A Meeting with a Man who Changed History in Somaliland

Muse Abdijama of Las Geel, Somaliland
When leaving Las Geel, the gate guard, Muse Abdijama, requested a lift, and during our bumpy ride to the main road, he revealed that he was the person responsible for leading the 2002 French team to this site. With my friend Muhyadiin translating, he recounted his tale in a stoic tone.
‘The French group arrived in Berbera and went east. But they did not know where the paintings were. They had seen drawings of them, but that was all. They looked for three or four weeks before they came here. If they travelled west first, they would have found it quicker.’
Muse paused and looked outside the window before continuing.
‘They came to my house and asked me if I had seen the paintings. I said yes, and they asked me to draw them. So I took a stick and drew them in the dirt. They were very interested in what I drew, and they talked to each other a lot. They asked me if I could take them to the paintings. I said that I would, and we went there.’
He halted speaking, but there were still more to learn, so I asked ‘What did the French people do when they saw the paintings?’
Muse replied, ‘They were very excited. They laughed and jumped and were very happy. They stayed for a while and went to Hargeisa to tell the President.’
With barely a change in tone, he continued to his most important part of the story.
‘One day, the President called me on the phone and asked ‘Are you the person who showed the French people the paintings?’, and I said ‘Yes’. The President said ‘These paintings are very important, they must be protected so everyone can see them. I want you to protect them.’ So I started working as a guard here.’
It was an honour to meet Muse and to hear his tale. In the wider world, he is the forgotten man in the rediscovery of Las Geel, but without him, Las Geel may still be a site known to only a handful of local farmers. More people must know of his importance to Las Geel.
The biggest travesty of Las Geel is that it is not inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Obvious politics is in play since Somaliland is not given its due recognition. Given the rather frosty relationship with Somalia, the latter is of no mind to submit the sublime site for listing. Thus, there is Las Geel, without recognition nor international support, an untouched and underappreciated marvel that should be on every traveller’s itinerary.”
December 2013
My blogs about Somaliland:
Somaliland is not Somalia Somaliland 1
Camels and Kindness in Somaliland Somaliland 2
You Must Leave the Country Somaliland 3