Social Debate: Do we have culture ?

Walaalayaal,

In another posting Shaqsii asked us many questions. In my view we are in a cultural CRISIS. A new culture is in the making and OUR culture is dying. I say our culture because the new culture is not still ours.

Contrary to our cultural heritage, this new culture, is for example, more materialistic. It is more individual centred then group centered and worst of all our traditional family values are erroded !

I will here rather present the groups- not their evolving cultural inputs- which I called "new culture in the making in the above pragraph".

In my view there are at least four groups in our society who are unconsciously/consciously contributing to this emerging culture. The collective members of every group is always trying to assert their influence on us so that we may share their ideal way of life. Every group thinks that their ideal way of Life has the solutions for the problems we are facing now or any eventual problems which may arise in the future.

The groups are:

1) The traditionalist oriented:

This group prefers our traditional pastoralist culture and/or the other sub-cultures that are indigenous. In their mental make up they are the nomads and/or agrarians and they resent change specially when it cames to culture. They believe their way of Life, or culture if you prefer that word, has been refined through experience in hundreds of years and ( therefore) it has to be the best.

2) The Muslim/arab oriented:

This group which has now an emerging power believes that the shortcomings of our indigenous culture has to be replaced by what they think is already enshrined in the Quran and Hadith. This group prefers also to bridge the gape between our (pastoralist) culture and the other arab cultures/subcultures. They look with worrying eyes to anything that is not in essence Islamic- even if that shortcoming is in our pastoralist oriented culture. MANY of them believe that arabisation of our culture is a worth ideal to persue.

3)The western oriented:

This group which has now also an emerging power believes that the western way of Life is the best. They consciously/subconscious copy and imitated "the civilised way of Life" in the west. For them whatever that is not western is backward. Many in this group may be convinced that westernisation of our culture is worth ideal to persue.

4) The confused and criminals:

This group mostly live in the cities and towns both in Somalia and outside Somalia. They belong to non of the above groups but are still members in every group.They are the confused and criminals in our society and act upon and cultivate the negative nature of the human being. They do not have social norms that regulate their actions but rather manifest the bad and evil through their human form. They are those who are among us and causing misery in our country and poisoning our mental beingness. In short their ( unsconscious) ideal is a society without the rule of law. Where only the fittest can survive.

In my understanding the above mentioned groups, and may be others that I have not mentioned, are in active competion in our society to day. Every group is trying to become the dominant. But there is NOT yet one single group that has gained cultural dominance over the others.

That is why we are LOST: the lack of a dominant culture

Shall we reflect upon these questions:

Do we need/have a culture ?

What is my/your role ?

How can the above ideals of the (four) groups be converged to the best interest of the poeple ?

Which ideal of the four groups can (best) serve the interest of the poeple ?


Your comments are welcome.

If you realy want to learn Somali culture go back to the history, and read the books.