This text by Iman Mohamed explores the enduring legacy of Italian colonialism in southern Somalia’s Shabeelle valley, where forced labor and exploitation shaped both landscape and memory.
A cacophony of ghosts haunts the banks of the Webi Shabeelle (lit. the leopard river) in southern Somalia. Local traditions tell stories of what the river’s crocodiles did to people who crossed its waters without spiritual permission. Only the baxaar, traditional healers and custodians of the crocodiles, could offer safe passage in exchange for the payment of levies. Over the past three decades, this practice has been suspended as guns have replaced tolls and amulets as the means to secure access and resources during the civil war. In a drought-prone country, this riverine valley stands out as flush with the greenery of coconut palm and mango trees. Because of this, many forces have tried to control these waterways and their rich alluvial soils. Recognizing its agricultural potential, the Italian colonial state laid the foundations of its modern plantation complex, violently transforming the region.
The river hosts a dark symbol of this colonial past: keli asaayle, the canal of mourning.
This canal poses a stark contrast to a brighter story Somalis collectively tell of anti-colonial resistance movements in the early and mid-20th centuries. With the passing of the last generation who bore witness to colonial rule, this triumphant narrative of courage is the only remainder of colonialism in the national imaginary. What place is there for the canal of mourning in this narrative?