The President of the Republic of Somaliland, H.E. Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi Irro, attended on Tuesday the opening of the two-day National Cultural Conference held at Mansoor Hotel.
The conference is the first Cultural Conference of its kind to be held in Somaliland, was organized with high esteem by the Ministry of Information, Culture and National Guidance, spear-headed by Minister Sheikh Ahmed-Yasin Sheikh Ali Ayaanle.
The Somaliland Cultural Conference focuses on, and discusses, the lifestyle of Somaliland Society in general, especially issues of importance and priority for the people of the Republic of Somaliland in terms of culture, heritage, language, creativity, literature and fine arts. In particular, the National Cultural Conference focuses on nine topics:
- The Importance of Culture and Heritage,
- Marriage and Culture,
- Tribalism and Discrimination,
- Modernity and the Influence of Culture,
- Knowledge and Culture,
- Language and Literature,
- Livestock, Agriculture and Hospitality,
- Child Education and Culture,
- Politics and Culture,
The Head of State, who delivered a historic speech at the forum that touched on many aspects, described the symposiums as a very valuable one as per reflection on the cultural history that the nation and the people subscribe to vis-à-vis the modern times. He said that it would provide a complete picture of the best way for the nation to develop in the future and benefit from our nobly rich culture.
The President, while speaking about the relationship between culture and the existence of society, said:
“Culture is the spirit of society. It is the foundation of lineage and the fabric of the nation. It is the thread that weaves us together from generation to generation, so that we do not fall apart. It is the guide of our values, our behavior and our religion.”
While speaking about the originality of our rich culture, he said:
“Our culture is a native culture that has not been imported from abroad like some societies. It is a culture that reflects the history of our pastoral life, our Islamic faith, and the stories embedded in our heritages that reflect the thousands of years that we have inherited from our ancestors.”
The President, while speaking about the dignity and unique qualities of our culture, said:
“Our culture is a culture known for its respect for dignity, good ethics, and profound knowledge, the vessel of which was our language, especially the poems that our ancestors preserved for us, which is one of the main reasons why the richness of our language has been preserved through the oral literature passed down from generations.”
The President said that he expects “good resolutions from the Cultural Conference, so that it can be a starting point for the change that we, as a nation, will strengthen, protect, and express our culture, and prevent it from being lost to our future generations”.
