Somalis have always been a tribal nation and will ever be. Growing up, I lived through the most turbulent times in our history. For many of the younger stock it's all stories, for my generation it was reality. We were displaced (qax) and lived in refugee camps, The Somali inhabited peninsula of the 90s was, to say the least, a shit hole.
Many of the boys and girls we played together had themselves been maimed by the war in some form or the other, playgrounds were not safe and one would always worry about undetonated bombs lying around. said "playgrounds" had abandoned tanks, technicals and other weapons, I personally loved the whistling sound that bullet casings make when I blow into them. if not physically maimed one would have lost a loved one, a parent, a sibling etc in the war.
Regardless of everything, many grew up to be decent humans. We do use tribalism to navigate daily living, it's a necessity after all. To get a job or deal with the stagnant bureaucracy of Somali administrations.
However, Qabiil talk in public forums was always considered a deficiency of intellect or character. Qabiil was a dirty necessity that we dealt with in secret but never in the open. If one brings up qabiil in a public forum the only acceptable form was that of praise, such as reserved for weddings, crowning tribal chiefs etc.
My generation continued to marry across Qabiil and one would have friends of diverse tribal backgrounds.
The barrage of younger Generation Z all born after the new millennium that misunderstands qabiil and use it as a barometer to measure other people, befriending only ones of their own clan and marrying from within is sickening. This is the grounds for more division, more distrust and animosity.
To make matters worse , social media is rife with people with hashtags #proudinsertqabiil, youngins "dissing" other qabiils and all of this in the open and in a rather normal fashion.
Call me old school, but I will live to the motto of "ama dil and noolee" either kill or let live! not in between.
50 years ago , The revered Somali poet Timocadde said:
Dugsi ma leh Qabyaaladi, waxay dumiso mooyaan!
Tribalism has no warmth, except destruction!.
Many of the boys and girls we played together had themselves been maimed by the war in some form or the other, playgrounds were not safe and one would always worry about undetonated bombs lying around. said "playgrounds" had abandoned tanks, technicals and other weapons, I personally loved the whistling sound that bullet casings make when I blow into them. if not physically maimed one would have lost a loved one, a parent, a sibling etc in the war.
Regardless of everything, many grew up to be decent humans. We do use tribalism to navigate daily living, it's a necessity after all. To get a job or deal with the stagnant bureaucracy of Somali administrations.
However, Qabiil talk in public forums was always considered a deficiency of intellect or character. Qabiil was a dirty necessity that we dealt with in secret but never in the open. If one brings up qabiil in a public forum the only acceptable form was that of praise, such as reserved for weddings, crowning tribal chiefs etc.
My generation continued to marry across Qabiil and one would have friends of diverse tribal backgrounds.
The barrage of younger Generation Z all born after the new millennium that misunderstands qabiil and use it as a barometer to measure other people, befriending only ones of their own clan and marrying from within is sickening. This is the grounds for more division, more distrust and animosity.
To make matters worse , social media is rife with people with hashtags #proudinsertqabiil, youngins "dissing" other qabiils and all of this in the open and in a rather normal fashion.
Call me old school, but I will live to the motto of "ama dil and noolee" either kill or let live! not in between.
50 years ago , The revered Somali poet Timocadde said:
Dugsi ma leh Qabyaaladi, waxay dumiso mooyaan!
Tribalism has no warmth, except destruction!.
If he isn't a Samaroon with an advanced degree I will friendzone him and there is nothing he can do about that. I'm beyond redemption.
Yes; because I can control them best. There is nothing more delicious than a miskeen Gadabuursi man that I can manipulate with words and beauty and use tribal guilt against. I'm not a fan of the quarrelsome ones from the tol. We would certainly clash. I even have a particular temperament in mind.
LOOl 
