Rebranding Somaliland as The Horn of Africa Republic
“The Republic of Somalia”, which was born from the union of Somaliland and South Somalia on July 1, 1960, became an extinct country in 1991, and the efforts of the international community to revive it are still in vain with no hope in sight in the foreseeable future.
Despite its development, reputation, and her engagement with the world as a viable sovereign state, Somaliland Republic has been embroiled in a dilemma of distancing itself from the name “Somalia” as it has not been a part of that union for the last 30 years.
Today’s politics in the Horn of Africa are compelling to revise the roadmap for realizing the Somaliland case, given how things have been going for the last 30 years.
The name of Somalia has overshadowed and made Somaliland’s name an obscure one, which most of the world does not know that they are two different countries.
Somaliland must distinguish itself from its neighbor in every form and shape possible.
If you are confronted with a dilemma, it is human nature to break it into pieces and try to solve one piece at a time. Somaliland has forged home-grown solutions for many problems that confronted her since resuming her sovereignty and independence in 1991, and she can adopt new one to avoid such confusion and misunderstanding over these two closely related names.
There is so much in a name and it is the distinction that sets an entity apart from the rest. It is an identification that stands you out of the crowd. It is about a time to rebrand Somaliland by revisiting the country’s official name
One of the major obstacles and impediments to the success of the Somaliland case for the past 30 years, in quite large segment of Somaliland opinions, is the name of the country which is not much different from that of Somalia and cannot be easily distinguished between the two.
Many countries in Africa and in the rest of the world have changed the names imposed by their colonizers. These countries include Ceylon to Sri Lanka, Burma to Myanmar, Alto Volta to Burkina Faso, Bechuanaland to Botswana, Nyasaland to Malawi, Gold Coast to Ghana, Swaziland to eSwatini, and Rhodesia to Zimbabwe.
The cost of changing a name is not cheap either. The Constitution, citizen identification documents, country’s map and money, and official stationery have to change as well. Everything that bears the name of the country must be changed. However, the aspirations of the Somaliland people to reap the rewards of their nationhood are more important than anything else.
Ahmed J Yassin
Ajyassin4@gmail.com
Jacksonville, Florida USA
Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author/authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Somaliland Intellectuals Institute (SII), its partners, or sponsors. SII is a non-partisan organization that seeks to publish well-argued, policy-oriented articles on Somaliland foreign policy and nation's priorities in education, healthcare, economy, energy, and infrastructure.