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PASTICHE: a compelling compendium
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“You'll have a good, secure life when being alive means more to you than security, love more than money, your freedom more than public or partisan opinion, when the mood of Beethoven's or Bach's music becomes the mood of your whole life … when your thinking is in harmony, and no longer in conflict, with your feelings … when you let yourself be guided by the thoughts of great sages and no longer by the crimes of great warriors … when you pay the men and women who teach your children better than the politicians; when truths inspire you and empty formulas repel you; when you communicate with your fellow workers in foreign countries directly, and no longer through diplomats...” ― Wilhelm Reich, Listen, Little Man!
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CYBERSECURITY
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
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FOREIGN POLICY
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NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY
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REX
TILLERSON
Secretary
of State
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U.S. CONGRESS
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U.S. MILITARY
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International Focus
Drought in East Africa: “If the rains do not come, none of us
will survive”
Nomadic pastoralists, whose livelihoods depend
on the health of their animals, are among the hardest hit by inadequate
rainfall.
A large double-decker truck is quickly making
its way towards Garadag from Fadigaab, in the south of Somaliland. It is
carrying nine families and what is left of their herds: some sheep, goats, and
donkeys. It is even carrying their homes – herders can dismantle their huts
quickly and rebuild them in different locations. This is what pastoralists have done for
centuries, following the movements of their animals and the changing seasons.
However, because of the drought's effects on the Horn of Africa, these
nine families have had to move six times between October
2016 and March 2017. They continue to seek drinkable water for
themselves and their animals, hoping they will be able to hold out for the
rainy season. The region was hit by an
18-month drought caused by El Niño and higher temperatures linked to
climate change. Now, in the midst of even more drought, the situation has
become catastrophic, causing crops to fail and cattle to die. In addition, the
lack of clean water increases the threat of cholera and other diseases.
Across Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and the
autonomous region of Somaliland, millions of families are facing severe hunger.
There are increasing concerns that the situation will get much worse. Droughts are not new to this region, but they
are intensifying. There is growing scientific analysis suggesting that climate
change aggravates their impacts.
For many in East Africa, the current drought is the worst in living
memory. We are now in the third year of very low rainfall coupled with high
temperatures, which have exhausted people’s ability to cope with drier
conditions and scarce and unpredictable rains.
The drought has left exceptional numbers of people without most or all
of their livestock. Nomadic pastoralists live on harsher lands and receive
little support from governments. More frequent droughts are making it harder
for people to recover between shocks, making them more vulnerable to the next
crisis.
In eastern
Somaliland, which has been ravaged by this catastrophe, Oxfam has witnessed
entire communities on the move, desperately searching for water and pasture,
and chasing the rains that have been forecast but are yet to materialize. Many
say that this drought is worse than the one in 2011, which left a quarter of a
million people dead and vast herds of livestock completely wiped out. This left
survivors without the means to feed themselves or make a living. Nimo Mohamed, 40, has been suffering
from diarrhea for a few weeks. Her husband and daughter-in-law are in the
hospital, so she is looking after her grandchild on her own. This morning, she
walked to the airport in search of food and water distribution, but found
nothing there. In her small village, Mohamed had taken care of 170
animals. But, she says, they started "dropping like flies." Now, she
has less than 30 sheep and goats. "If the rains don't come, we'll die very
soon," she says. "We don't have any food. We all share what we have -
it is the only way to survive."
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| Nimo Mohamed |
Mahmoud Geedi Ciroobay is from Kalsheikh, 37
miles away from where the pastoralists have settled near Garadag. “This drought is slowly killing everything,” says
Ciroobay. “First it ‘swept away’ the land and the pastures; then it ‘swept
away’ the animals, which first became weaker and weaker and eventually died.
Soon, it is going to ‘sweep away’ people. People are sick with flu, diarrhea,
and measles. If they don’t get food, clean water, and medicines, they will die
like their animals.” His family once
owned more than 1000 animals: 400 sheep, plus goats and camels. Six months ago,
they started moving in search of better pastures and more water for their
animals. They moved to the area of Erigavo, then outside of El Alfweyn. “In the
last six months, we have moved six times in total – and every time we move, we
lose more livestock.”
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| Mahmoud Geedi Ciroobay |
Farhia Mohamad Geedi is 25 years old. She came
here with her four-year-old daughter, Zeinab, her mother, and the rest of
her family in hopes of finding new pastures for the few animals in their care.
They used to own 100 goats and 100 sheep, but none survived. “Our animals started dying in
October-November. The last animals we had died in February. So now we help our
relatives looking after theirs. Together, we all decided to move here, as there
are some pastures nearby and it could be better for our livestock,” she says. “We have moved four times in the last four
months. We were trying to follow the rain – moving according to where the rains
were supposed to come. But they haven’t. If the rains don’t come, none of us
will survive.”
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| Farhia Mohamad Geedi |
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SOUTH AFRICA
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LIBYA
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NIGERIA
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NIGER
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SOMALIA
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KENYA
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TUNISIA
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READ
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RUSSIA
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NOTE: The news sources here vary. Not all sources have the same credibility, but in an effort to share some different perspectives, they are included here. This compendium itself cannot claim to be unbiased. Please take into consideration where these different perspectives originate in assessing their value. Thank you
NOTE: I have no official connection to any organization from which information is shared.. Occasionally, I post informational material and/or an opportunity to donate or join as a "community service" announcement. These again are shared for their varying perspectives.
Any books listed are random or topic-related to something else in the post. Think of these as a "library bookshelf" to browse. They are shared for informational or entertainment value only, not as being recommended
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