SMHESOCO’s Great War Commemoration
Poster3–TheModernHistoryofSomalia/Somaliland
Bythe15thCenturytheSultanatesandRepublicsof
Merca,Mogadishu,BarawaandHobyo,thatareallpart
ofmodernSomaliaandSomaliland,hadflourishing
economiesincludinglucrativeforeigncommerceand
successfulports.Shipssailedregularlytoandfrom
Arabia,India,Persia,Egypt,Portugal,Veniceandasfar
awayasChina.ThefamousPortugueseexplorer,Vasco
deGama,sailedpastMogadishuin1451.Henotedthat
itwasalargecitywithmanypalaces,mosquesand
minarets.Inthe16thCentury,merchantshipsfrom
Indiaboughtclothandspicesthatweretradedfor
‘Somali’(African)gold,ivoryandwax.Bythelate16th
Century,Jewishmerchantsreportedthatthecoastof
Somaliawasrichinmeat,wheat,barley,horsesand
wood.Themerchantsthereweredescribedasbeing
“wealthyandtrustworthy”.It’sfairtosaythatSomali
MerchantswereleadersincommercebetweenAsia
andAfricaatthistimealongthefamous‘SilkRoute’.
Giraffes,ZebrasandIncensewerebeingexportedto
ChinainreturnforSilkandPorcelain.TheSomaliports
ofMercaandBarawawerepeacefulsomerchants
couldtradetheresafelywithoutharassmentby
Ottoman(Turkish)andPortuguesenavies.
Seaborntrade(importsandexports)continuedtobe
importanttoSomalia/Somalilandintothe19thCentury.
ImperialismandtheScrambleforAfrica
Duringthe19thCentury,EuropeanPowersincluding
Britain,France,Belgium,ItalyandGermanytook
controlofseveralAfricancountries-eitherbyinvasion
orbyestablishing‘Protectorates’.Thisprocessiscalled
‘Imperialism’.ItledtomanyAfricancountries
becoming‘Colonies’oftheEuropeanPowers.
TheEuropeancountrieswantedaccesstoAfrica’s
naturalresourcestosupporttheirindustrial
revolutionsandalsotoprovidenewmarketsfor
manufacturedgoodsexportedfromtheirnew
factories.Bythelate19thCentury,BritainandFrance
hadlargeAfricanempires.GermanyandItalywere
anxioustocatch-upbytakingcontrolofnewcountries.
ImperialismhadamajorimpactonAfrica.Somaliawas
particularlyinfluencedbyItalianImperialismand
SomalilandbyBritishImperialism.
By1884thecompetitiontotakeoverAfricancountries
wassointenseandchaoticthataconferencewasheld
inBerlin.DuringthistheEuropeanPowersagreedto
divideAfricabetweenthem.TheBerlinConferenceof
1884-85ledtoanew‘ColonialMap’ofAfricabeing
drawn-up.Thiswasfollowedbya‘scramble’bythe
differentEuropeanpowerstotakecontrolofthe
countriesallocatedtothembytheConference–this
ledto“TheScrambleforAfrica”.LeadersoftheAfrican
countriesconcernedwerenotconsultedandsome
facedbrutalrepressionbytheirnew‘ColonialMasters’.
SomaliaandAfricanImperialism
“Aden’sButcher’sShop”
ImperialismandColonializationledtotheGreatWar
‘spilling-over’intoAfricawithfightinginseveral
countries.ThewaralsoaffectedColonialAfrican
countriesandtheirpeoplesinmanyotherwaystoo.
SomaliaandBritishSomalilandweredrawnintothe
GreatWarparticularlyby:
(1)TheirlocationontheHornofAfricaontherouteto
theSuezCanalfromIndia,theFarEastandAustralia
(2)TheirImperialconnectionstoItalyandBritain.
(3)AguerillawarwiththeDervishArmy
In1888aftersigningtreatieswiththerulingSomali
SultansincludingMohamoudAliShireofthe
WarsangaliSultanatetheBritishestablisheda
‘Protectorate’intheregionthattheyreferredtoas
BritishSomaliland.TheBritishstationedtroopsinthe
protectoratefromAdenandtheygoverneditaspartof
BritishIndiauntil1898.LateritgovernedbytheBritish
directlybytheColonialOfficeinLondon.
TheBritishdidn’thavemuchinterestintheresourcebarreninteriorregion.Insteadtheprotectorate’saims
wereto"Secureasupplymarket,Checkthetrafficin
slaves,andtoExcludetheinterferenceofforeign
powers."TheBritishprincipallyviewedthe
protectorateasasourceforsuppliesofmeatfortheir
BritishIndianoutpostinAden.Hence,theregion's
nicknameof"Aden'sbutcher'sshop".
Sayyīd Muhammad `Abd Allāh al-Hasan
Sayid Maxamed Cabdille Xasan
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Statue of Sayyid Mohammed Abdullah Hassan
in Mogadishu, Somalia. (Destroyed during the Civil War)
Theforeigninterferenceandbloodshedthatthe
ScrambleforAfricacausedinspiredtheSomaliDervish
leaderMohammedAbdullahHussaintorallysupport
fromacrosstheHornofAfricaandbeginoneofthe
longestcolonialresistancewarsever.
Inseveralofhispoemsandspeeches,Hassan
emphasizedthattheBritish"Havedestroyedour
religionandmadeourchildrentheirchildren."
HealsosaidthattheChristianEthiopians,inleague
withtheBritish,werebentuponplunderingthe
politicalandreligiousfreedomoftheSomalination.
MapShowingtheDivisionofAfricaAgreedatthe
BerlinConference1884-85
PictureDrawnbySMHESOCO’sProjectAssistant
SomaliTradewithChinainthe16th&17thCenturies
AGiraffefromSomaliaShippedtoChina
MainTradeRoutesInvolvingSomaliPortsBetween1400&1700
TheSilkRoutefromChinaisshowninRed