Djibouti

Intelligent, thoughtful, pushing back against the idea that Djiboutians are any less than others, the literature from Djibouti is different than the literature about Djibouti. I’ll start with the literature about Djibouti – which I do not recommend. The two things I found written by outsiders turn Djibouti into a backdrop for monster sharks and terrorists. One is a digital comic called Monster of Djibouti (Action Adventure/Sci-Fi for teens available on Hoopla) and the other a book about terrorists titled Djibouti by Elmore Leonard (available through both the San Bernardino and Los Angeles County Libraries). Neither has anything to do with the actual Djibouti but, unfortunately, they are the easiest works to find.

In contrast, the writers from Djibouti are clearly proud of their country. My favorite inside view of Djibouti, with thoughtfully drawn diverse characters and relatable life experiences, is Dhalinyaro by Lula Ali Ismaïl (available on Amazon Prime). Ali Ismaïl, the first woman from Djibouti to produce a film and that being the first feature film from Djibouti, tells the story of three young women taking their final exams and choosing where to go for university. Among other social structures this movie questions, it asks why one can't succeed at the University of Djibouti; why must they go to Paris?

On a similar vein, the book In the United States of Africa by Abdourahman Waberi reimagines Africa as the place that succeeded, rather than North America and Europe. It centers on a poor French girl adopted by wealthy Africans who eventually searches for her birth mother. The book is well reviewed in the French world, but I was two thirds through the book before I connected with it. I had the same problem when I read The Stranger by Albert Camus for my Algeria blog, so what do I know about French language literature? With all this reading, I’m only recommending the one movie and moving on to the super cool geology and the reason why everyone wants a piece of Djibouti. First the geology.

The African, Arabian, and Somali tectonic plates diverge in Djibouti, with the Somali plate moving away from Africa at about two centimeters per year. This creates the rift valley and geothermal features similar to those in Iceland. Geology in Djibouti is the subject of three of the series of seven-minute videos titled Inside Africa by CNN. The first one is available at this link and the other two will follow in order: https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2016/04/04/inside-africa-the-afar-of-djibouti-spc-a.cnn/video/playlists/intl-inside-africa/

An Arabic legend about the waterway between Djibouti and Yemen says it was created during an earthquake which tore Asia from Africa. Named the Bab el-Mandeb or Gate of Tears to remember the souls who died, this is the mouth of the Red Sea, strategically locating Djibouti at the gateway for 20,000 ships per year. As Djibouti is a reliable and stable partner willing to provide the space, the United States, France, Italy, Japan, and China have all chosen to operate military bases there. Camp Lemonnier, the US military base in Djibouti and the only permanent U.S. military base in Africa, is featured in a chapter of Mary Roach’s book Grunt titled “Leaky SEALS: Diarrhea as a Threat to National Security.” (The San Bernardino County Library offers this book online.) To understand why there are so many military bases in Djibouti, see this video from the Great Decisions series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Srso7hFm4m4

Here are a few more ways to experience Djibouti:

· Recipes: http://www.healthy-life.narod.ru/wor_ek57.htm

· Video of a dive trip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EN1fSLef5PI

· Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7r9UMtKdcQ

If Allan and I went to Djibouti, it would be for the diving and seeing the interesting geological formations. Many others go to hang out on the beach, fish, hike, and bird watch. Here are more options for a fun and interesting trip to Djibouti: https://www.thecrazytourist.com/10-best-places-visit-djibouti/

As always, if you were to plan travel to Djibouti after the pandemic, it would be wise to use your local travel advisor. Shout out to my favorite travel advisor, Kaitlin Darnell at Laura's Travel in Redlands. May the travel industry survive and thrive - may we all survive, thrive, recognize our mutual humanity, learn to deal with our conflicts, and allow peace and health to flourish in Djibouti and throughout the world.

Photo Credit: Lesly Derksen https://unsplash.com/photos/vmfKwrqkOkA