Somalia's Two Unequal Piracies

By now piracy is on every John’s own TV show and every Jane’s one liner. Some even made pirate blogs and web pages. This is all the intrigue surrounding piracy since the struggling Somalis made it famous, bleeding the insurance companies, making fortunes for some and bankruptcy for others. For us Somalis this is an issue about life and death. To us the pirates are not one-eyed ‘land ahoy!’ hardened sea-farers but rag tag Somali fishermen. Poor Somali fishermen who were driven to despair as their fishing life was turned upside down. Their small boats were run down by large ships that water hosed them at sight to keep them off fishing. Their seaside villages were contaminated by toxic waste dumped by mysterious ships contracted by west European multinational companies. These fishermen were left to scavenge for themselves with no government to help, no banks to loan them, no one to see them through life’s cruel treatment. They snapped and like a cornered cat started to fight. Piracy was thus born.

For 2 years the world was treated to lies about the dangers of the pirates, powerful navies were dispatched to fight the dangerous tech savvy modern pirates with the James Bond speed boats. The media had a field day. But truth always prevails. Somalis were vindicated for they knew the truth. Because the pirates were their kinsmen and they knew how their country is being robbed, how their shores are used as toxic dump sites, how their insecurity and civil war is used to steal their fish, grab their continental shelf, deplete their marine riches and dub them pirates of the 21st century as an excuse to continue and legalize the robbery and the dumping. Somalis wrote, e-journalled, skyped, talked, lobbied, face booked, twitted and blogged. They all had one cause. Listen to us. This is not about Somali piracy but fishing piracy. Toxic waste dumping. And the world is taking notice. The UN is now acknowledging that as far back as 2001, over USD200m worth of tuna was being illegally fished from Somalia's waters. European fish industry sources have revealed that most European countries headed by Spain and France were hauling between 4000 to 6000 tons of fish illegally from Somali shores keeping base at Seychelles. Yemeni, Chinese, Philippine, Iranian, Korean and many other nations were stealthily enriching themselves while the poor Somalis were side-lined by force. Don't be skeptical. Otherwise what common interest would unite arch enemies USA and Iran to send warships to Somalia? Why would poor Philippine dispatch its only seafaring warship to Somalia when it can count on the USA warships already in the region? Why would communist China and its rival Taiwan send in their own ships? What big enemy would almost over 30 warships from a dozen countries from 4 continents fight? Simple. Each country is protecting its share of the pie. Each country is keeping watch over its fishing fleet while they steal and rob.

And if still skeptical, how the captured pirates look like? Muscular with a patch eye? Crooked nose and daggers that will pale those artificial characters in the Pirates of the Caribean?

The world was shocked when the long awaited pirates were brought shackled to courts in New York, Paris and Netherlands. You (that is if you are skeptical still) will be more shocked when you see what the world has seen. Poor barely 16 year old kids skeletal dehydrated and giving that innocent smile of awe at the celebrity style they were being treated camera action click click!

These kids made the swashbuckling myths that was hyped and the world made to believe crumple like the dying whimper of a bled lion. Exit the myth of the Pirates of the Caribean. Enter the reality of the fishermen 'pirates'.

Then New York Times screamed. The Washington Post roared. Newsweek and Time thundered. The Herald Tribune, the Economist, you name it, blared with headlines of the theft, stealing , dumping and evils Somalia is being subjected to and that these toothless ragged kids were nothing but simple fishermen turned into 'pirates' by the very counters now crying 'pirates!'.

Somalia's story is being told now by journalists and scribes.

The nomads were vindicated. The fishermen were vindicated.

And the message was loud and clear.

Sea Piracy will stop when fish piracy stops. Fish piracy will stop when Anarchy stops in mainland Somalia. Anarchy will stop when there is law and order in Somalia. Law and order will prevail in Somalia when the world supports not the stealing fleets in the seas of Somalia but the government of Somalia. That government will then provide help to the fishermen and keep at bay the fish stealers.

Then both types of piracy will stop in the real world and their stories will only exist in Hollywood films.

Let the Nomads be heard!

Rageh - A Somali Scud Stud

" Don't let it hold you back but come at it another way" - Rageh Omar. Rageh Omar - Somali journalist who turned the British into coach potatoes with his 9 o'clock dispatch from a burning Baghdad during the Iraqi war.

Rageh is a true nomad from a prominent Northern Somali family from Hargeisa. He was born in Mogadishu in 1967 and moved to Britain when he was 2 years old.

A graduate of Oxford, he graduated in history. When he finished his university, he started work at the black newspaper The Voice in London and then joined the BBC. He was then posted to Jordan prior to moving into Iraq.

It was here that he become an instant war celebrity where his dispatches moved the markets, circulated throughout the news world and ordinary people were glued to this flak-jacketed golden boy. The New York Post dubbed him the Scud Stud in reference to the Scud missiles that were criss-crossing a region devastated by both crude and sophisticated weaponry so graphically reported by Rageh.

One never to shun his roots, Rageh never misses a chance to talk about the crisis in his country of origin, the fact that some of his relatives suffered during the civil war, his Islamic faith and his frustration with the West that it has marginalized the Middle East and Africa and is losing its influence with the people.

After the war, he declined to be an anchor at the BBC and moved to Aljazira where his programs gained international acclaim. These included reports on Iran, Islam in America, Darfur, Somali children gangs in the UK and other programs on Asia, Africa and Latin America. He also airs a weekday documentary called Witness.

Rageh recently published a book - Only Half of Me: Being a Muslim in Britain. According to one book review, it is the profoundly moving account of being a Muslim in Britain: the author's own childhood and his attempt to straddle the world of his parents and that of his own, Western generation. Before that, he published Revolution about the Iraqi war.

Rageh is a family man, married to the daughter of a British baron. They have 3 children.

He is a true Nomad. And his advise to all nomads is - Let nothing hold you back!

Somalia's Amazing Awa Nur

She is smart, daring and at 18 has already made history at Duke Student Government: Awa Nur is the First female president in a decade, second black president in DSG's entire history and of course the first Somali student to win that position as well. No wonder the entire Somali Web portals picked up the story to let loose the Somali pride which has been wanting for most of the past 19 years. Even Awa talks poetic. She promises her team will be able, capable and available. Let my people in Somalia hear Awa and talk like her. And after talking, walk the walk and deliver. Kudos to you sister. We salute you for bringing a confident smile on our face, make us choke saying - 'she is one of us' - and pushing us to the motivation platform. Read more of Awa here at the Duke's The Chronicle Online (picture and link courtesy of the Chronicle)