Mogadishu, Somalia – It is deeply troubling to witness propaganda disseminated by those it was meant to manipulate. Somali politics, and politics in general, is often an illusion. What we encounter on social media is essentially a marketing campaign, no different from commercials interrupting your online videos. You wouldn’t blindly believe every supplement ad claiming to cure all illnesses; you recognize it’s selling a product. So why is it so difficult for us to acknowledge that politicians are selling narratives?
In our context, however, the deception appears more egregious, disrespectful, and apparent to anyone with basic knowledge. Even our opposition groups often lack substance because their grievances rarely concern conflicting ideologies, but rather personal conflicts and past disagreements. Yet this system persists for a simple reason: it benefits enough people willing to defend it at all costs.
This presents the challenge. The male born into nearly any major Somali clan possesses an exclusive ticket in the “laandheeranimo” lottery with no expiration date. He can cash it in today or thirty years from now. The system is rigged in his favor. So I ask millions of Somali men: What do you gain by dismantling a deteriorating system that serves you?
This is the question we must address for progress. Why would a man willingly reduce his own advantages to empower Somali women? Our culture often depicts her as little more than a commodity to be traded. She likely attended the same school as her brother, achieved better grades, all while managing household responsibilities, yet remains marginalized. Why would he yield to her? Because she is his “sister,” “mother,” or “daughter”?
The sad reality is that familial ties often disappear when power is involved. During difficult times, women suddenly become “tolka” (the clan). They are asked to sell their gold to defend collective honor. But when opposing sides make peace, who is the sacrificial lamb? Who is given to people she was taught to despise?
“Ehel baa la yahay, lama kala go’ayo” (We are kin, we cannot be separated) are the harsh words justifying these exchanges. But the unspoken truth behind them is: “Ina rag waa ehel, adiguna waxaad tahay hub, marna waxaad tahay godob-reeb” (Men are kin; you are merely a weapon, or sometimes, the price of peace).
No one can educate Somali women about their potential as long as they adhere to clan allegiances that only belittle and degrade them. But this is not a message of despair; it is a call to action.
The solution lies in positive awareness of women and society at large. We need to challenge men in authority not merely to “protect” women, but to respect their autonomy and intellectual capacity.
To men: True honor doesn’t involve using sisters as bargaining chips; it consists in building a society where their abilities matter more than your clan affiliation.
To women: Stop buying the “marketing campaign.” Your gold, your intelligence, and your lives are worth more than preserving a system that treats you as currency.
We must move beyond the illusion. We must demand a politics based on ideology, not biology. It is time to cash in a different kind of ticket, where success is earned through contribution to the nation, not by the clan of one’s birth. That is the only way we can heal this illness.
