Why We Don't Condemn Our Pirates

As the first pirate attack of a U.S. ship in 200 years comes to a climax, I'm re-posting an essay I solicited and received several weeks ago from K'naan, a Somali-Canadian singer and activist. A video of a performance by K'naan that I filmed at the All Points West music festival last summer appears below. -- Michael Vazquez

Why We Don't Condemn Our Pirates
by K'naan

Can anyone ever really be for piracy? Outside of sea bandits, and young girls fantasizing of Johnny Depp, would anyone with an honest regard for good human conduct really say that they are in support of Sea Robbery?

Well, in Somalia, the answer is: it's complicated.

The news media these days has been covering piracy in the Somali coast with such
lop-sided journalism, that it's lucky they're not on a ship themselves. It's true that the constant hijacking of vessels in the Gulf of Aden is a major threat to the vibrant trade route between Asia and Europe. It is also true that for most of the pirates operating in this vast shoreline, money is the primary objective.

But according to so many Somalis, the disruption of Europe's darling of a trade route, is just Karma biting a perpetrator in the butt. And if you don't believe in Karma, maybe you believe in recent history. Here is why we Somalis find ourselves slightly shy of condemning our pirates.

Somalia has been without any form of a functioning government since 1991. And although its failures, like many other toddler governments in Africa, sprung from the wells of post-colonial independence, bad governance and development loan sharks, the specific problem of piracy was put in motion in 1992.

After the overthrow of Siyad Barre, our charmless dictator of twenty-some-odd years, two major forces of the Hawiye Clan came to power. At the time, Ali Mahdi, and General Mohamed Farah Aidid, the two leaders of the Hawiye rebels, were largely considered liberators. But the unity of the two men and their respective sub-clans was very short-lived. It's as if they were dumbstruck at the advent of ousting the dictator, or that they just forgot to discuss who will be the leader of the country once they defeated their common foe.

A disagreement of who will upgrade from militia leader to Mr. President broke up their honeymoon. It's because of this disagreement that we've seen one of the most decomposing wars in Somalia's history, leading to millions displaced and hundreds of thousands dead.

But war is expensive and militias need food for their families, and Jaad (an amphetamine-based stimulant) to stay awake for the fighting. Therefore, a good clan -based Warlord must look out for his own fighters. Aidid's men turned to robbing aid trucks carrying food to the starving masses, and re-selling it to continue their war. But Ali Mahdi had his sights set on a larger and more unexploited resource, namely: the Indian Ocean.

Already by this time, local fishermen in the coastline of Somalia have been complaining of illegal vessels coming to Somali waters and stealing all the fish. And since there was no government to report it to, and since the severity of the violence clumsily overshadowed every other problem, the fishermen went completely unheard.

But it was around this same time that a more sinister, a more patronizing practice was being put in motion. A Swiss firm called Achair Parterns, and an Italian waste company called Achair Parterns, made a deal with Ali Mahdi, that they were to dump containers of waste material in Somali waters. These European companies were said to be paying Warlords about $3 a ton, whereas to properly dispose of waste in Europe costs about $1000 a ton.

In 2004, after a tsunami washed ashore several leaking containers, thousand of locals in the Puntland region of Somalia started to complain of severe and previously unreported ailments, such as abdominal bleeding, skin melting off and a lot of immediate cancer-like symptoms. Nick Nuttall, a spokesman for the United Nations Environmental Program, says that the containers had many different kinds of waste, including "Uranium, radioactive waste, lead, Cadmium, Mercury and chemical waste." But this wasn't just a passing evil from one or two groups taking advantage of our unprotected waters. The UN envoy for Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, says that the practice still continues to this day. It was months after those initial reports that local fishermen mobilized themselves, along with street militias, to go into the waters and deter the Westerners from having a free pass at completely destroying Somalia's aquatic life. Now years later, the deterring has become less noble, and the ex-fishermen with their militias have begun to develop a taste for ransom at sea. This form of piracy is now a major contributor to the Somali economy, especially in the very region that private toxic waste companies first began to burry our nation's death trap.

Now Somalia has upped the world's pirate attacks by over 21 percent in one year, and while NATO and the EU are both sending forces to the Somali coast to try and slow down the attacks, Blackwater and all kinds of private security firms are intent on cashing in. But while Europeans are well in their right to protect their trade interest in the region, our pirates were the only deterrent we had from an externally imposed environmental disaster. No one can say for sure that some of the ships they are now holding for ransom were not involved in illegal activity in our waters. The truth is, if you ask any Somali, if getting rid of the pirates only means the continuous rape of our coast by unmonitored Western Vessels, and the producing of a new cancerous generation, we would all fly our pirate flags high.

It is time that the world gave the Somali people some assurance that these Western illegal activities will end, if our pirates are to seize their operations. We do not want the EU and NATO serving as a shield for these nuclear waste-dumping hoodlums. It seems to me that this new modern crisis is truly a question of justice, but also a question of whose justice.

As is apparent these days, one man's pirate is another man's coast guard.

K'naan performs at the All Points West Music festival, 2008.

 

Comments

[Sarah Ripley-Orille]

""Residents say that the pirates are building houses, buying flashy cell phones and air-conditioned SUVs, gifting friends and relatives with hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars and winning the attention of beautiful women, who seem to be flocking to pirate towns from miles around.

Shopkeepers charge the pirates a premium for food and khat — a narcotic leaf that Somali men chew religiously — but the buccaneers don't seem to mind.

"It is true," said a 28-year-old pirate who identified himself as Jama. "We are getting very rich."

Jama, who described himself as a high-ranking member of a group based in Eyl, has earned $375,000 as a pirate, enough to buy a Toyota Land Cruiser and to begin building a six-bedroom house in Garowe, the regional capital, for his family.

His biggest payday came last month, when he earned a $92,000 share of a $1.3 million ransom for a Greek ship, the MV Centauri, which was released after 10 weeks with its crew unharmed.""



So much for helping their own! Dont get me wrong dumping was so WRONG! but even if the dumping didnt happen, the pirates where there before and will be after, so blaming the dumping is ludacris! either one has nothing to do with the other!

"Here is why we Somalis find ourselves slightly shy of condemning our pirates".
. Give me a brake! and that is why it will never get any better for the Somalis

[GeorgeP922]

Why should I care what Somalia deals with, alot of countries are lawless, have problems, so what?

These guys are gangsters, working for a gangster boss.

Same as it is on every street, in every country.

Point is, like the mafia here, we can execute all their henchmen at sea, but their millionaire bosses have plenty of 100 bills to wag in the faces of other poor boys.

So if we want to deal with the problems in Somalia, we must take out the gangster bosses, in a lawless country Im sure ANYONE with great wealth and big houses is some type of gangster.
Reports are multimillion dollar homes are in mid construction right now.

Bill Clinton didn't have the luxury of a predator drone..............

[joebloe]

So if I read the history right it was originally a Somali "selling out" that brought the pollution to Somali shores. While I am empathetic to the plight of those stricken by pollution and overfishing, shouldn't the Somalis be looking inward to resolve their own differences and work for their own common good. It apears from the outside looking in that all factions are more interested in their own gain instead of solving the propblems of all.

While I may sympatize with why someone robs me, it doesn't mean I will let him continue it.

[gsuescum]

Agreed. Instead of turning on innocent ships. Maybe they should turn on their leaders who allow toxic waste to be dumped off their shore.

Greenpeace targets ships dumping waste. I would be more sympathetic of a Somali version if it went only after those intending to dump toxic waste.

[ThemisDike]

"Pirates"! Think before making last judgement:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i67euACNhmA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrwgiprDBtA

[Donald Speirs]

Let me see if I get this correctly. Because no one can identify if the Maersk Alaska, a cargo ship, or a French luxury sailboat, were a part of these allleged crimes against the people of Somalia, it is allowable for these people to commit act of seaborne terrorism against the people on the boats. Oh, but they come from countries accused of perpetrating these acts, so therefore they must be guilty by association - thus, these acts are also justifiable?

I keep reading all the folks here who seem to approve of this behavior. My question to them is simply this: if you think our actions are outrageous, why are you not over there, trying to physcally assist in making this coutry more stable, better able to stand up in the world community and fight these alleged abuses?

Even the gentleman who wrote this essay is a Somali who lives in CANADA. Not in Somalia. Because he can't stomach the idea of actually living amongst the lawlessness. No, from a distance he waxes rhapsodic about his wronged homeland, all the while enjoying a standard of living he cannot even dream of as an artist in his homeland.

All these comments prove to me one thing - it sure is nice living in a country with freedom of speech. I am sure if you lived in a country like Somalia and made such negative statements about the existing power struucture in that country you'd probably not like the new bullet

[gbrooks]

I don't think anyone's justifying the acts of piracy on innocent ships, but speaking for myself, I like to know both sides of the story. How many Somalis living in Somalia do you think have access to an internet connection to tell their side of the story? I mean, seriously.

It's very difficult to cure a disease without knowing what causes it. You kill-happy types might want to ponder that for a bit.

[agentpolsky]

Both sides of the story is fine, unless you're the one with a gun to his head. In that case, I'd much prefer the Navy SEALS settle the matter...

[smurt1]

one man's coast guard is another man's much weaker navy.

live by the gun, die by the gun. I am sure these pirates are a swashbuckling lot with their own loyalties and code of honor. Unfortunately, pointing a gun at someone can get you shot out there, as these most recent casualties have exemplified.

I guess what I'm saying is, go ahead, be a pirate, but don't come running to me when you get your legs shot off by the U.S. military!

[yuenzzzz]

You can't doubt that the US took care of the situation, but we'll have to wait to see what the long-term consequences of how they handled it will be. Still, these are some reasons to be a pirate, and getting shot by snipers isn't one of them: http://www.toptentopten.com/topten/reasons+to+be+a+pirate. Let's only hope that they dress up like Che Guevara.

[observatrice]

At last an article who gives another side of the Somali piracy story! Having worked in Somalia for several years, I am aware of the complexity of the situation. I have heard the fishermen's stories of the depleting of their waters and the frustration of the Somali NGOs who have tried to denounce the dumping of toxic waste and illegal fishing of their coast. Since it did not hurt the interest of the big companies, nobody cared: now of course everybody does! The outrage seems so hyprocritical!

Of course, it does not justify the acts of piracy, but it sheds another light on the story that many of the commentators seem to ignore. The pirates are no Robin Hoods of the sea, but have very seldom killed their hostages. There is much worse going on in those same waters, such as the trafficking of people but nobody seems to care because the victims are poor and powerless.

[Sarah Ripley-Orille]

Once again, as Joe bloe said......."It seems that Somalis "selling out" that brought the pollution to Somali shores. While I am empathetic to the plight of those stricken by pollution and overfishing, shouldn't the Somalis be looking inward to resolve their own differences and work for their own common good. "
So very true!!

[cimbalok]

Every time I read about pirates I want to spit. Here's my own take on this over-rated subject:

http://psychicaccordionist.blogspot.com/2009/04/want-it-attract-it.html

It's a diatribe on why the whole pirate issue is one of our own creation. Why it's so hard to imagine positive events as opposed to negative is beyond me. Except that I remember being a teenager and getting caught up in all the drama. Yeah, it's seductive.

And, like a lot of seductive drama, it gets old.

[Firststater]

The Somali pirates are compared to a national coastguard patrolling the Somali coast. This is such a misnomer that it is worst than absurd. These former fishermen are international terrorists operating lawlessly on the high seas with no rules and no mercy. If these terrorists were attacking Swiss and Italian vessels, one could perhaps have sympathy for the Somali cause. But they are attacking whomever they can apprehend under fear of death and/or sinking. People are dying as a result of the lawlessness.

The other story is that a Somali was equally as guilty for the toxic dumping as those who performed the tasks. By the way, why have the Somalis allowed Ali Mahdi Muhammad to live peacefully in Mogadishu after literally selling his countrymen out for $3 a ton of toxic waste as they blame the rest of the world? Excuses, Excuses!

[bizchick86]

I believe what the author is saying is that Somali seamen originated because they have no official navy and had little means of protecting their own resources, to which they are very will entitled. The coastguard comparison refers to these original "pirates."

Of course, as is apparent, you have exceptions to these and some have reacted with greed; however, the crux of this article should not be lost, nor our concern and support of a people suffering from toxic waste and hunger. I wonder how sympathetic one really is to "the cause" if they allow exceptions to override the fundamental and pervasive injustices that have led to their reactions.

[H2Opolomom]

With pirates on the rise, and terrorism always lurking, why are ships are sea not allowed to protect themselves against such incidents? Is the international waters issue getting in the way? Pilots are allowed to fight back if there is a potential hijacking - why not those at sea? Yet another double standard.

[Lochmon]

The various navies attempting to patrol against piracy point out that they're trying to cover a million square miles, or something like that. How about instead they just patrol the line where Somalia's water ends and international water begins? Nobody goes in, nobody goes out--except UN-sanctioned aid--until Somalia once again has a government capable of taking up the job.

[ramblin jack]

Of course its the fault of the West everything in Africa right. Somalia is a sad tragic country but trying to blame the piracy on the hijacked is the same old tired excuse for Africa that we have been hearing for nigh on 50 years.

[LetMeUnderstandThis]

Piracy is an act of aggression similar to Terrorism, the circumstances in many cases are the same. So Pirates need to be dealt with in the proper manner, you use a gun a gun will be used on you.

[hunt49]

If a swamp develops, and alligators arise, one must work to drain the swamp -- but deal with the alligators first.

They may have been fisherman once, but they certainly aren't now. Yes, how they got there is important -- but you have to acknowledge what they've become.