What has The Clan done for you?
Somalia is the most homogenuouse country in Africa, with people belonging to a single race, sharing a common religion.
Article written by: Harbi Kullane
Clan loyalty is key to the conflict in Somalia and any peace settlement that does not tackle this issue is doomed to fail. What has The Clan done for you? If you posed such a question to a Somali person two or three decades ago, he or she would have produced a long list of benefits and otherwise described the support gained from the clan, not all of which would have been material, but moral. However, these days the same question would probably be answered without that euphoria, but solid affiliation with The Clan would be obvious. In fact, over the last 17 years the sense that The Clan is still beneficial in personal ways has been eroding, while The Clan’s disadvantages have become more and more realized.
The Clan has a role in complex Somali traditional behaviour. In a sense, The Clan is a form of a life insurance: it is there for you if you commit a felony against a member of another clan, and it gives substantial help when you seek a bride from another clan. The clan also determines your social interaction with other clan members. The Clan is a vital part of your identity . Its network also helps you achieve the sociodevelopment you need when you are climbing the ladder. This is all suitable within a peaceful environment.
The strong reliance on Clan affiliation is a culture mainly inherited from the nomads. Because of their harsh life style, one had to rely on The Clan to survive. This mentality survived the transition to urban areas. However, this not the case with clans living in the southern parts of Somalia. Although identity with a clan is important, reliance upon a clan in the south is minimum and not as strong as its counterparts in the north. Both before and after Somalia’s independence, the political structure and job distribution within the civil service was rich with Clan influence. Nepotism was the norm, and very worrying, although not yet practiced at an alarming rate. High ranking officials within the government who did not attend to the Clan’s needs – which, for one, varied from job allocation to scholarship offers - were deemed to be weak. Most importantly, the rational for assisting The Clan can be said to be the catalyst of the animosity and civil war that has captivated Somalia over the last 17 years. The benefits an individual gains from his clan has also made him part of the conflict between his clan and any other clan with which his clan may be in dispute. The decision to oppose another clan for some reason has usually had nothing to do with him; and if he’d been consulted, the clan beneficiary would have tried to averted such conflict. However, one’s better nature does not prevail over loyalty to The Clan, which is part of the package one accepts once he relies on a clan in matters other than identity. Does the question of one’s clan’s place in the UK have to be raised? What are the benefits and the drawbacks of belonging to a clan? It seems that clan links in the UK offer social benefits only. In certain Somali enclaves in the UK, coming from one particular tribe seems to give one either a gateway into seamless assimilation within that community. However, for those less fortunate, belonging to another clan is a reason for suffering social stigma. For example, amongst Somali youngsters, there is a common view (I’m not commenting on its validity) that in some cities in Britain, such as Sheffield and Cardiff, clans from the Northern region of Somalia and Djibouti have established a strong foothold. If an individual was to settle there, it would be beneficial if that individual hails from one of those particular tribes. This is one of views held by people in the UK as regards tribes.
