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جميع المشاريع
It was only when I turned 19 that I learned that there are differences between clans. I had started University and was working in a graphic design office when my colleagues asked me which clan I belonged to. I was annoyed with the question. I was not sure why they asked, but noticed their different way of treating me after they knew which clan I belonged to. Suddenly I was not Mustafa, the young graphic designer and the student; I was now Mustafa who belonged to a particular clan, and it seemed that was the reason I was either liked or disliked. I grew up outside my country during war in the Northern part of Somalia, which is now Somaliland. I wasn’t allowed into the living room where my parents used to watch VHS tapes sent from home documenting the war. which were sold to Somalis abroad to raise money for the militias. My parents raised me with the idea that we were all equal Somalis. Clans were just names to me, sometimes used in jokes, and sometimes as an insult. I was curious to know what triggered such remarks and why there was a stigma on certain clans. Although Somaliland was founded in 1991 with a constitution that grants equality to all citizens, the reality is different. Still today the clans that livestock still have superiority, and they receive the best jobs and educational opportunities available in our developing country. The other clans are less advantaged because of who they are as a group, although there are individuals who might manage to make a decent living for themselves. This project explores the daily lives of people belonging to the discriminated clans, using photography to explore the depth and impact of segregation and discrimination.
Hair braiding in the morning for the first day of Eid Al-Odha is something in common between all Somalis.
جدْل الشعر صبيحة عيد الأضحى هو ممارسةٌ شائعة بين كل الصوماليين.
Left: Young men celebrating Eid Al-Odha in Hargeisa.
Right: Photo of local cinema/video spot which still shows the scars of war. It is hard to get electricity or afford TV sets, so people gather and watch Bollywood films and football matches.
Girls enjoy their time at At 'Seraha' park, where youth and families from the city and other towns go to spend their afternoons on weekends in Borama.
تستمتع الفتيات بوقتهن في متنزه "أتسراحا" حيث يذهب الشباب والعائلات من مدينة بوروما والبلدات المجاورة لقضاء بعد الظهيرة نهار عطلة نهاية الأسبوع.
Men read newspapers outside a telecommunications company office in downtown Hargeisa, where newspapers are sold. Young men looking for available jobs come to read. Somaliland has a high unemployment rate.
رجالٌ يقرأون الجرائد أمام شركة الاتصالات في وسط المدينة بهرغيسا. يتابع الشباب الأخبار بحثاً عن إعلانات الوظائف الشاغرة إذ أن معدّل البطالة في صوماليلاند مرتفع جداً.
Left: Blacksmithing is one of the popular occupations practiced by the Gabooye clan.
Right: Electrician fixing TV receiver.
An old man resting at the Livestock market.
عجوز يسترخي في سوقٍ للماشية.
A man counts the sales of the sheep at the livestock market, which is a vanishing occupation among the Gabooye clan.
رجلٌ يعدّ مبيعات الخراف في سوق للماشية، وهي مهنة على وشك الاختفاء بين رجال قبيلة الغابوي.
When Yassin's family found out he was going to marry Samira, Gabooye woman, his older brother beat him and put him into jail to try to thwart his decision. On release from jail, he again asked his family to accept his decision; his older brother then stripped him of his clothes and kicked him out of the house. When they heard of his marriage, Yassin's family organized a fake funeral for him. It has been four years since he seen his family.
عندما اكتشفت عائلة ياسين أنه سيتزوج سميرة، امرأة من قبيلة الغابوي، ضربه أخوه وزجّ به بالسجن لثنيه عن قراره. عند الإفراج عنه، عاود طلب الموافقة من العائلة، فنزع أخوه ثيابه عنه وطرده خارج البيت. عندما نمى لمسامع العائلة إتمام زواج ياسين، شيّعته عائلته في جنازة صورية. مرّت أربع سنوات منذ أن رأى ياسين عائلته لآخر مرة.
A young man draws his initials at the beach in Berbera.
شابٌ يرسم الأحرف الأولى من اسمه على شاطئ بربره.
A 6th-grade social science textbook includes a lesson about the reform of Somaliland back in 1991, but no detailed incidents or events on the issue are in the curriculum books.
كتاب العلوم الاجتماعية للصف السادس يتضمن درساً عن الإصلاح السياسي في صوماليلاند في العام 1991. لا ذكر لحوادث مفصّلة ضمن موضوعات المنهج الدراسي.
Barkhad Jama Hirsi speaks on a panel on “Clannism and its obstacles on Education.” Barkhad is an ex-advisor on minorities and social issues to the President of Somaliland. He resigned at the beginning of 2015. He felt his position was only symbolic and that the government was not doing anything to improve the situation.
برخاد جما هِرسي يتكلم في ندوة عن "القبليّة وعقبات التعليم." عمل برخاد سابقاً كمستشار رئيس جمهوية صوماليلاند لشؤون الأقلّيات والقضايا الاجتماعية. تقدّم باستقالته في مطلع العام 2015 حين شعر أن وظيفته شكليّة وأن الحكومة لا تقوم بأي شيء من شأنه تحسين الوضع القائم.
Artists perform at WADANI event. WADANI is one of the official opposition parties in Somaliland. It is the only opposition party calling for equality and promising to give more space for minority clans.
فنّانون في اجتماع لحزب "واداني" وهو واحدٌ من أحزاب المعارضة الرسمية في صوماليلاند، والحزب الوحيد الذي يطالب بالمساواة ويعد بإعطاء تمثيلٍ أكبر لقبائل الأقليّات.
The elders and clan leaders of Gabooye in Burao pose with the executive director of Adam Academy, an organization that works in developing and empowering minorities in Somaliland at an event organized by the National Electoral Commission for the voting card registration. “We have no clear representation in politics, we should elect from our own people, and we should support our leaders,” said one of the elders.
مشايخ وزعماء قبيلة الغابوي في بوراو مع المدير التنفيذي لـ"أكاديمية آدم"، وهي منظمةٌ تعمل على تطوير وتمكين الأقليات في صوماليلاند، خلال فعالية نظّمتها اللجنة الانتخابية الوطنية لتسجيل بطاقات الانتخاب. "ليس لدينا تمثيلٌ واضح في السياسة، ينبغي أن ننتخب أشخاصاً منّا، ويجب أن ندعم زعماءنا،" يقول أحد المشايخ.
An elder speaks at a closed meeting moderated by members of Parliament for the discussions between the government and minority clans in Somaliland about their rights and involvement in politics.
أحد مشايخ القبائل يتكلّم في اجتماع مغلق يديره برلمانيون لمناقشة حقوق قبائل الأقليات ومشاركتهم السياسية.
يساراً: لافتة على درج مدرسةٍ ابتدائية يُديرها المجتمع المحلي في منطقة "دامي" بمدينة هرغيسا.
يميناً: تلاميذٌ في مدرسةٍ يُديرها المجتمع المحلي في منطقة "دامي" بمدينة هرغيسا حيث يتعلّمون القرآن واللغة العربية.
"Knowledge is Power” is written on a wall in a primary school at Kililka area in Hargeisa.
عبارة "المعرفة قوة" على حائط مدرسة ابتدائية في منطقة "كليلكة" بمدينة هرغيسا.
Guests at a wedding party taking photos of the bride and groom's entrance.
المدعوون في حفل زفاف يأخذون صوراً للحظة دخول العروسين.
A tent serving as a house in an IDP camp in Kililka Area, Hargeisa.
خيمة تحوّلت إلى منزل في مخيّم آي دي بي بمنطقة "كليلكة" بمدينة هرغيسا.
Mustafa Saeed is an Artist, his work explores different mediums including Documentary photography, graphics and sound. Mustafa's work marries poetic symbolism with sociopolitical critique to explore issues of war, conflict and environment. Based in Hargeisa and participated in different local and international exhibitions. Website
Instagram
Mustafa Saeed is an Artist, his work explores different mediums including Documentary photography, graphics and sound. Mustafa's work marries poetic symbolism with sociopolitical critique to explore issues of war, conflict and environment. Based in Hargeisa and participated in different local and international exhibitions. Website
Instagram
