Film Analysis: Black Hawk Down

United States military was fighting terrorists in Mogadishu back in 1993. These events have been portrayed in the heavily criticized Hollywood film Black Hawk Down. Television showed the world the graphic images of this war and the devastating effects that ensued. The Somali government started to rebuild the city only to have it ruined again by the tsunami of 2004. The worlds perception of Somalia have been tainted due to these images being broadcasted, giving the world a false impression of the country.

Somalia has approximately 1,800 miles of coastline, the longest of Africa’s mainland. The country is located in the Horn of Africa at the mouth of the Bab el Mandeb. Bordered by water to the east by the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of

Aden to the north. The Red Sea connects to the north west of the Gulf of Aden. Farther north is the Suez Canal that connects the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. Most ships utilize these waterways opposed to the alternative of sailing all the way around the African continent. Antipiracy measures are practiced by most companies that take the risk of sailing off of these coastlines. Somali Pirates impact vessels both small and large making an impact on local fishermen and international shipping.
Somalia is neighbored on land by Kenya to the south west, Ethiopia to the west and Djibouti to the north. Roughly the size of Texas, Somalia is approximately 246,200 square miles. The area is broken down by 18 regions Lower Juba, Middle Juba, Gedo, Bay, Bakool, Lower Shebelle, Banaadir, Middle Shebelle, Hiran, Galguduud, Mudug, Nugai, Bari, Sool, Sanaag, Togdheer, Woqooyi Galbeed, and Awdal. The regions then split up into 90 districts. Just north of the equator in the Banaadir region on the coast of the Indian Ocean is where the nation’s capital city Mogadishu is located. For centuries the city has been home to a very important port. Mogadishu is home to over 1,300,000 of the countries estimated population of over 10,000,000. The next largest city is Hargeisa with an estimated population of 1,200,000. Other main cities with a significant population include Bosaso, Galkayo, Berbera, Merca, Jamame, Kismayo, Baidoa, and Burao. The rest of the cities have populations of less than 100,000. The majority of the country is comprised of small villages and nomads.
The Galgodon mountain ranges stretch through the northern territory. The large Haud Plateau exists in the southern region. Both major rivers start in Ethiopia. The Shabeelle runs from the south-central area in Hiran and eventually dissipates near the mouth of the Jubba. Seasons with extremely heavy rainfall enable the Shabeelle to reach the Jubba. Furthest south the Jubba runs from Gedo and exits in the Indian Ocean. As much as 70 percent of the country consists of scrubland, with about 25 percent being desert.
The climate ranges from semiarid to arid, averaging less than 11 inches of rainfall a year. Two of the four seasons bring rain while the other two are essentially dry. Temperatures remain hot year round and often exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Between the Jubba and Shabeelle is where most of the agriculture takes place. Assortments of leguminous plants, sorghum grasses, and corn are some of the primary resources raised. Pastureland is the most fertile between the rivers and as a result is where the majority of the livestock are born and raised. Cattle of different kinds, camels, goats, and sheep are the most common animals raised. Elephants, foxes, leopards, giraffes, zebras, antelopes, and hyenas are some of the wild animals found.
Somalis are one of Africa’s largest ethnic groups that share the common language Somali. The population is about 95 percent ethnic Somali the rest is a combination of Pakistanis, Arabs, Europeans, Indians, Asians, and other groups of mixed decent. Approximately one fourth of the population reside in the cities, while the majority live in the rural landscape.
Official languages are Arabic and Maxaad tiri with a little Italian among some of the older people.

There are numerous dialects spoken throughout the different tribes within the country. Arabic remains utilized for a lot of religious reasons. Major cities often use English and with government officials and is beginning to be adopted by a larger number of people.

Somali society is based on a clan-family structure. The two major clan groups are the Samaal (or Samale) and the Saab (or Sab), named for two brothers who are said to have been members of the Prophet Muhammad's tribe, the Quraysh of Arabia. Many Somalis believe that their ancestor from Old Testament times was Noah's son Ham. (Hurgin)

Religion plays a big part in the daily life of Somalis. The Majority are Sunni Muslim that read and study the Qur’an to worship Allah. Somalis face Mecca and pray five times a day. Most towns and cities have Mosques where the people go for worship. Nomads make the best of whatever situation they have at the given moment of worship. Practices connected to Islam like boycotting alcohol, refraining from eating pork, and men having multiple wives still exist. One interesting religious trait is that the Somalis believe that Allah has blessed the handicap with special powers. They tend to favor the weak, injured, poor or less fortunate so they will not use their special powers with negatively

intentions.
Religious holidays include the Islamic holidays of Ramadan (the month of fasting); Id al-Fitr (the Little Feast); the First of Muharram (when an angel is said to shake the tree of life and death); Maulid an-Nabi (the birth of the prophet Muhammad); and Id al-Adha (commemorating the story of Abraham and his son Ishmael). Islamic holidays fall at different times of year according to the Islamic calendar. Holidays are celebrated with feasting and storytelling, visiting graves, giving to the poor, parades, plays, and ceremonies. (Hurgin)
Feasting honors life’s important events. A minimum sacrifice of one animal for the birth of a child or the death of a family member. The reason for the feast and the wealth of the tribe determine how many sacrifices and who is invited. Marriage is another reason for sacrifice. The groom’s side of the family will provide the animal eaten by the immediate families. The bride’s side will provide the slaughter for the rest of the guests.
Somalis are generally pleasant, harmonious, and hospitable. Contrary to the perception the media has portrayed to the world. Their generosity originates from their strong heritage and traditions. Handshaking is a common greeting for men of blood relation. The women do not show as much acknowledgement when greeting each other. Respect of your elders is a general courtesy rendered. Success is comprised of intelligent decisions throughout many facets of Somali life. Presumably successful elders will foster their immediate family and supporting clan.
Living conditions vary considerably between the rural and urban areas. Up to 90 percent of the population live in the rural areas without many of the modern day technologies. Many things we take for granted are not available to these people. Public services are almost nonexistent, running water is hard to find and when it is it’s often not clean, along with electricity being rare outside the cities. Life in the city is extremely different from the rural areas, and comes with a different set of challenges. Cities like Mogadishu are still trying to rebuild from the civil wars and the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami.
Somali environmentalists, sickened by the plight of their country whose land was and is being laid to a barren waste, set up Somalia’s very first environmental organization. In 1996, a group of local intellectuals formed the Somali Environmental Protection and Anti-Desertification Organization (SEPADO). Although resources are scarce, SEPADO is already making an inordinately big difference in monitoring and safeguarding Somalia’s environment. (Yusuf)
Procreation with as many wives as possible help Somali men establish wealth. The more children they have the more bodies there are to tend to the animals. More animals usually equates to greater wealth. Divorce is simple and frequent, so men can have more than 10 wives during their lifespan. It is acceptable for women to remarry after divorce or the death of their husband. It is not as easy for the women to remarry unless they are still able to have children. This poses the biggest challenge for post-menopausal women. Most men wait until they have started some animal husbandry usually towards the end of their 20’s before they get married. Women however marry as early as 13 years old. Older men strictly manage all marriages.
Family construction dates back to parental descent. Men stay with their father’s tribe and trace heritage through male names back to the start. Somalia has six major tribes or clans. The largest is the Daarood who reside around the northern area of the Horn extending westward into Ethiopia. The Hawiyya live in the central plains and regions on the east coast , and the Dir dwell from Djibouti into the northern area of the Horn. The Isxaaq inhabit the northern plains area between the Daarood and Dir. Alongside the coast in the southern area between the Shabeelle and Jubba rivers is where the Digil live. The fertile lands north of the Digil is where you can find the Rahanwiin.
The seasonal climate affect the clothing that they typically wear. Wearing of man dresses is customary for lightweight outer garments. Turbans commonly worn to cover their heads to protect them from the heat of the sun. To keep the men warm at night they will usually wear shawls. Somali women are historically not as traditional as most Muslims. They do not have to completely cover their body or faces in public or at home. Women use shawls and veils as cover when nonfamily males are present. Young girls wear plain dresses until they reach puberty. Shirts and shorts from various sports teams around the world are typically worn by the boys. Found raising organizations often show us photographs with children wearing the sports apparel of the teams that lost the big games. Young men frequently do not wear tops when herding the animals as a technique to attract females. They will often grease themselves up to highlight their physique. This tactic stops immediately after marriage.
They keep animal meat in reserve for special events. The most craved meat is camel meat. Vegetables and grains make up the average daily diet. Community porridge bowls are what most families use to eat the grains. Only the right hand is used for eating, because the left hand is used to clean ones self after a bowl movement. Men and women will rarely eat at the same time. Some specialty foods are imported and but usually only enjoyed by the urban populace. Delicacies foods are only prepared on special circumstances.
Boys mostly attend the schools. The bulk of the schools in today’s world focus on the teachings and memorization of the Qur’an. Holy Muslim men and Sheikhs are the principal teachers. Urban children have better chances for increased education. Most children in more rural areas usually continue to work in their family trade. Religious based curriculum is expanding and broader educational goals are part of the country’s goals during their rebuilding stages. As the country continues to grow more emphasis is on education as an attempt to salvage what the Somali people have left and retain their independence.
Gender drives distinct labor divisions. Boys sometimes as young as 6 years old assume responsibilities for animals that don’t stray far from the village. Larger cattle is the responsibility teenage boys and young men into their 20’s. Older men act as leaders making every attempt to increase profits in animal husbandry or other specific tradecraft. Women care for all the domestic tasks enabling the men to be successful. Repositioning the household to follow the animal herd is a critical responsibility entrusted to the women. Children help their mothers tend to crops where they can be grown domestically. Urban areas provide women the opportunity to own and manage stores of all kinds. Although rare women can own and control farms in rural areas.
There is little time for managed sports programs in the rural areas. Most children assume responsibilities at a very young age occupying the majority of their time. With the lack of electronic devices the children have to use their imagination to create fun games out of whatever choirs they assigned to them. Books wouldn’t help much being that most of the populace is illiterate. Soccer is by far the most popular organized sport played when time does present itself. Other recreation and entertainment usually comes in the form of ceremonies. Most of these events already mentioned previously. Bonds continue to strengthen during performed ceremonies. Stories of ancestors recall historical events during the ceremonies that would otherwise be lost. Radio broadcasts keep the Somali people informed about local and world events. Movies and television is nonexistent outside of the major cities.
Hobbies, crafts, and folk art have little time allocated to them. Somali people do manage to produce products that have a specific serviceable functions. The demand for these products drives the need to supply them. This supply and demand creates craftwork jobs in fields like woodcarving, and ironworking. These required skills are essential for the country to function as a society, similar to the spiritual healers and professionals are to religion. You can find a lot of these products in marketplaces.
Termination of most public services is a result of the aftermath of the civil wars. Over the last 20 years or so many relief efforts have focused on improving basic needs for the people of Somalia. Restoring the central government will need to be done before help is rendered to those who will benefit the most from it. Fighting still continues to this day and civil order struggles to restore itself. These events led to the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) however the radical Islamic groups infiltrated the UIC. The United States assigned the UIC on their “foreign terrorist organizations” list. Civil conflict continues and the Somali military struggle to keep the Ethiopians from invading further. Retaining order and their independence is one of if not the country’s biggest objective.
Somalia’s shores and its coastal population are suffering the side effects of illegal dumping of chemical and nuclear waste. Several European industrial companies started dumping some of their most toxic hazardous substances into the waters as far back as the 1980’s. Part of this is due to the extensive coastline not patrolled. Another reason is the self-destruction caused by the Civil Wars that inevitably caused instability of the government. Many of these chemicals were unleashed as far as 10 kilometers inland following the December 2004 Asian mega tsunami. “The toxic waste has also contaminated the groundwater in some areas.” (Caruso). The country continues to rebuild the damage done from the Civil Wars and the tsunami.
The toxic dumping is responsible for unexplained disease and collapsed ecosystems. Already one of the regions poorest countries Somalia received minimal assistance in comparison to other affected countries after the tsunami. Various types of cancers, severe respiratory infections, and serious birth defects like the absence of limbs are some of the medical concerns. It is proving to be almost impossible to identify the companies responsible for the illegal dumping. Many of the containers found have no identifiable markings making it particularly challenging to trace them to an individual agency. Until stability is restored Somali waters will remain one of the world’s biggest dumping grounds. Somali pirates allow the dumping to continue in exchange for weapons and ammunition. Toxic waste dumping continues to this day and will most likely continue without the aid from other countries.
Many businesses were lost due to the effects of the tsunami. Fishing industries both large and small suffered considerable loss of manpower and equipment. These are in addition to the already present dangers that Somalia faces. Deforestation was happening at an alarming rate, jeopardizing one of the nation’s top resources. Acacia trees have been cut down and sold to make charcoal, a fuel that is relatively inexpensive and in high demand. These trees can live to be 500 years old. Campaigns are now in place to salvage the forests in north east Somalia. Other environmental problems include droughts, dust storms, erosion, overgrazing, and wildlife poaching.
The translation of pirate in Somali is “ocean robbers”. Somali pirates do not believe this to be an accurate depiction of themselves. They call themselves “saviors of the sea” but it doesn’t matter how you spin it a terrorist is still a terrorist. Somali pirates have a unique location within the busy shipping lanes mentioned earlier. The Somali government is unable to control the piracy threat. Foreign naval ships share the task of patrolling the waterways and securing safe passage. This threat will continue to impact the shipping industry until the government reestablishes itself and restores control over its coasts.
There were zero major vessels hijacked of the coast of Somalia in 2013.

“It’s a testament to the success of recent antipiracy measures”. (Noah). In 2009 there were a reported 130 attempts of which 51 ended successfully for the pirates. One of the failed attempts was on the Maersk Alabama that is in the film Captain Phillips. These numbers decreased in 2012 to 7 successful out of 25 reported attempts. West Africa reported that regional organized crime and Nigerian rebel militias attempted 48 hijackings with 9 in 2013. The decrease of attacks off the shores of Somalia has shifted the piracy attention to the Gulf of

Guinea.
In conclusion the Somali people continue to suffer. The United States military has shown presence in Mogadishu in support of hunger and fighting terrorists. It is feasible to think that our military may again see action in Somalia. If we do it will be considerably different from the operations that took place back in 1993. Many counter insurgency lessons learned from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan can relate to successful operations. Life threatening illnesses would be serious issues that would need to be addressed more now than ever. Preparing the military for diseases like malaria is common. Establishing training and education for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear waste is an extensively more complex situation. Military units would quickly become non mission capable if there were to be an outbreak of this caliber. Historically Somalia has been ill-fated. With help from worldwide agencies Somalia should be capable of restoring civil order and control of their own government. Jobs would become available to assist in reestablishing the ecosystem and environment.