Mogadishu

I’m back in Mogadishu. When I was preparing to travel, it felt like I’d been away for a while. Now that I’m back, it sort of feels like I never left. Once I get settled back into my routines, it all seems quite normal – at least as normal as this sort of life can be.

I had a nice couple of weeks in Nairobi before coming. I attended two different farewell parties for high-level UN friends who are moving to new countries: one to the Congo and the other to China. Sad for them to go, but that’s the nature of this work. I’ve moved far less than most who have done this work for over twenty years, so our family has been less disrupted. I have fortunately had more choice over such decisions than some.

* * *

One regret about this blog over the years is that I often don’t discuss what is happening in the world at the time I’m writing. The entries tend to be a focus on what specifically I’m doing at that point in time. But in retrospect, couching these events in a changing world could have added some color to the accounts. It can still be done, just not as well as if I had done it at the time.

* * *

Perfect Storm

Case in point. An obvious current event that is impacting my work is the war in the Gulf. There are many ways in which this is impacting us, most notably the impact on fuel prices and commodities. This additional cost is undermining aid delivery and creating huge burdens on Somali citizens. About 90% of food in the country is imported. Depending on how long this war lasts, the potential impact could be devastating.

We have also had significant tensions around the country, some if it related to Al-Shebab but a lot of it is clan related. We’re also working in a context that has experienced dramatic funding reductions over the past year. And all of this is playing out amidst an unfolding severe drought. It’s a perfect storm that is causing tremendous suffering and loss of life. 

Dinner out with the team

 

* * *

Cognitive Dissonance

Last week and this week I have attended several meetings and conferences. I get the impression that many here, Somalis and foreigners, live in a make-believe world where they are intentionally or unintentionally oblivious to realities on the ground. For some Somalis, like people in many other countries, there is a desire (or need) to disregard uncomfortable realities. Everyone does this to a certain degree. Maybe we know that the train is heading in the wrong direction, but we’re content to sit in the dining car and enjoy the view. We don’t want to think about things that make us feel uncomfortable.

Lots of meetings

For foreigners, part of the disconnect about the situation in this country may be caused simply by ignorance given that many are unable to leave the “green zone” for security reasons. Their understanding of the context is shaped by limited contact with the realities on the ground. For others in the international community, it can be willful ignorance. For example, a skewed perception that the security situation is worse than it really is can be convenient. It can mean people don’t need to leave the comfort of their office to go get dusty visiting a remote village. It also results in huge investments in an organization’s security apparatus beyond what is justified. It can also foster the disconnect mentioned above. 

 

And I sometimes make the news...

More Disconnect

Our team also has lots of discussions about corruption and illicit behavior, but there seems to be little real effort in dealing with it or even clarifying what it is. I was speaking with a colleague yesterday about this disconnect. She was talking about how Somalis define some behavior as normal within the culture when the same behavior would be unacceptable in other contexts and according to humanitarian standards. For example, it’s known that some bribery, manipulating tender a tender process, domestic violence, child marriage, female genital mutilation, etc. are viewed by many Somalis as normal behavior, including by many who are doing humanitarian work. Yet we sit in large gatherings and assume that we are all on the same page. Somalis have grown accustomed to this disconnect and much of the international community is oblivious to it. Or it suits them to pretend that it doesn’t exist. 

Mental Health

Should be a tourist destination

 

I did find some time to get out and go for a run and swim in the "green zone" under the watchful eyes in the guard towers. It's super hot and humid, but it was good to get out and think about something besides work. When I'm here over a weekend, it's easier to find the time to do this. 

Colorful fish swimming around me