What can be done to rebrand Somalia?

[Xusein]

Sadly, it's clear that Somalia has a bad reputation due to it's situation.

Amidst all the achievements that Somalia has made in the last year alone (having a proper government, retaking and pacifying main cities with help, piracy down to 10% the level it was in 2010), it still suffers from a stigma. It's sad, but you hear press saying "we don't want another Somalia".

This is bad for business and will be hard to shake. Of course the businessmen with the most cash won't care, but it won't be easy for foreign investment.

I honestly think Somalia, once it gains more stability, should look into hiring a PR agency that can publish ads that disprove the common thoughts.

What do you think?

[Constantine MMX]

Check PM, interesting times.

[Arrow87]

I agree. But the region needs visionaries. Not only a good PR company, but also destination management. How does Somalia want to be known as? If that is set up in a long term strategy, then it takes hard work.

I believe most challenges lie with the Somali mindset that has changed these 21 years.

- Tolerant and curious people

Somalis are no longer a tolerant people. We have to acknowledge this. Religion has been made harsh and full of dogma's, because dugsis took over most of the public and private schools. Many were funded by the Saudis.

Illiteracy is also extremely high in Somalia. Which means that many Somalis are fed religion without reading and interpreting themselves.

If there is a way to change our view on religion and culture as we used to, perhaps this can help in being good to our fellow human being and be an inviting people. Of course the war has made everyone paranoide. But still, if women cannot walk in Mogadishu without a hijab ( even non Muslim women ), I'd say this is a problem. Education and teaching Somalia's unique culture, character and history is important.

- Good investment climate

Somalia is not on the list of 'ease of doing business' of the World Bank. But I did see that 8 of 10 of the worst places to do business are African nations. Also, Djibouti is on the bottom 14. Somali officials need to be aware of this and change it and promote high return on investment and support. Source

- Resources and agricultural prospects

This has to be promoted all over the world. Especially resources to nations such as Brazil, India and China.

There should however be a total ban on nations that want to buy Somali agricultural land for export to their own countries. This is a huge problem in countries such as Liberia and Kenya.

- Tourism potential.

Not only for the beaches, sand dunes and mountains, but also potential to accommodate to the needs of bird watchers.

Because of the perfect location, Somalia can be a great country for a holiday. Especially for people from both African and Arab countries. And a perfect substitute for Kenya, which at times can be an expensive destination for holidays.

- Real estate prospects
Enough said.

Meetings and incentives region

Again, because of the location, Somalia can be a host of conferences and meetings. Such as Qatar or South Korea. The political will needs to be there.

- Manufacturing

Canned tuna, beef, tomato etc. as in the past. And maybe high skilled manufacturing for (electronic parts of) products.

Livestock and fish

But to target the right countries for this potential. Such as Japan, South Korea, Norway ( for the fish for instance ) and the Arab nations for live stock.

Challenges

There are a lot of challenges. But this can be overcome. The Somali nation needs to rely on its greatest asset and capital, its citizens. And to invest in them heavily such as low resource, rich nations have done such as Taiwan and South Korea.

Other practical challenges are internet speed and costs and the reliability of electricity. Also the lack of a strong banking system could be a problem. I do know they are working hard to change that in Somalia.

Somalia still needs to find its unique selling point.

I think Somalia's unique selling point should be neutrality when it comes to foreign relations and politics.

Relations between nations are build upon self interest and not common aspects such as religion or culture. No matter how Turkey tries to propagate itself.

Therefore it should not matter if Somalia is dealing with nations such as Israel, Venezuela or Mozambique. Somalia should stay away from political issues, before it gets quagmired such as in the past with choosing the wrong 'ally'.

[Arrow87]

Somalia can learn a lot from Lebanon for changing the image of the country.
Beirut today is one of the most beautiful, cosmopolitan and inviting cities in the Middle East. It is known as ' the Paris of the Middle East '. Beirut is an attractive city having topped the NY Times' list of places to go in 2009. The city has been featured in CNTravelers, Financial Times, and Sunday Times Travel as the next big tourist destination thanks to the political stability and its legendary nightlife.



Beirut before and after the war



Beirut today



The tourism minister of Somalia should also guard the image of Somalia in the future as Lebanon is doing. This week I've read that Lebanon's tourism minister is considering suing the makers of the hit US TV series Homeland over the way Beirut is portrayed in the tv show.

In a scene from the latest episode a street in the Lebanese capital is shown swarming with militants carrying assault weapons as a jeep pulls up carrying the world's No 1 jihadi to a meeting with top Hezbollah commanders. The scene is actually filmed in Israel.

Tourism Minister Fadi Abboud told The Associated Press that he is so upset about the portrayal of Beirut that he is considering a lawsuit. "The information minister is studying media laws to see what can be done," he said.

[Waaberi]

Arrow87 these are great ideas, i agree the Beirut model has a lot of appeal by the way are you somali. you know the situation in somalia very well.

I agree with you, somalia could be a perfect location to host international event and seminars. although i enjoyed the TEDX and Social good Summit in Mogadishu, the idea came from outsider don't get me wrong to us somalis in the diaspora it a big moral boast yet it does change the fact that security is still lacking in somalia. in the future when our country it secure we could have huge conference and people from all over the world can enjoy somali hospitality.

[musa90]

We need to get rid of all extreme/violent interpretations of Islam, prevent piracy locally, and raise the general education level of the population. This will automatically lead to a significant image boost for the country. Also, Arabization imo should be halted while Somalia's indigenous unique cultures should be promoted more.

[Janub]

Originally Posted by musa90

We need to get rid of all extreme/violent interpretations of Islam, prevent piracy locally, and raise the general education level of the population. This will automatically lead to a significant image boost for the country. Also, Arabization imo should be halted while Somalia's indigenous unique cultures should be promoted more.

Well-put. If Somalia ever wants its economy to appeal to the West, it has to rethink its religious approach, because that can cause massive schism from its population. Foreigners won't want to tour or work in a country where they are considered alien, and radical interpretations of religion cultivate xenophobia.

Arabization is also bad because it ruins a country's uniqueness, and uniqueness is part of a brand; can you imagine how much more successful Sudan would be today if those morons could take advantage of their Nubian ancestry? What a major shame and loss to their economy and prestige. They're sitting on one of history's great sites, yet fundamentalism and Arabization prevents them from acknowledging it let alone taking advantage of it.

[Xusein]

^ Gotta agree. This nonsense really gave Somalis a black eye. We need to be moderate like we once were.

Arrow87, although I do think that Beirut is a great example, it seems to be more of a facade if anything, the problems in that country aren't solved, they are just hidden, look at what happened recently. Of course Lebanese are more urbane and educated than Somalis and have much more of a successful diaspora so that helps them. Still it's an example!

Thanks for all the ideas everyone.

[Sideway]

Great ideas so far but Somalia also needs something else. I think we should build something, whether it be a building our monument that when foreigners see it they automatically think Somalia. For example, of you think of London you think of big Ben, Eiffel tower for Paris, Petronas Towers for Malaysia, statue of liberty for new york etc. this will give us a whole new image IMO

[Xusein]

When I think of Hargeisa, I think of naaso hablood.

[Janub]

Originally Posted by Xusein

^ Gotta agree. This nonsense really gave Somalis a black eye. We need to be moderate like we once were.

Arrow87, although I do think that Beirut is a great example, it seems to be more of a facade if anything, the problems in that country aren't solved, they are just hidden, look at what happened recently. Of course Lebanese are more urbane and educated than Somalis and have much more of a successful diaspora so that helps them. Still it's an example!

Thanks for all the ideas everyone.

Lebanon's rebuilding may have been a facade for the political fallout of the war, but it definitely improved peoples' lives and allowed the economy to recover. That's all you need. The whole idea of solving the clan suspicions and distrust is unrealistic, and it has prevented many people from taking small steps because they feel a need to fix the big issues before doing anything minor.

Too many Somalis are obsessed with achieving this phantom of the perfect little wonderful nationalist Somalia, thereby neglecting the actual aspects of the country that can improve peoples' lives, like the economy. The Lebanese knew that unity is a joke in their country, so they went about their business in other ways. It's time for Somalis abroad to take a more pragmatic approach to their issues.

[Xusein]

Originally Posted by Janub

Too many Somalis are obsessed with achieving this phantom of the perfect little wonderful nationalist Somalia, thereby neglecting the actual aspects of the country that can improve peoples' lives, like the economy. The Lebanese knew that unity is a joke in their country, so they went about their business in other ways. It's time for Somalis abroad to take a more pragmatic approach to their issues.

You can't build a government without having a framework to build upon. It's not even unity, it's having a modicum of stability. Without that stability theres no way that Somalia will achieve her potential. A cold truce is not going to work, especially since Somalis lack any real differences between each other. The divisions are minute compared to many other nations worldwide.

[Janub]

Lebanon has the same kind of setup as Somalia, and I'd venture to say that Somalia's current political system is more stable. Lebanon has no government to speak of, it's entirely cosmetic, even the army, it's the same as Somalia. The Druze of Lebanon provide for themselves, the Maronites for themselves, the Shi'a, the Sunnis, the Armenians, and the list goes on. Their so-called government breaks down every other month, and there are even periods when it ceases to exist entirely. There were UN peacekeepers in Lebanon until just a few months ago if you remember. These guys are in much worse political shape than Somalia.

Again, like I said, you're worrying too much about factors which the ordinary people and those abroad who can support them, cannot affect. In that spirit, it's best best to go about fixing things that you can control, like commerce.

Lebanon has a "cold truce," and it's economy is booming, so there's no reason for Somalis not to live that way as well. You're also forgetting that Lebanon is a tiny country where every sectarian community lives within screaming distance of each other, which means that a political breakdown in Somalia cannot spontaneously erupt conflict.

We both agree that the so-called differences among Somalis are virtually nonexistent, which again proves that the political situation is not something to be worried about. But that also depends on specific scenarios. There's still half of Somalia; principally Somaliland, Mogadishu, Puntland, and some other parts of Mudug and Galgududuud which are stable enough to invest long-term. I always thought that a good policy of fostering economic interest and growth in Somalia was by separating safe regions from dangerous ones and treating safer regions with a degree of respect by promoting them as trade links with the rest of the world. But that won't happen.

[talya]

I agree with with you all.i remember reading an article about the Somalia of mid 60s which says Quote:Somalians are one of if not the most tolerant people in the world,due to their way of doing business once called the Merchants of Africa,end Quote.sadly there little of that great history over.great points Arrow87.one needs only to see the change of the panoramic picture of the Somalia common man and women over the years. Arabization and extremism are due to lack of education and economic opportunities.before PRs Somalia needs to find her identity back.

[juzme123]

Aniga waxay ila tahay inay weli wakhti hore' tahay inaynu "rebranding" ka hadalno. Waxan odhan lahaa, ha la sugo ilaa inta uu wadankoo dhani si dhab ah u dego oo u nabadoobo waayo iminka xaaladu weli way xuntahay.

"Wadan waxa uu wadan ku yahay oo qudhay, wadannada kale' ee caalamka oo u haysta/aqoonsan wadan."

Yacni waxa leeyahay oo aan muujinaayaa "perception is crucial". Waxyaabaha muhiimka ah waxaan odhan lahaa waa tiirarka ama rukunnada uu dal ku taagan yahay oo uu sharaf ku leeyahay; kuwaas oo ah:

1. Nabadda - iyo ciidamada sugidda nabadda oo jira.

2. Maamul dowladeed, noocyadiisa kaste' oo dhan, oo jira si wacanna wax u maamula.

3. Dhaqan, hiddo, diin iyo caadoyin wadanka loo yaqaano oo sharaf mudan.

4. Horumar dhanka dhaqaaleed.

5. Baahida, baryadda iyo itaal-darradda oo aynu ka baxno (Remember the Somali saying "laba wax waa la isku nacaa: baryada badan iyo bukaanka badan").

Waxyaabahaas oo dhani waxa ay inoo soo celinayaan xornimaddeena, and crucially, the perception thereof.

[Xusein]

Originally Posted by Janub

I always thought that a good policy of fostering economic interest and growth in Somalia was by separating safe regions from dangerous ones and treating safer regions with a degree of respect by promoting them as trade links with the rest of the world. But that won't happen.

It won't work because they are ultimately recognized as part of Somalia. As long as the problems exist, the stigma will remain. My question was more towards the future, not present times.

[Ras Siyan]

Originally Posted by musa90

We need to get rid of all extreme/violent interpretations of Islam, prevent piracy locally, and raise the general education level of the population. This will automatically lead to a significant image boost for the country. Also, Arabization imo should be halted while Somalia's indigenous unique cultures should be promoted more.

Somali society has traditionally been moderate, religious extremism is both alien and dangerous and needs to be eradicated through education, openness.

I frankly never understood the idea behind Arabization...Like WTF, why Arabic? What do those advocating for it hope to achieve with that exactly? I just don't get the point, someone help. Somali and English are more than enough as the 2 working languages of the country. I honestly feel insulted by arabization, especially for a people with a proud history and identity. A lot of people in Somalia are just sick. You guys need to carry out a "mental cleaning" in your country

[Xusein]

Personally I'd make Somali the only official language. Why English? We don't need another working language. Af Soomaali ku qoro halkan.

[Ras Siyan]

True Af Somali is more than enough, and should be the sole official language. English should be thought and it's use widespread for business and trade though, in order to communicate with the rest of the world.

[Xusein]

Many European countries teach it in schools but don't make it official, that's the way to go for me. Somalia isn't in the same situation like most of Africa.