Recently I had the opportunity to socialize in a Somali café with an old friend of mine and my university mentor, Mustafa from Mauritania, he is highly articulated and very discipline 28 years old, tall with dark light skin complexion; his physical appearance mimics that of average Somali male. I met him few years ago in African university student club; I was a first year student struggling to discern the stress of studying international law while he was in his last year of his major.
Mustafa finishing his major and subsequently went further to attain his Master degree in International law almost three years ago , after graduating as he later informed me he went to his home land after almost 11yrs of absentee; where he later got married. Nevertheless the essence of this post is not to chronicle his academic and personal achievement or life in that matter, but to share his striking analysis and personal observation of today’s political and social dilemmas facing many of African states, including that of Somalia.
If intellectual credence is of any significant then Mustafa will qualify as foremost expert in African politics; in fact his thesis “THE POLITICS OF SOCIAL DISPUTE AND CORRUPTION†says it all, almost three hundred pages long and dedicated to unraveling the political and social quagmire many of African nation are facing today.
What strike me was his honest analysis and personal observation in the state of political affair combating the people and the state of Somalia on which he was keen to share with me. You see the political situation of Somali formed the main body of his thesis; in fact he dedicated a chapter for that matter exploring the unfortunate politics of tribe that has been the hallmark of Somalia and countless other nations within Africa.
Just like Mauritania he noted the philosophy of tribe besides being a tool of organizing and gathering social cohesion from population that share similar genealogical make-up, the psychic and philosophy of qabil is usually unhealthy and is not capable of maintaining politics of justice, equality and fairness; as the core psychology of tribe is deviated from and is incapable of withstanding the notion or the ability to oversee the politics of justice and the dissipation of equal opportunities irrelevant one’s tribe. Hence the chaotic political situation in Somalia, sometime I wonder if peace will ever emerged amidst the tribal wrangling and constant bloodshed spewed for ignorance believe?
In my view peace will remain a fleeting illusion, prescribed and aspire by many, but hardly attainable by any means, as longer as the influence of qabil dictate our conscience and thinking, qabil will always lay claim to Somalia!
