THE ARTA PEACE PROCESS

THE ARTA PEACE PROCESS

By Asha Abdalla

Editor’s note’s : This is an excerpt from an upcoming book titled Somalia failing due to bad leadership by Asha Ahmed Abdalla, a political activist and former parliamentarian and Assistant Minister.
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The Arta Peace Process brought together an amalgamation of people of mystifying characters and fashions’ representing the multicultural mix of the global fashion trend. There were men clad in the modern Western wear known as the three-piece suit and fitting Italian shoes; some wore traditional Somali fashion such as the skirt-like Macawis common among local Somali men; others came in Pakistani and Indian outfits; while others came in with the long robes common among Arab men and the headgear known as Egal. The Bravanese hat common among Somali men and known as Koofiya Barawaani was the most visibly prominent head covering won by Somali male delegates.

Arta Somali peace confSome wore beach style sandals and open shoes, a fashion style that was not conducive to an international gathering of such nature regardless of Djibouti’s scorching sun and extremely hot temperatures. Among the men, there were the bald-headed, the moustached, and the bearded and the clean-shaven; some had dyed their hair with Henna, a solution extracted from the leaves of the Lawsonia inermis, a tropical plant that leaves the head and beards reddish in color. Then there were the toothless men, who laughed boisterously without feeling any sense of shame or trepidation. The loss of dental structures or the visibly annoying dental decays displayed by some of the men may have been the result of years of chewing Catha edulis, the very chewable cathonine-inducing herb that I mentioned in my earlier posting. While the delegates attending the peace process numbered over a thousand, women representatives numbered only one-hundred, outrageously the number one explicit sign of gender imbalance, male chauvinism and elevated male superiority that continues to cripple Somali politics to this day.

In terms of fashion, Somali women delegates came in exotic and exciting colors of all shapes and designs. While few women wore the newly-introduced Arabian Abaya, many wore African dresses and the so-called Dirac-a very soft, shoulder-to-heels length dress, and a see-me-through fashion that is commonly won and shared by Somali and Yemeni women. The mix of colors worn by the women delegates resembled the seven colors of the rainbow: Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange and Red (VIBGYOR). Few women wore Western-style fashion. Women delegates displayed good leadership qualities and delightful etiquettes, were more organized, accessible and politically approachable than the gullible, loquacious, nondescript, bickering, and inhospitable men folks who fought over a foreign-mediated, questionable political proposal devoid of light at the end of the tunnel and showing not a single, reliable sign of glimmer of hope.

The jostling for power by men through verbal talks continued for almost the entire day. Some held in hand their favorite walking sticks that included the Bakoora, Hangool, and Saalimoow-a mystically unique implement used to keep balance when walking and mainly carried by Sufis, spiritual leaders and men who have renounced the glitter and splendor of the world. Saalimoow, though identical to the two-pronged Hangool, prior to attaining spiritual maturity, undergoes thorough polishing and massaging, such that, by the time it comes out of the nurturing process, it resembles an industrial product that has just been released from the finishing line. It glitters and shines like a wooden tool that has undergone lavish vanish. Carriers of Saalimoow are highly regarded in their communities, and there is a popular belief that, if offended or insulted, they swear by their Saalimoows in such a manner that their imprecations can cause their victims to suffer deformities such as scoliosis, kyphosis and even lordosis and other debilitating mental retardations that can only be overturned or cured by beseeching the offended Saalimoow carrier.

News reaching me years later after the Arta Peace Process revealed startling information such as the deaths of several elderly men and women who suddenly departed the world bitterly angry because their preferred candidates, especially their sons and daughters, were not included in the list of their clan delegations or failed to garner political slots in the newly-created government. Some succumbed to old age and failing health, others kissed the dust or kicked the bucket without fulfilling their political desires. The Arta Peace Process affected many greedy and selfish individuals because they failed to accomplish their dubious agendas. However, due to political connections and their adeptness at the use of deceptions and manipulations, and their aggressive involvement in the world of dirty politics, some benefited materially from their irrational benefactors.

For sure, among the delegates, there were people of good character, including faithful men and women who were exceedingly resilient and very much determined to steer Somalia to the right course, and had they been selected or elected to take the lead, assumingly, they would have left remarkable and beneficial footprints worth emulating for generations. Some had come from Somalia or from nations bordering Somalia, while others had traveled long distances with the ultimate aim of injecting political wisdom to the peace process. They brought with them blessings and unblemished faith without expecting anything in return. They cherished to see Somalia return to the international community of nations.

They were patriotic Somalis whose hearts were filled with love and affection, and because of their hidden wisdom, loftiness of spirit, and political firmness, one would conclude that, even though they may not have successfully witnessed what they wanted most for Somalia, their final departure from the peace process left a lot to be desired. However, the political absurdities that tainted Somalia at the birth of the new Millennium, could not entertain their positive thoughts and processes. At that time, power belonged to the violators of human rights, bigoted rascals and remorseless human predators.

Read more: Arta Somali peace conference

Asha Ahmed Abdalla
Email:ashaabdalla@gmail.com
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Asha Abdalla is a political activist and former parliamentarian and Assistant Minister.

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