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In the good old days, the shir (meeting) used to be an assembly for consultations with its own xeer. It was an institution in every place that was inhabited by somalis. It had obectives; to settle disputes, to identify and plan looming challenges as well as celebrations.

There were strict rules; afar faataxo and duco was followed by discussions by the old and the wise and ended with afar faataxo again when consensus was reached.

Nowadays, the words of Oscar Wilde come to mind if you watch Somali shir on TV; “if you pretend to be good, the world takes you very seriously. If you pretend to be bad, it doesn't. Such is the astounding stupidity of optimism”.

Our own Sangub wrote a play a few years before the demise of the communist regime. The play entitled “waa maadeeys aduunyadda dadkana waay matalayaan” (Eng; the world is a play and its inhabitants are all actors” was a rarity in a national discourse that was centred on “we are great”

The patterns, schedules and images are always the same; xaawaleys displaying their latest collection of dirac and dahab and men wearing pirated suits. The Xaawaleys come as Cadeeys only to look like coal at the end of the meeting.

These images mock the poor and amplify the “buufis” that characterize those that did not make to the diaspora. The next day superficial images are diffused on tribal websites, Facebook, below-standard TV stations (paid journalists) and other sources of the feel good gibberish that our eyes and ears are exposed to.

The keywords used at these meetings are always the same and static; “Shir, Jaaliyadda, Cambaareeyn, wax garad, aqoon yahay, culumaaudin and much other babble.

If Sigmond Freud would have been alive today, he would have certainly wrote that the somali shir is a venue of primitive mating; everything appears to be centered on copulating.

These meeting are usually given a religious blessing by a man who recites from the Quran and applauses follows.

The keynote speakers appear to have been selected from a cohort with a low IQ. You will find the “injineer” without a degree, the Sheikh without knowledge of islamic scholarship, the dottore without education, the aqoon yahan without aqoon.

The shir is announced weeks ahead but starts late. You will spot a flag here and there portraying a land/state that only exists in the imagination of the attendees. After the Quran by the fake wadaad, an old song that use to carry wisdom is sung by a lousy singer. This is followed by the wails of women chanting buraanburs with puerile lyrics.

Speaker after speaker borrows the microphone to talk about a world, a region, country, beel etc that only exists in the minds of those that attend these shir.

Have you been to a shir recently? share your thoughts.

No input from me, I avoid Somali shirs unless there's an extremely interest subject of discussion or the event is likely to attract a considerable amount of young attendees from the opposite sex.

The shir is announced weeks ahead but starts late.

sounds like you've been to one too many shir.

btw: what is that somali proverb about woman and shir amongst themeselves? I heard once but I forgot the full saying.. something along the lines of sheydaan being shan to the shir. istaqfurullah.

No input from me, I avoid Somali shirs unless there's an extremely interest subject of discussion or the event is likely to attract a considerable amount of young attendees from the opposite sex.

Adeerkiis; I understand. The problem is that many women who look young at the start of the shir look like cajuusos after the meeting; too much make up. They look like cadeeys at the start but charcoal at the end. As a young man, you'd also have to compete with older shaxaaris (who think they are young).

In addition, the shir is SUURO epicentre; even the ugliest woman and cajuuso will put on the suuro.

The shir is announced weeks ahead but starts late.

sounds like you've been to one too many shir.

btw: what is that somali proverb about woman and shir amongst themeselves? I heard once but I forgot the full saying.. something along the lines of sheydaan being shan to the shir. istaqfurullah.

Zulaika, I have only been to two shirs. I left before the start because it started late. One was to mark Somalia's national day and the other was to discuss aid.

I wrote about them here
viewtopic.php?f=18&t=309267

viewtopic.php?f=18&t=302017


Adigu ma tagtaa?

I think the saying is "Shir naagood oo shan dhaafay waa shar".

I went to a shir once. They wanted to buy a fancy car for a clan figure back home. I am baasto that was my first and last meeting unit.

I went to a shir once. They wanted to buy a fancy car for a clan figure back home. I am baasto that was my first and last meeting unit.

Miser. That is the problem saaxib. If it is about building a school, well, hospital etc, these meetings will be excellent. But most of the meetings are for bragging.

I went to one of those parties welcoming a president I think it was HSM but that's because I wanted to go to a Somali party to see what it was like so doesn't count as shir.


How can you stand listening to so many people talk about nothing of consequence over and over and over and then have no action points to take away at the end of it? That would be frustrating.

I went to one of those parties welcoming a president I think it was HSM but that's because I wanted to go to a Somali party to see what it was like so doesn't count as shir.


How can you stand listening to so many people talk about nothing of consequence over and over and over and then have no action points to take away at the end of it? That would be frustrating.

Somali meetings are like Soap operas.