From: antbh@strix.udac.uu.se (Bernhard Helander)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african
Subject: Campaign in Europe for Somalia
Date: 15 Sep 92 16:22:06 GMT
Organization: Uppsala University
NNTP-Posting-Host: strix.udac.uu.se


The last few weeks here in Sweden have seen an increased media interest in
what goes on in Somalia. Several TV-programs on Somalia have been sent and
this has helped to boost the fund raising by organizations like the Swedish
Red Cross Society and Save the Children. Several newspapers have also joined
the fund raising. Two of the evening papers set up special phone lines
to which people could call and listen to, among others, the widow of Olof
Palme. The charge for the calls went directly to Somalia. Even the phone
company decided to wave their administrative fee. Last Saturday the Red Cross
alone managed to collect 10 million Swedish crowns (approx 2 million US
dollars) only from the street campaigners. One very spectacular move was that
people started to challenge each other in the papers and in radio programs
saying things like "I'm a physiotherapist and I challenge all other physio-
therapists to give a 100 SEK to Somalia". The press helped a lot in making
public such challenges and by every day publizizing the names of generous
donors like children, disabled, unemployed and so forth.

On the whole the national aid organizations have veen taken by surprise by
this enormous generousity. The Swedish Red Cross had sent a mission to
Somali in March this year only to decide that they should do nothing. Whith
the increased media attention, however, they were forced to start the campaign
by the public demand that something should be done.

In Norway, too, I understand that the fund raising has been enormously 
successfull. Swedish radio also reported that the Norwegian government has
responded to a plea by the secretary-general to send a specialist troops
with the next shipment of UN soldiers.

Here and there people have collected food on their own and organized the
transport to Somalia. While such moves in the end may cause a lot of 
confusion it still indicates that people are quite willing to give but 
not always trust the aid bureacracy.

The government is already one of the biggest contributors to the UNICEF's
budget. On top of that a further 25 million dollars have so far been earmarked
for the Somalia operation. 

Apart from money, the Somalis crisis needs not one but many peace initiatives.
Throughout Sweden several Somali associations have been formed. While they 
previously operated almost exclusively along clan lines there have been some
rather significant changes lately: In particular young people have started
to get together from all different clans. Several such new associations now
exist that explicitly say that they want to teach young Somalis in Sweden
to "take *saamir*" i.e. to forgive and forget. 

-- 
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* Bernhard Helander                * Telephone: +46-18-182289 (office)      *
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Newsgroups: soc.culture.african