Somalia in the news
If you're like me, you may feel like the media only provides confusing, fragmented glimpses into what remains, by and large, an obscure part of the world that makes regular appearances in the news regarding (usually) famine, war or piracy. And yet, the newscasters seem perfectly content to repeatedly ask, "What's going on?" and "Why do they kill us when we bring aid?" and (most inexcusably stupid) "Aren't pirates a thing of the past?" Yet they seem content merely to ask and never to attempt an answer. So, in the face of another wave of gawking, 30 second snippets provided by the news, here's my humble attempt to shed a little light on the region; one where long-simmering tensions and colonialist pressure have caused the Somali people considerable strife and difficulty for centuries, with no hope of apparent change in the future. And yet, I hope the music and cultural bits I've thrown in will provide a balance to all the misery.
If you're like me, you may feel like the media only provides confusing, fragmented glimpses into what remains, by and large, an obscure part of the world that makes regular appearances in the news regarding (usually) famine, war or piracy. And yet, the newscasters seem perfectly content to repeatedly ask, "What's going on?" and "Why do they kill us when we bring aid?" and (most inexcusably stupid) "Aren't pirates a thing of the past?" Yet they seem content merely to ask and never to attempt an answer. So, in the face of another wave of gawking, 30 second snippets provided by the news, here's my humble attempt to shed a little light on the region; one where long-simmering tensions and colonialist pressure have caused the Somali people considerable strife and difficulty for centuries, with no hope of apparent change in the future. And yet, I hope the music and cultural bits I've thrown in will provide a balance to all the misery.

Introduction
Somalia's history (and the horn of Africa, for that matter) for the last few centuries has been a familiar history of extreme hostility and violent retribution. Begrudging neighbors are made pawns of European powers and played against each other with suffering resulting on all sides. Somalia, whilst one of the only countries with only one ethnic group, has never very unified. Originally the Somali people organized themselves on the coasts of the mostly barren country in tiny city states (and later, after conversion to Islam, Sultanates).





In case you haven't already clicked on the link on Amoeba's homepage to the fourth annual World Music Weekend Festival happening over the next couple of days in Berkeley here's the dealio. It's a really cool unique weekend (June 2 & 3) global music festival that runs from noon til 9PM both days and features a rich wide range of artists playing music from all corners of the earth. And best of all it's FREE! In all there will be 28 acts performing such diverse genres as Cajun and Zydeco, North African, Middle Eastern, 1930's Tex Mex, and Balkan. The performances will happen on street corners, in cafes, and in People's Park where Amoeba Music will present a concert with performances from the Congoloese dance music ensemble Samba Ngo, plus Yasir Chadly, Bouchaib Abdelhabi, and Stephen Kent who meld Moroccan traditions with didjeridu, and the always wonderful Brass Menazeri whose specialty is brass music from both Serbia and the Greek/Macedonia region - all delivered via their unique instrumentation: trumpets, clarinets, trombone, and tuba. 