Personal

Division Multiplied

Documentary · 2015 to 2016 · 23 photographs

Somaliland was founded in 1991 with a constitution that gives all citizens equal rights. In daily life, this is not true. Clans that own livestock still hold more power, and they get the best jobs and schools. Other clans have fewer chances because of the group they were born into, although some individuals make a decent living. This project looks at the daily lives of people from the discriminated clans. It uses photography to show how segregation and discrimination work and what they cost.

Division Multiplied, photo 01. Girls spend a weekend afternoon at Seraha park in Borama.
01Girls spend a weekend afternoon at Seraha park in Borama. Families and young people from the city and nearby towns go there.
Division Multiplied, photo 02. "If passing is not by encouragement but by birth, his guts say he has been demoted."
02"If passing is not by encouragement but by birth, his guts say he has been demoted." Yahye Yebash
Division Multiplied, photo 03. Young men celebrate Eid al-Adha in Hargeisa.
03Young men celebrate Eid al-Adha in Hargeisa.
Division Multiplied, photo 04. A local video spot.
04A local video spot. After the war, electricity was hard to get and TV sets cost too much, so people gathered here to watch Bollywood films and football matches.
Division Multiplied, photo 05. Guests at a wedding party take photos as the bride and groom arrive.
05Guests at a wedding party take photos as the bride and groom arrive.
Division Multiplied, photo 06. Men read newspapers outside a telecom office in downtown Hargeisa.
06Men read newspapers outside a telecom office in downtown Hargeisa. Newspapers are sold here, and young men come to read the job notices. Somaliland has high unemployment.
Division Multiplied, photo 07. "Three are the weakest men: the one who does not sew for himself, the one who does not decide for himself, and the one who does not save for
07"Three are the weakest men: the one who does not sew for himself, the one who does not decide for himself, and the one who does not save for himself." Somali proverb
Division Multiplied, photo 08. A barbershop in Burao.
08A barbershop in Burao. Barbering is a common trade among the Gabooye clans.
Division Multiplied, photo 09. A farmer on a farm in Arabsiyo.
09A farmer on a farm in Arabsiyo.
Division Multiplied, photo 10. A girl draws henna designs.
10A girl draws henna designs.
Division Multiplied, photo 11. Blacksmithing is a common trade among the Gabooye clans.
11Blacksmithing is a common trade among the Gabooye clans.
Division Multiplied, photo 12. Yasin and Samira
12Yasin and SamiraYasin's family learned that he planned to marry Samira, a woman from the Gabooye clans. His older brother beat him and had him jailed to stop the marriage. After his release, Yasin asked his family again to accept his choice. His brother stripped him of his clothes and threw him out of the house. When the family heard that he had married, they held a fake funeral for him. He has not seen his mother or his siblings in four years.
Division Multiplied, photo 13. Barkhad Jama Hirsi speaks on a panel called "Clanism and its obstacles to education", organised by the Anti-Clanism Extinction Movement.
13Barkhad Jama Hirsi speaks on a panel called "Clanism and its obstacles to education", organised by the Anti-Clanism Extinction Movement.Barkhad was an adviser on minorities and social issues to the President of Somaliland. He resigned at the start of 2015. He felt his post was only symbolic and that the government did little to push for minority rights.
Division Multiplied, photo 14. Artists perform at an event of WADANI, one of the official opposition parties in Somaliland.
14Artists perform at an event of WADANI, one of the official opposition parties in Somaliland. It is the only opposition party that calls for equality and promises more space for minority clans.
Division Multiplied, photo 15. Portrait of King Ahmed Iman Warsame, king of the Gabooye clans.
15Portrait of King Ahmed Iman Warsame, king of the Gabooye clans.
Division Multiplied, photo 16. Left: a petition from a representative of the Somaliland protectorate to the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
16Left: a petition from a representative of the Somaliland protectorate to the Secretary-General of the United Nations. It cites treaties between the United Kingdom and some Somali clans. These agreements still shape the clan system in Somaliland. Right: Muse Haji Ismail Galal and Jirde Aw Ali outside Buckingham Palace in London. Mustafa's grandfather, a retired police officer of the Somaliland protectorate, is one of the two.
Division Multiplied, photo 17. Elders and clan leaders of the Gabooye in Burao, with the executive director of Adam Academy, an organisation that develops and empowers min
17Elders and clan leaders of the Gabooye in Burao, with the executive director of Adam Academy, an organisation that develops and empowers minorities in Somaliland. They attended an event of the National Electoral Commission for voting card registration.One elder on the panel said: "We have no clear representation in politics. We should elect from our own people, and we should support our leaders."
Division Multiplied, photo 18. Children play in Daami, an area of Hargeisa where Gabooye clans live.
18Children play in Daami, an area of Hargeisa where Gabooye clans live.
Division Multiplied, photo 19. "Knowledge is Power", written on a wall at a primary school in Kililka, Hargeisa.
19"Knowledge is Power", written on a wall at a primary school in Kililka, Hargeisa.
Division Multiplied, photo 20. "They have been blamed, but they never hurt anyone.
20"They have been blamed, but they never hurt anyone. / They had their own will, but never had blood on their hands. / They are moving from their places, but they never hurt anyone. / They decided to migrate, moving unseen. / They might change nationality as well. / They might take revenge, but never swore to it." Yahye Yebash
Division Multiplied, photo 21. A tent used as a home in an IDP camp in Kililka, Hargeisa.
21A tent used as a home in an IDP camp in Kililka, Hargeisa. An IDP camp is a camp for internally displaced people: people who had to leave their homes but stayed in their own country.
Division Multiplied, photo 22. "Geed walba in gubtaa wa hoos taallaa."
22"Geed walba in gubtaa wa hoos taallaa." Each tree has enough grass under it to burn it down. Somali proverb
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