Spirit of the Resistance in Somalia
THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA DELIGHTS IN TELLING THE HOSTAGE TALE wherein the mighty snipers from the powerful US NAVY took down the wicked scourge of the seas and President Obama is a) Weak or b) Virile. But not even the Green Liberal faction is using the moment to talk about the oppression and poisoning of the Somalis.
THE NEWS IS BUZZING with news of Somali Pirates and terror threats and hostage taking. What’s going on? Somali artist K’Naan breaks it down for the camera. It’s a good listen, straight from the hip and about ten times more informative than the grand hostage drama that the MSM has constructed and is parading about. “President Obama promises a sustained campaign against piracy” sez the LA Times.
I suppose such a big paper has more “authority” than this cat who lives in Somalia, right?
“It’s so interesting to me that it’s never really discussed in the way that Somalis discuss it. Because we are the issue that people are talking about. And whenever Somalis get together and talk about ‘Pirates’, the Pirate Scenario, we talk about ‘em as if they are Coast Guards…of the country. We don’t talk about them as this evil group that is disturbing European trade. We don’t care about that so much.”
—K’Naan, Somali Musician/Artist
“Somalia has led the longest anti-colonial war in the history of Africa.”
British, French, and Italians fought together against Somalia for over 20 years before giving up on trying to control the Somali people.
“The constant quest for freedom…we appreciate and like to have it, even if it means death.” —K’Naan
K’Naan is asked what he thinks about the Green movement in the West; will they rally around the “Pirates” for fighting off the illegal dumping and illegal fishing from the shores of Somali?
When you’re black….’Green’ doesn’t matter anymore he says. Meaning of course he doesn’t have a lot of faith that US citizens who get frenetic about what kind of lightbulb you are burning will care much about the plight of black Africans, despite what situation they are in. But he doesn’t sound regretful or mad about it. I think what I really enjoy the most after watching these is how NON Euro/White-centric he is. His thinking. At every turn, his focus is on the people and culture he loves and wants to see thrive. He is not spitting mad about the West, he is not looking to see negative effect in the US, he is not hoping to be saved by us. His energy doesn’t revolve there. He believes in and speaks of the heart of his people and the fight they must endure; how the struggle befits and benefits them, and what it has cost them, too. He lives in and speaks of a part of the world many ignore or loot or seek to actively destroy. You can see why so many have a hard time doing that.
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update 18:35: From the London side, here is a post going viral on the same topic.
Tags: Africa, Colonialism, Dump, Environment, Europe, Green, Greenpeace, K'Naan, NAVY, Nuclear Waste, Pirates, Poison, Pollution, Propaganda, Resistance, Somali, This is What it Means to Sleep in the House of the Conqueror, US, Waste
Posted in Africa, Borders, Human Rights, Somalia, The Long War on the Indigenous
Thank you nezua, excellent. I’ve been sickened by the lack of context in the general framing of this story. Surely race makes it much easier for the corporate media to present these people as mere, context-free “pirates.”
I found it ironic last week to listen the the head of Maersk talking about the economics of African travel around the cape.
Now that fuel costs are down, they are trying to avoid paying the “legal bounty” (my words) levied by the “legal” institutionalized pirates of Egypt (my words) for safe passage through the Suez canal. He explained that they often pay as much as $700,000 per ship for passage through the Suez Canal. Because of lower operating costs, Maersk found it was cheaper to go the longer route, around Africa, than to pay the Suez fees.
The ships and navies of a score of countries are now subsidizing their (Maersk’s et al) cost cutting efforts. It is Maersk’s efforts, and the efforts of other shippers, to make more money and to cut bottom line costs that brings them into the waters around Somalia. They are jeopardizing crews and cargo by sending unarmed ships into dangerous waters. They know it, and while they might claim to care, it is the bottom line they care about more.
I propose that the various countries now patrolling those waters send a bill to the shipping lines.
K’naan is cool. I found him about two years ago. I have a lot of Somali neighbors, and I was curious about whether there were any prominent Somali musicians in the West. I don’t think he’s so popular here in Lewiston, though. Most of the kids around here seem to listen to more mainstream stuff. Too bad. He just lives a few hours away, and this place has one of the biggest concentrations of Somalis around.
thanks, gente, for the support and for showing up!
As usual, you hit another home run. Thanks for writing about this. The US media is doing its usual “freedom is slavery” routine.
Muslims who fight back against US imperialism and occupation are terrorists.
U.S.-backed right-wing death squads in Nicaragua attempting to overthrow the democratically elected government were “freedom fighters”
Hugo Chávez is a democratically-elected “dictator” who despises democracy.
And now we have Somali “pirates”.
I mean….PIRATES?!
Gimme a freakin’ break already.
“pirates,” “terrorists,” “guerrillas,” “rebels”…opposing the empire and massive force that overpowers you does not automatically put you on the side of Good…but being labelled these things certainly doesn’t assure that you are on the side of evil, either.
thanks, elián.