media should be avoided and discussion based on spirit of win-win with a climate of gentleman ship should start. The people are are fed up with the current deadlock so are the International Communities.
Mohamed Hersi Bahal
