Somalia Culture. 15 May 2019

Somalia Culture   

Somalia is a country situated in the East Africa. It is bordered by the Gulf of Aden in the north, the Indian Ocean on the east and southeast, Kenya in the southwest, Ethiopia in the west, and Djibouti in the northwest. The capital city is Mogadishu
Somali culture, is a tradition culture that influence indigenous and international, from Arab migrations, Italian and British colonies.
Somali culture is very broad and I want to narrow it, so I will present firstly, Somali Food, Secondly following by the Livestock and finally the Marriage and its types and how it occurs.

Firstly, Somali food, at home as usually, women are serve and they cook the food, they go after the goat and they make the most work of the rural families. Also families with the cities, women are backbone and they work very hard. Although, Somali men are harder work than the women, they go after the camel with kilometers and they are farmers in the countryside. While, Somali men in cities go to educational places and then they graduates and finally becomes and employees.

Somali food, in the countryside milk from camels, goats, and cows are the major food for Somali nomadic families. Meat, including liver, from sheep and goats also is popular, while camel and cows meat are not easy to slaughter, because they use their milks. Sorghum, beans, maize are other food staples for nomads and they added butter and milk. On other hand, the cities of the country as stable food, the eat pancake (Canjeero) with sesame oil and tea, rarely with liver and rice with bananas and a few of vegetables and fruits. Milk, tea, coffee, and water are favorite drinks. Carbonated drinks are available in cities. Although fish in the water of the Somali coast, Somalis generally do not like fish.

Among countryside and farmers, cooking is usually done over a wood or charcoal fire, in cities they use charcoal as Countryside, although rare families begun using gas fire.


Secondly, the Livestock, Somali people are farmers and livestock sector. " the 3B ( Beledweyne, Bosaso and Borama ) people are livestock sector, while the others are mostly farmers … Somalia” as said, Abdulkadir Aroma(Sababihii Bururburka Soomaaliya, revised 2005)

The difference between the two groups concisely is that, the farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. While the Livestock is commonly defined as domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce labor and commodities such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool.

The farmers are not transfer from one location to another location, they are always in geographical area and they plant some of the crops that are suitable to their land, such Afgoye farmers they plant: banana, papaya, citrus lemon, cucumbers, coconut oils, mangoes, ... etc.
They are not planted Coffee crops, because their land are not suitable to coffee.

The population of livestock sector, are transferred from one location to another location, to find out their animals for CALAF (caws ) and Water.
The livestock are animals that the people DHAQAALEEYAAN, and they are Camel, Horses, Caws, Goats, and Chickens.

The most favorable livestock in the country, is Camel. The population in Somalia was who benefit the camels for the transition, milk and meat.
Although, the caws and goats are animal, the ones who own a camel proud that, his camels have a drought resistant to the Summer( fall ) and winter.

The Somali poetry, always talks about the situation of the environment they live, Seasons, clan conflicts, women's praise, astronomer, ..... and wealthy animals. The 3B (the Triangle between Beledweyne, Bosaso and Borama ) and Ogaden population are poetries and artist of that area mostly talks about the camels to their literature,
for example,
"Markab buu aduunyada u yahay, macalimow geelu" said Abdi Gaheyr.

"Badda jiidhayaa ama berri jaanta mariyaaba
Wallee geel jacaylkaan u qabo waw jirrabi ruuxa! " said Ina Xasan-Deri.

Until, the poetries reached, they were said, the hereafter are not praised the one's who haven't a camel.
" Aakhiro nimaan Geel laheyn Lama amaaneyne " said Abdi Gaheyr.

The livestock, are useful for their milk, meats and transmission from one location to another location,
While, the camels as well as, further to give out, ( MAGTA, YARADKA, SOORYADA etc ), because the community are customary for the camels, as aloud the Islam.



Thirdly, marriage is the legal form of union between two people as pattern, in a personal relationship. In Islamic, marriage is one of the four of the Sunnah of the messengers. As said our prophet Mohamud peace be upon him.


The traditional marriage of Somali populations has bond between clan to clan not only family to family. The man pays mostly camels, a horse or a gunshot( Buntuq ) as Yarad( what offered the family of the girl ) While they follow Sooryo and Gabbaati.

An other hand, the cities marriage different from rural area, the man pays a black bacon of money to the family of the girl. Although, they follow basically the rules of the marriage such Yarad, Sooryo, Gabbaati, ..... etc.

The marriage was ten types, which together by two; 1.Heerin 2.Sahansasho 3.Dumaal 4.Xigsiin 5.Labaxsasho 6.Dhabargaraac 7.Haasaawo 8.Isisiin 9.Godobreeb 10.Kuqaad


Finally, culture is the ideas, customs, and social behavior of a particular people or society. For example "Afro-Caribbean culture" Somalia, has a broad culture that can't easy to change, because when the European colonies arrived in the horn of Africa, they divided into five different groups, and doesn't influence their culture.

This essay, I narrow it that broad culture into the three points, and they are the Somali food, their livestock and how was the marriage of the Somali community according to the urban and rural areas.

The Somali food, absolutely are very delicious either by the rural areas or the urban. Rice and banana are the most useful in urban areas, While in the rural areas, the maize, sorghum and beans with milk or Butter are the most useful.

The livestock are backbone of the Somalis economic, transfers and for food. Economically they export the male gender, to have a finance and don't extinction their livestock. Transferring is one of the most important of the livestock, specially the camel, although there are cars in the Country, the rural families uses camel as transition from an area to another area.

The marriage is the union between two different gender( male and female ) for purpose of existing the human species, for mutual support, for both husband and wife to fulfill the Sunnah of the massangers. The Somali marriage have Customs and rules such: Yarad, Sooryo, Gabbaati, .... etc.

Mohamed Said Mohamud. 

     15 May 2019