Which Ethnic Groups are Wasted Potential?

[Ashraf]

What's syria's diaspora like?

Population wise massive which is what I was alluring to, somali diaspora is rather small for its crisis. Compare it to other nations

 

[Idilinaa]

Which groups would you nominate as among the Most Wasted Potential?

Not being bias at all, but Somalis are definitely apart of this list like times I just think about how high the ceiling is for Somalis it's a shame.

Somalis are the Single Largest Ethnic Group that encompasses the Largest Land Mass in all of Africa and they've maintained this despite competition being Significantly Larger than them as well as Tribal Affiliation making them sparse.

Somalis have a Distinct Advantage over other Africans given that there is only One Group and One Language within the Somali Peninsula being Somali people and the Somali Language while many African Nations struggle with Extreme Ethnic and Linguistic Competition, just Nigeria having 500 Languages and Hundreds of Ethnic Groups and very similarly with their neighbours Kenya and Ethiopia. But they're unable to recognize this Distinct Advantage.

Somali as been the Sole and Dominant Language of the Somali Peninsula and even when once a upon a time it was the very Centre of World Trade and was exposed to many different Groups, Languages and Customs Somali has not lost its position and Single Most Dominant Language of the Somali Peninsula.

Many West, Central and East African Nations not only deal with the hundreds of Languages within their Boarders but have to also deal with Colonial Languages as their Official Languages. With Angola having Portuguese as their Official and Tanzania having English amongst their Official Languages and Somalis only having Somalis as their Sole Languages with No Colonial or Other Language being spoken within.

In the 17th and 18th Century, the British made Reports on how Somalis despite their Tribal Affiliations would've unmistakably swept through East Africa had they not interfered.

This is the same Somalis that are divided and detached from one another through Tribal Affiliations.


Just Imagine If Somalis Completely Abandoned Tribal Affiliation and instead Subscribed to Somali Uniformity no doubt the Entirety of East Africa would've been Somaliweyn.

Your understanding of Somali history and societal structure is deeply shaped by outdated colonial and orientalist narratives rather than the historical reality.

First, Somalia , both historically and today , has fully utilized its natural potential through strategic trade, agriculture, livestock, fisheries, and a service-driven economy. Somalia has never been a case of 'wasted potential.' Setbacks like conflict were largely geopolitical in nature : the result of Cold War interventions, colonial partitioning, and proxy wars , not rooted in an inherent societal flaw.

The idea that Somali clans somehow 'prevented' a great empire or expansion is fiction. Historically, Somali society expanded in an organized, structured way: the Somali advance into the Juba and Tana river valleys, northern Kenya, and beyond, was not chaotic 'tribal movement.' It was strategic settlement, targeting fertile lands, controlling trade corridors, developing agriculture, and building vibrant internal markets.

Moreover, the clan system that many criticize was actually the mechanism that facilitated Somali growth. It functioned like a decentralized but "highly cooperative network" i.e different clans collaborated, invited each other into new settlements, negotiated trade pacts, and maintained security. This enabled Somalis to rapidly develop new towns, create trade hubs, and integrate vast territories while maintaining cultural cohesion. Far from being divisive, the Somali clan system was flexible, adaptive, and economic in orientation.

This is why Somalia maintained a remarkably cohesive linguistic, cultural, and commercial identity over centuries , something even colonial reports, despite their biases, had to admit.

Importantly, Somalia’s position as a dominant force in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean trade , from antiquity through medieval times into modernity , was achieved because of this structured societal model, not despite it. Somali merchants established diasporas from Arabia to Persia, India, and Southeast Asia, creating a powerful commercial network , again demonstrating strategy, not 'chaotic tribalism.'

The so-called 'tribalism' is grossly misunderstood by outsiders. Somalia’s social organization is similar to historical federations elsewhere , like medieval Europe’s confederations , flexible, dynamic, and resilient. It is not a primitive barrier to civilization but rather an indigenous form of political, economic, and social adaptability.

Colonialism intentionally exaggerated 'clan divisions' to weaken Somali resistance and justify intervention , a strategy also used elsewhere in Africa. Yet despite these tactics, Somalia remained one of the few African societies that fiercely resisted colonial rule for decades, and built one of the continent's first unified republics after independence.

Today, Somali unity is functional, based on shared culture, language, religion, and strong trade ties , not on the artificial notion of a centralized, coercive state. This cultural cohesion, combined with the Somali people's entrepreneurial spirit, explains why Somalia has been able to survive and even begin rebuilding without massive external support.

Thus, the real history shows that Somalia’s societal structure is a massive source of resilience and adaptability , not a weakness, but a hidden strength that will continue to drive Somali recovery and growth in the years ahead

 

[Idilinaa]

Bro I joined this forum the same time as you late 2023. I used to spam hopium threads, and shi like how to fix Somalia, how to destabilise Ethiopia. Now idgaf, I’ve realised my insignificance and whilst I do sympathise with the plight of the Somali people. It’s really the people’s fault, can’t save someone that doesn’t want to be saved. And what’s worse, people are too arrogant to accept a new ideology or change of status quo. Jahils+ ultraqabilism+ arrogance= Somalis
Now I just root for my tuulo like a football team. get a resurgence of hope when @Idilinaa posts, and support secession of punt, ssc khatumo, and SLand (only if they relinquish awdal to indepence + ssc) as a way to break the timeless deadlock. Gradually we can move towards a Somali union like the US, but that takes time for a pan Somali movement to resurge considering social cohesion is decimated

We all had that phase bro and yeah other than short hope boosts when @Idilinaa posts the brutal truth is the somali peninsula is genuinely doomed and patriotism has died long ago we cant even be proud of our own tuulos cause they are so trash, The only thing that remains is the 5 pointed star thats on every clan enclaves flag a brutal reminder of what could have been if somalis were minimum 100 IQ, Anyways to sum it up we are currently in the Age of Cawaans/Jaahils and all these newbies will understand soon enough let them dream and be optimistic they will see soon they always do.

It’s funny how some people are obsessed with painting Somalia as this "backward" place, while in reality, Somalia has quietly leapfrogged past half the continent (and even parts of the so-called 'developed' world) in tech and business.

Today, you can open a business in Mogadishu in less than 48 hours, transfer money instantly across the country without a bank account, and see private citizens building schools, universities, ports, and even airports , all while other countries wait 3–5 business days just to move money.

Cities like Bosaso, Hargeisa, and Kismayo are growing faster than large parts of Ethiopia and Sudan , without the billions in foreign aid those countries depend on.

Meanwhile, some people are still mentally stuck in 1993, clinging to the tired image of Somalia as a Mad Max wasteland. Maybe the real "cawaan" mindset is thinking Somalia can’t change, just because you gave up on yourselves


For the record, I don’t support destabilizing Ethiopia or chasing mindless secessionist fantasies.
In reality, Somalis are ''already'' economically interconnected ,whether it's someone running businesses from Bosaso to Hargeisa, or trade routes that crisscross the whole peninsula.

No piece of land magically becomes "independent" just because someone slapped a new label on it Somaliland, Jubbaland, Puntlnad or anything else. Real separation would mean ''separate economies, separate infrastructures, separate networks''. That’s not happening and deep down, everyone knows it.


Meanwhile, Ethiopia, despite western propping, is stuck in endless ethnic deadlock and feudal oppression. Their biggest export right now is refugees, not innovation.


Unlike others, I don’t see qabil (clan ties) as a curse , I see it as what keeps Somalis socially and economically resilient. The way forward isn’t division or despair. It's building from the ground up: strong communities, local governance, minimal outside interference.


Somalia isn’t stagnant. It’s moving. It’s building. The people still dreaming and investing in their future aren’t "cawaans" , they’re the ones already writing Somalia’s next chapter.

 

[johnsepei5]

We discovered guns too late

Not enough people were literate,there should’ve been more sea explorers ,we should have kept links with Arabs

 

[JustSomeGuy]

Which groups would you nominate as among the Most Wasted Potential?

Not being bias at all, but Somalis are definitely apart of this list like times I just think about how high the ceiling is for Somalis it's a shame.

Somalis are the Single Largest Ethnic Group that encompasses the Largest Land Mass in all of Africa and they've maintained this despite competition being Significantly Larger than them as well as Tribal Affiliation making them sparse.

Somalis have a Distinct Advantage over other Africans given that there is only One Group and One Language within the Somali Peninsula being Somali people and the Somali Language while many African Nations struggle with Extreme Ethnic and Linguistic Competition, just Nigeria having 500 Languages and Hundreds of Ethnic Groups and very similarly with their neighbours Kenya and Ethiopia. But they're unable to recognize this Distinct Advantage.

Somali as been the Sole and Dominant Language of the Somali Peninsula and even when once a upon a time it was the very Centre of World Trade and was exposed to many different Groups, Languages and Customs Somali has not lost its position and Single Most Dominant Language of the Somali Peninsula.

Many West, Central and East African Nations not only deal with the hundreds of Languages within their Boarders but have to also deal with Colonial Languages as their Official Languages. With Angola having Portuguese as their Official and Tanzania having English amongst their Official Languages and Somalis only having Somalis as their Sole Languages with No Colonial or Other Language being spoken within.

In the 17th and 18th Century, the British made Reports on how Somalis despite their Tribal Affiliations would've unmistakably swept through East Africa had they not interfered.

This is the same Somalis that are divided and detached from one another through Tribal Affiliations.


Just Imagine If Somalis Completely Abandoned Tribal Affiliation and instead Subscribed to Somali Uniformity no doubt the Entirety of East Africa would've been Somaliweyn.

Wasted opportunity, could’ve had people in other East African nations learning Somali for better economic opportunities. Wasted potential man. We could’ve dominated the entire region.

 

[3LetterzMM]

Natives cause in theory they should have that extra smart Asian gene but they’re polar opposites prolly the stupidest group to touch earth

 

[Einar68]

every non-white or non-east asian group essentially