Postby Grant » Sat Oct 18, 2008 11:18 am
In 1966 Hargeysa consisted of less than twenty stone buildings and maybe a hundred acres of aqal camp. There were no roads and the only staple food available was rice that had been contaminated with rat urine and feces. Everyone wore the same off-white clothing. There was no visible British presence.
Mog at the same period was all composed of solid structures, with a population I am guessing of about 50,000. There were paved streets. Food was plentiful and cheap. You could buy ready-to-cook chickens, fish, sweet butter, fresh rooti or sambuussa. Rice and kpasta were plentiful and clean. People wore the kind of clothing that is now thought of as "Somali". There was a sugar mill in Jowhar, a leather factory in Baraawe, plantations in Afgoye, Kuumsuumma, Jamaame etc.
The British used Somaliland as a source of fresh meat for their troops stationed in Aden, and that was about it. The Italians developed bananas, a small gold mine and a tuna fishery. But the Somali colonies were a net financial loss for both Britain and Italy. In hindsight, I would say the Italians developed a far more advanced educational and economic system and demonstrated more heart. I have to question the "damage" done to the Somalias during the trustee administrations following WWII. The folks I knew certainly did not seem to be oppressed.