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In Nuruddin Farah's novel, “Secrets,” we learn that Somalis have layers of, cultural, clan, family and individual secrets. They can hold and stay tight-lipped about these secrets, which if unveiled could have repercussions for many years. The society is so secrecy-ridden that even the deadly AIDS is given the code name “caateeye,” or the “slim disease.” In this way, neither the killer disease nor the identity of the soon-to-die patient is revealed. Every now and then, though, unexpected social or natural waves come around and stir up the state of secrecy, throw out every thing in to the open air, and expose the collective guilt of the society. It is only after such happenings that what was yesterday's secret becomes today's much talked about subject. For Somali society, it is not uncommon that someone would learn about the divorce of his/her mother and father only when the patriarch is on his deathbed.
Likewise, Somalis have recently found that the Indonesian Tsunami in December stirred up the nuclear and other toxic waste materials that had lain secretly undisturbed in the Somali shores for more than a decade. Jonathan Clayton of Johannesburg, referring to United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), says that “initial reports indicate that the Tsunami waves broke open containers full of toxic waste and scattered the contents” which include “everything from medical waste to chemicals.”
Not secret anymore is the serious diseases that nuclear and waste materials, dumped in this stateless, ancient land of northeast Africa, can cause both in the short- and long-term. When these materials come in contact with humans, never-seen before diseases will come part of our not-so-secret vocabularies. As graphically described in M. Gaildon's article, “Radio Active Waste on the Shores: A Call for Action” (Wardheernews, March 12, 2005), hematopoietic syndrome, neurological disorder, ulcer bleeding, revulsion and gene mutations are some of the terminologies we need to familiarize ourselves with. And worse, “low levels of radiation” from these materials “can induce cancer and lead to gene alteration in “cells, … or cell killing.” This certainly terrifies us all! But the real secret that is yet to be revealed is who are those western companies that have taken advantage of this nation – a nation that has lately been inflicted with another damning disease, known as self-hating syndrome (Said Samatar) and laid down the foundation of what could be the annihilation of millions of innocent citizens? And who are the local agents who have collaborated with greedy, old dead white men-owned multinationals that have decided to potentially poison the pristine Somali shores.
We must look for answers to Italy's Famiglia Cristiana newspaper and to the Greenpeace party. As Clyton describes it, in 1997 and 1998, the Greenpeace and the Famiglia Cristiana “jointly investigated a serious of articles” that placed the Italian waste broker, Progresso, in the center of our secret dumping. And, boom, in the center of this secret episode is our own North Mogadishu warlord, Ali Mahdi Mohamed, and his government, who accepted $80 million in exchange of 10 million tones of toxic materials dumped in Somalia's shores. And more secret dumping and the murder of journalists, as reported by VOA, March 16, 2005, is done under the current Mogadishu warlords who are yet to be scrutinized. As to past Mafia secrets in Somalia, we turn to a less known, but fascinating article (Horn of Africa journal, 1982) written by G. Miller, a medical anthropologist. In it, he presented a persuasive case that Italian Mafia fully controlled Somalia's fruits export, insurance business, livestock and pharmaceutical plants, thereby documenting how Somalia's plants had been processed by European pharmaceutical companies into some of the widely used medical drugs. This is a secret that could only be stirred up by another force as powerful as the Indonesian Tsunami that just blew up the cover off of one our deadliest secrets – the nuclear and waste dumpsites in our own (shore) backyard. Mr. Gaildon, in his short, yet critical article, advanced some valuable recommendations and has already planted the seeds for a plan of action to deal with this predicament. The UN and the European Union are identified as the agents for future clean up. In addition, I would like to recommend the following:
• A team of Somali and non-Somali legal experts must be identified to follow up and contact the Famiglia Cristiana and the Italian Greenpeace to build on what these groups have so far done. Make all those involved accountable for recent and past dumps and have them reveal all that they know. • The Transitional Federal Government of Cabdullahi Yusuf and Prime Minister CAli Maxammed Geedi, if it ever survives, shall establish special czar to work on this matter with the UN and EU for a comprehensive clean up program. • The Somali nationals whose relatives have fallen victim of this deliberate poisoning in the hands of multinational companies must seek and retain legal representation here in the west with the decided goal to seek compensation for their impacted relatives. • For this is a sinister and a racist deliberate action against the stateless, and helpless African Somalis, Somali community groups in the U.S.A. must publicize and disseminate information about this issue, particularly among the African American communities in major cities. Transafrica must be contacted to publicize this matter. Secrets take their own toll. This time around, the secret dumping of toxic and nuclear waste materials in Somalia's shore is expected to exact a much serious toll on both Somalis and the people in the region that may even change our daily health and medical vocabularies for a long time to come. If not quickly addressed, the West would certainly be watching CNN airing of the death of many Somalis and other East Africans in mass. Faisal Roble E-mail: fabroble@aol.com
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