DJIBOUTI
COUNTRY #22
Kamil
Kamil’s Wisdom:
“We are the Afar community. My mother was born here and so was I. We welcome visitors with tenderness and kindness. It’s reciprocal. Visitors bring us medicine and supplies because we don’t have a hospital here”
About The Afar
The Afar people, also known as the Danakil, are an ethnic group who inhabit the Djibouti-Eritrea-Ethiopia tri-border region. This area is notably one of the hottest and driest places on Earth and is home to many different species of wildlife due to its unique climate. The Afar are believed to have originated from the Arabian Peninsula and are traditionally nomadic pastoralists. Most practice Islam but also recognize traditional beliefs which include ancestor worship for religious practices conducted by elders. Traditionally living nomadically in the desert regions of Djibouti, their main sources of income were cattle herding, fishing, and small-scale trade. Today their culture is slowly becoming more sedentary and many members engage in agricultural labor such as farming and subsistence hunting or involve themselves in business trade with nearby countries. The Afar language encompasses a distinct set of dialects that is spoken across the entirety of Djibouti’s neighboring states including Ethiopia and Eritrea. Although they make up around 12% of Djibouti's population, their unique culture remains a large part of the country's rich diversity.
About Djibouti
Situated on the coast of eastern Africa, Djibouti is a small country that has been home to various civilizations stretching back centuries. Ancient Greek traders used it as a port of call in their travels between India, Egypt and the east coast of Africa. By the seventeenth century, its strategic location led foreign powers to compete for control over the area. The French ultimately won out and controlled the region as French Somaliland until 1977 when it declared its independence and became the Republic of Djibouti. Its landscape features a variety of desert plains, low mountains, crater lakes and marshlands. Djibouti has several distinct ethnic groups with Somali (around 60%) being the largest followed by Afar (35%). The official language is French and Islam is practiced by 98% of the population, making it one of the most religiously homogenous countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Republic of Djibouti is also home to some of the world's busiest ports and serves as an important shipping hub. Along with serving as one of America's strategic naval bases in the area, fishing, livestock rearing and tourism are identified as key economic sectors for global development initiatives in Djibouti.
TRAVELOGUE
Chapter 22: Djibouti
Coming Soon…