BBC Image of Somalia

"Somalia continued to dominate the headlines with pirates increasing their reach, despite international naval patrols. Fighting for control of Mogadishu intensified between Islamist militia and the UN-backed government, which gained some ground by December."-BBC

The slide show of pictures from BBC, titled Focus on Africa in 2010, was really fun to go through and featured amazing pieces of photography in Africa. The only problem I found with this slide show is that it doesn’t properly represent all of Africa for the entire year of 2010. There are only twelve photos in the slide show and there are fifty three countries in Africa. There is no way this slide show can really capture what has actually occurred all throughout the continent in twelve photos and that is not its purpose. The purpose of the slide show is to show the most general and simple of overviews of the most significant events in the continent in 2010 and it is important that everyone who sees it understands this.

The picture of the Somali soldier in the BBC selection of pictures of Africa in 2010 really stood out to me. The purpose of this photo is to show an image that represents the issue of Somali pirates but this, in turn, portrays a specific image of Somalia that the rest of the world digests.

The issue at hand is the increasing power and reach of the Somali pirates. For the past twenty years, there has been no real functional form of government in Somalia and the region has become dangerous. Right now, the Islamic militant group, Al-Shabab, has power and control over most of the country through support of local warlords and weapon technology and intends to turn Somalia into a purely fundamental Islamic state through strict interpretations and enforcements of sharia law. Al-Shabab is officially loyal to Al-Qaeda, the terrorist network of extremist Muslims lead by Osama Bin Laden. The Somali pirates were generated through reaction to the poverty and lack of government. They are responsible for much of the economy of several regions in Somalia. They are a combination of people who were previously fishermen, militia and technicians who now form militias claiming to be guarding the coast of Somalia. They are employed as mercenaries by warlords and live off whatever they can steal, working solely for the purpose of financial reward.

The picture meant to represent the issue of Somali pirates was probably included in the slide show for 2010 because their impact has not been very significant until recently. Until the attack on the American ship, the Maersk Alabama,and recent attacks on Americans, the global eye has not really paid attention to them.

The picture itself features a man, heavily strapped with weaponry, looking out to sea, a symbol of what has become of Somalia. It represents Somalia as being dangerous and uncontrollable, and in some ways it is, but this is not meant to embody all people of the country. There are people working towards forming an efficient government and creating peace. It must be clear that this photo is not something symbolizing all of Somalia, but it is creating a picture of the recently recognized spread of violence in the area.