Stockholm syndrome

[Lamagoodle]

Hi folks!

Sweden is regularly mentioned for being a country that has succeeded in creating a welfare state for its citizens. Although it is a large country with low population density and harsh wintery conditions, It is not an exaggeration to say that it is the envy of many nations; very peaceful country with an industrial base that is global and a social democratic legacy which condemned human rights abuses, apartheid and condoned egalitarian equity of resources and representation.

Its capital, Stockholm, is very stunning and surrounded by water. In fact, Stockholm is located on several islands. Public transport works and it is a multicultural town because of the influx of immigrants. The immigrant population has seen its fair share of dynamics; in the sixties thousands of immigrants were recruited from Yugoslavia, Turkey, Italy and Greece to work in the booming manufacturing industries. In the late 70s thousands of refugees came from Vietnam and Iran arrived. Later on somalis claiming to come from Western Somalia came and in the nineties there was an influx of refugees from Somalia proper.

Although the level of tolerance on the parts of the Swedes has been on the decline (a trend in the whole of liberal Europe) in recent decades, Sweden remains one of the countries in the west where somalis are welcome.

Statistics on the population of Somalis in Sweden is scanty but it is estimated that there are more than 60 000 Somalis. The somalis who came to Sweden came in different periods; in the late 80s it was people wanting to work; in the 1990s it was the middle class who had the means and minds to come. In the 2000 Sweden became home to traumatised somalis who witnessed the atrocious effects of the civil war (mainly somalis who show the symptoms of buufis).

In this peaceful country an event took place in the 1970s which provided a conceptual tool for students of psychology and psychiatrist . the Stockholm Syndrome. The background of this symptom is a bank robbery in the heart of Stockholm where an infamous bank robber took bank clerks as hostages. After a few days of captivity the hostages bonded with their captives.


Ever since the term was coined by the Swedish psychiatrist Dr. Bejerot, it has become the Frau für alle (german for the wife of everyone) i.e. a concept that is used to describe a phenomenon in which the supposed victim bonds with the victimizer. You could see this in several internet forums where tribalism is permeated and diffused by Somalis from regions who were diverse

How does the Stockholm syndrome manifest itself in Somalis?

From a Somali context, the Stockholm syndrome concept could be used to describe a myriad of phenomena that have characterised us; for instance, the culture of warlordism, the culture of corruption and other institutional ills that has become embedded in our thought system.

For instance, in the good old days Somalis in general and the people from Banaadir, in particular were known for their workmanship and tolerance. Loitering on the streets, playing daba-ka-eri and dumnad etc was done when you made the shillings through hardwork! The saying “nimaan shaqeeysinin shaah ma cabo” was a testimony of this conventional wisdom.which embodied our societal institutional mode. Terms such as “dhoore” “lamagoodle” “reer koraad” etc were devised to identify those amongst us who enticed a discourse scheme inept on earning easy money instead of sweating to make money. Terms such daba-dhilifs, af minshaars, shaxaad and mashaqeeyste did not come out of vacuum but to characterise the lazy parasites who fed on the sweat of the hardworking.

Your correspondent loves Sweden; not only because of the maasha allah blondes but because of its contemporary history of tolerance towards others and its role in welcoming Somalis at a time when our people are described using negative adjectives.


Stockholm- the capital of Scandinavia as it is branded- is where most Somalis live even though cities such as Gothenburg, Malmo, Orebro and Vasteras have substantial number of Somalis.'

In Stockholm, Somalis usually live in a suburb in the northern part. The triangle of Tensta, Rinkeby and Kista is where you may find Somalis at every corner. The Tensta and Rinkeby areas contain housing estates from the late 60s and seventies; the so called Million programme areas which was a construction scheme devised and implemented by the then social democratic government to ensure decent living for the working class. Kista is rather different. It contains housing complexes, relative high-rise office buildings which houses the successful Swedish ICT cluster. In fact, an anthropologist friend of your correspondent wrote a working paper a few years ago on the paradox and contrast of Kista; at the subway station in the morning and afternoon rush hours . Leaving Kista in the morning are the working class immigrants while the white middle class that work in the ICT sector ascends from trains. In the afternoon, the picture is reversed; immigrants coming to Kista and indigenous Swedes leaving it. The major point of interaction is the shopping galleria which also contains several restaurants that serve global dishes.

You have to visit Tensta and Rinkeby to notice the Stockholm syndrome at work. The latter in particular is a manifestation of the Stockholm syndrome of “passivity” . Outside the tube/subway station a natural sight is the dozens and dozens of Somali men smoking. In a kind of synchronised loud voices and gesticulations you might be fooled into thinking that this is a scene from Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice or Verdi’s Aida, La Traviata, Otello, Rigoletto and Falstaff combined.

You will meet a few men who are waiting for today’s delivery of Qaad (quud awliyo); a few men who talk fadhi ku dirir politics of reer jaahil and reer jinni; a few that are victims of buufis whose applications did not go through because their fingerprints were discovered in the data base of Dublin convention. You might also see a few that look pious- ger dhuubs who look like Afghani/Pakistani (yes, I know Alpha you think I am anti-wadaads!).

Where is Cambaro? Qaali Luula? Maano maceey? Where is my xusul baruur, my nimcatul fushuuq? Nada! You can’t find them! I ask around; women cannot fare out I am told because of “xishood”.

I meet a few men at the scene and exchange a few words. Why are you people gathered here? What are you celebrating? Are you organizing some demonstration? The answers I get bewilders me; almost simultaneously “waxba laguma haayo meeshaan” “caruurta unban ku korsanaa!” Maxaa dhacay shaqo malaha miyaa your correspondent asks? A few said meesha waa shaqo la’aan but there was a unanimous verdict; shaqo maxaan ku falaa! Meeshaan haddii la shaqeeyo iyo haddii kale waa isku mid. Ceyrtaasi ayaan iska qaadanaa oo aan caruurta ku korsanaa!

Holly marqaan! If someone would have said that in Somalia a few decades ago, they could be lynched, called names and their brethren confined to a life on the margins. A man saying I don’t want to work is the epitome of nacasnimo! The problem is in the structure of the welfare state which ensures equity. There are generous benefit handouts to families with children which surpasses the income of the hardworking middle class. Economists call this incentive. Human beings they argue respond to incentives.

I have seen Piaza di Garibaldi in Naples (Naabooli as somalis will say), various meeting places in London (Streatham, Southall, Woodgreen, and East London), Weston and Lawrence/Finch (or even Dixon), I have seen malls in Minneapolis and Ohio in the USA but I have yet to see a place like Rinkeby in Stockholm.

[TheblueNwhite]

I hope there's part two because I felt like I was cut off before the scheduled intermission. I want to hear more about Somalis in Rinkeby and Kista.

[fighter]

Rinkeby is an interesting place. They have their own dialect in their neighborhood. I heard its spoken in other areas but not sure about that

[Executive]

Rinkeby is an interesting place. They have their own dialect in their neighborhood. I heard its spoken in other areas but not sure about that

Rinkeby svenska is not a dialect, its just another word for broken swedish. They are making funny out of the freshies who can't speak the language properly.

[Meseret]

Mudane Lamgoodle
outdoing yourself once again

but what have this to do with Benadir ?

[Lamagoodle]

BlueNwhite, you are absolutely right! My intention was to discuss in depth some aspects of somali life in Stockholm but I realise that I had already written alot and did not want to bother you the readers with a long essay.

Fighter, yes, the "dialect" spoken there is viewed with suspicion by Swedes.

Executive, it is not only new arrivals who speak that dialect. Even those who were born there speak it. It is a kind of ghetto language.

Meserat, adigaa mudan! Could it be the case that this section attracts the gifted amongst us? I don't know why I posted here. I happened to be on this section replying to some threads and all of a sudden I was struck by the thought of writing something.

[Tuushi]

U write amazingly great.

[Lamagoodle]

U write amazingly great.

Adiguba ma yareeysitid widaayow

[Tuushi]

U write amazingly great.

Adiguba ma yareeysitid widaayow

Not even worthy of mention here.

The ragga u mentioned seem to have kinda disappointed me a bit. Why is it so easy for most of them to admit defeat like that?

[Lamagoodle]

Indeed, you are worthy saaxib

There are several factors saaxib; first, the welfare state does not favour somalis because it sometimes pays more in benefit than in wages; for instance, a family of 6 could make more than the income of a middle class person. Secondly, there is institutional discrimination on the labour market. These two factors combined to mentally castrate somalis and other immigrant groups. Having said that there are some somalis who are doing well; good employment.

[Tuushi]

Iga daa waxaas,waanu ognahay runta ee.

I saw the biggest crowd of Somali men gathered at a Tim horton few days ago.Qeylaa iyo qalalaska ka yeeraya yaab. Chances are,few of them have small kids at home that needs their presence.

Most probably feel hopeless and emasculated.

[Lamagoodle]

Iga daa waxaas,waanu ognahay runta ee.

I saw the biggest crowd of Somali men gathered at a Tim horton few days ago.Qeylaa iyo qalalaska ka yeeraya yaab. Chances are,few of them have small kids at home that needs their presence.

Most probably feel hopeless and emasculated.

Kaftan igama aha! Waad qoraal fiicantahay.

We have a flock mentality; could be deduced to the harsh environment back home in semi-arid rural life where meeting people is a therapy It could also be argued that why we gather in places like Tim Horton ( I read somewhere that some TH places ceased with serving somalis) is because of wanting to bond with people who have the same kind of institutional capital.

There is another trend which is also worrying; women too are not at home that much, I am informed. They are in places like paltalk (Baal TOOL) and weddings that start at I am and finish at 5 am.

[Tuushi]

Well,thank Xaan kudiidaa the compliment.

Walle inaanu dsyfunctional nahay.

I agree,the flock mentality is one of our weaknesses. It is great to bond with other,share tales and use it a free therapy but the priority is very skewed.If one has decided to create a family,shouldnt that be number before anything else?

[Lamagoodle]

Well,thank Xaan kudiidaa the compliment.

Walle inaanu dsyfunctional nahay.

I agree,the flock mentality is one of our weaknesses. It is great to bond with other,share tales and use it a free therapy but the priority is very skewed.If one has decided to create a family,shouldnt that be number before anything else?

You have to put our social/moral decay in the context of what has been happening during the past 30 or so years. Honesty and being hardworking to earn money and position is a thing of the past. The contemporary somali is devoid of " nimaan shaqeeysanin shaah ma cabo". No wonder every somali wants to become a politician; easy money.

At the same time, we should not discard the fact that we have acquired (evolutionary thinking) some mental problems due to the state of our nation. Instead of welfare and immigration leave to stay, our host countries should provide us with infrastructure to screen for mental problems

[Tuushi]

U sound very understanding person.making all those reasonable arguments for them.