User:Luke Lofro/The Somali-Soviet Expedition of 1971

The expedition of 1971 was a complex, multidisciplinary academic project embarked upon jointly by the Somali Democratic Republic (SDR) and the Soviet Union. The purpose of the expedition was to assist and bolster the newly socialist SDR with cultural heritage and legitimacy. The research team was to conduct research on Somalian history and analyze the social structure and economy of Somalia at present. The expedition was primarily divided into two parts, archeological studies and sociological surveys. The most significant findings were related to Mohammed Abdullah Hassan's nation liberation movement. The expedition took place during a period of good relations between the SDR and the Soviet Union. The expedition though successful, did not amount to long term cooperation between the SDR and the Soviet union due to territorial disputes between Somalia and Ethiopia.

Background

The idea for a Soviet expedition in Somalia was originally the brainchild of Sergey R. Smirnov, deputy director of the institute of African Studies (IAS) in Moscow. Smirnov was a researcher whose expertise was in the Sudan and the Mahdist movement, and had taken an interest in Mohammed Abdullah Hassan. In 1963, Smirnov visited Somalia to collect documents and take oral testimony from relatives of Hassan. He was particularly interested in framing the national liberation movement of 1980-1921 differently than the British’s imperial interpretation. In addition to conducting this research, he also set out to negotiate terms for a large-scale Soviet-Somali research expedition. During his stay, Smirnov noted the stark difference between British and Italian backed schooling programs compared with those backed by the Soviet Union, writing in his diary about the, “strong need for the USSR to develop economic and academic relations with the Somali Republic”. When Smirnov returned to the Soviet Union, he proposed the idea for an expedition to trace the roots of Hassan’s campaign. Smirnov argued that an expedition in Somalia would raise the prestige of the IAS, and counter the British academic and economic influences which have increased in Somalia. Smirnov’s plan was not acted upon for a few years however. The expedition was finally approved in March 1968, but was then canceled perhaps because Smirnov died in 1969.

Preparation

The IAS relied on past expeditions for inspiration as to how to approach the Somalian expedition. Sergey Pavlovich Tolstov’s Khorezmian expedition was the most seminal of these expeditions. Famous for its “complex approach”, where a multidisciplinary team of archeologists, ethnographers, and technical development experts would conduct research simultaneously. The groups of researchers would work within their own field, but share findings amongst each other. Because of this precedent, the Somalian expedition would also be conducted by a multidisciplinary team of researchers, much in the same style. Additionally, when Vasiliy Solodovnikov became head of the IAS in 1964, he changed the direction of the IAS so that it was more geared toward solving practical problems instead of conducting research in a vacuum. Specifically, he believed that history could provide solutions to practical, contemporary issues.

Goals

The original goal of the Soviet-Somali expedition as articulated by Smirnov was to analyze and understand Mohammed Abdullah Hassan’s national liberation movement in Somalia from 1899-1920. Additionally, the Soviets aimed to survey and analyze the social structure of Somalia and evaluate the state involvement in the economy. This expedition was to produce a roadmap for further economic and political cooperation between the Soviet union and Somalia. Additionally, the Soviets were to evaluate and advise as to the condition of Somali-led enterprises. The Soviets also planned to review publication distribution and the state's capacity for information sharing. These aims were reflective of the Soviet’s practical approach as they wanted to use their research to assist in the day to day administration of the SDR.

Usable past

The primary goal of the expedition was to research and discover information that would bolster the cultural and historical legitimacy of the Barre regime. Siad Barre came to power in the 1969 Somalian coup d'état and adopted scientific socialist ideals, as such the Soviets were eager to assist the SDR. Specifically, the research team was to find evidence that would connect Siad Barre's Scientific socialism with Mohammed Abdullah Hassan's national liberation movement. Hassan was a key historical figure in Somalia and was revered as a nationalist hero who stood against the imperialists. It was for that reason that the Soviet research team was interested in Hassan, so that they could tie the socialist, state building efforts of the new government to this popular figure. All of this would be used as a new nationalism to rally the people and further the Barre regime’s legitimacy and grip on power.

Expedition

Ruins of Dervish fortifications at Taleh

The Soviet expedition arrived in Mogadishu on July 27 1971. They had planned on meeting with Abdurrahman Mohammed Abdullah the son of Hassan, and the man whom Smirnov had met on his earlier trip. Unfortunately, he died in 1966 and his archive of documents pertaining to Hassan was lost with him. The research team was able to interview three family members of Hassan and learned valuable information from them. The research team also met and coordinated with Somalian government officials to assess the state's archive of documents pertaining to the Dervish movement. The Soviets were also researching documents pertaining to the current state of affairs in Somalia. They conducted research at the "National Library, Lyubov Archives, educational establishments, ministries, and UN offices." They were able to do this because the research team had the blessing of Siad Barre and the department of the ministry of education. The research team then headed to the Northern regions and inspected a series of fortresses used by Hassan during the Dervish movement. Taleh was the first archeological site they visited. It was where Hassan had established his base of operations from 1910-1915. Due to the fact that it was bombarded by British artillery in 1920, it was in quite a state of ruin. The researchers conducted an archaeological survey of the area and moved on to Medeshi and Eyl, which were sites of substantial Dervish activity. The researchers inspected ruins of an old settlement in Medesh, and an abandoned fortress in Eyl, each yielded valuable information for the research team. Warsame and Nikiforov took an excursion to study the kingdom of Adal, which existed in and around the 1450s. They visited the city of Zeila which served as an important religious center in the Kingdom of Adal. Nikorav was disheartened to see that the site had fallen to ruin and could only be researched as an archaeological study. The following day they investigated the island of Sa’adin which served as a center of trade that connected Africa to places as far as China. In addition to the archaeological surveys, the research team conducted sociological surveys in Mogadishu. The survey questioned high school students and factory workers mainly about Marxist-Leninist principles and important Somalian historical events. The results of the expedition were published in a report entitled “Academic notes of the Soviet-Somali expedition” edited by V.G. Solodovnikov.

Members

members of the research team

Name	expertise	nationality
Nickolay D. Kosukhin	History	Russian
Petr I. Kupriyanov	History	Russian
Alexander V. Nikiforov	History	Russian
Valentin P. Gorodnov	Political Science	Russian
Evgeniy S. Sherr	Economics	Russian
Aw Jama Omar Isse	History	Somalian
Said Axmed Warsame	Archeology	Somalian

Findings

The research team found evidence that distanced Muhammed Hassan from the Mahdist movement. Through oral testimony, the research team determined that Hassan never claimed the title of Mahdi. Though he claims the title of Sayyid which denotes a descendance from the prophet Mohammed, the fact that he didn’t claim the title of Mahdi or religious messiah proved to the research team that he was a nationalist figure and less of a religious figure. The research team also found evidence of sedentary agriculture in Taleh. Surrounding the forts of Taleh, were large fields growing grains meant to feed the army. Additionally, they found that the army had a “clear four-tiered hierarchical structure”. Taleh also had evidence of trade, a legal system, and foreign relations. These facts and the archeological surveys of Eyl and Medehi led the research team to conclude that Hassan was in the process of state building, the center of which was Taleh.

The sociological survey showed that many citizens of the SDR have not experienced any real benefits from Barre regime. They found that there was a harsh, capitalist labor system that continued to exploit Somalis with low wages. The survey showed that Somalian workers and high school students had an understanding of socialist principles, though they also ended interviews with praise to Allah. This led the researchers to conclude that while Islam slows down the socialization of Somalia, it is not incompatible with socialism. The report made recommendations for investments in transitioning the Somali nomads from nomadic living to sedentary agriculture. They also warned against rushing this project, stressing it should be slow and methodical.

Legacy

The expedition primarily bolstered the Siad Barre regime. By connecting Hassan to Barre, the research team aligned Barre with a beloved historical figure, and provided Barre with a justification for detribalization. This justification came from the archeological findings of Taleh which showed that Hassan was in the process of state building. The research team recommended building a museum and statue in honor of Said Barre and his revolution. In the 1980’s a statue honoring Siad Barre was built. They also built a ‘museum of the revolution’ to commemorate the socialist government. The soviets gained an increased understanding of Africa and Somalia history. This led to an increased interest in Somalia in the USSR in the immediate future, as well as an expansion of foreign exchange students coming to Moscow from Somalia. This expedition could have foreshadowed a long and mutually beneficial relationship between Somalia and the USSR. Some members of the research team even returned to Somalia in 1973. However after the USSR decided to support Ethiopia in the Ogaden War, The USSR subsequently broke off relations with Somalia. This dashed any hope of long term cooperation between the two countries.

References

• Ivanova, Lyubov. "The Somali-Soviet Expedition of 1971-1972". Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies. 20: 74–82.
• Telepneva, Natalia. "A cultural heritage for national liberation? The Soviet-Somali historical expedition, Soviet African studies, and the Cold War in the Horn of Africa". International Journal of Heritage Studies. 26: 1185–1202 – via Taylor & Francis Online.