VOA文化艺术2024--Somaliland's All-girls Basketball Team Looks for Recognition

Somaliland's All-girls Basketball Team Looks for Recognition

Hafsa Omer wears the red, white, and green flag of Somaliland while playing basketball.

The 21-year-old is the captain of the team. Her dream is to one day play for her nation. But there is a problem: Somaliland is not a recognized country.

The breakaway territory in the Horn of Africa has struggled to gain international recognition from any foreign government. The territory has been governing itself and enjoying comparative peace and stability since declaring independence in 1991.

Omer and her two sisters play for Hargeisa Girls Basketball. It is the first all-girls team in the territory. She and her sisters aim to put Somaliland on the map. They plan on doing so by using their more than 10,000 followers¹ on social media.

She said, "Somaliland is looking for their recognition and we believe that we could be part of bringing the recognition..."

She said they could do that "by wearing the flags, by talking about our country, by promoting it through the short video TikToks or Instagram pictures," she said. TikTok and Instagram are two popular social media sites.

Somaliland's sovereignty came into question in January. That was when local officials said they would give landlocked neighboring country Ethiopia access to the Red Sea.

The territory said it would do that in return for recognition as an independent country. That caused diplomatic conflict with Somalia's federal government.

Somalia considers Somaliland part of its territory. It rejected the deal permitting Ethiopia to lease 20 kilometers around the port of Berbera. It would have given Ethiopia access to the Red Sea for 50 years for its navy and large shipping² boats.

Somaliland officials say they have a strong case to become Africa's 55th nation.

Once under British control, the territory now has its own police force, coast guard, passports, and money. It also has a government and a working democratic political system.

That record is very different than the situation in Somalia. In Somalia, government forces have been fighting the militant³ group al Shabaab. The group has links to the terrorist group al Qaeda.

Omer sees her support of Somaliland's independence as part of her father and uncles' armed struggle in the 1980s against the dictator Siad Barre.

"My dad talks about it every day, what he and his friends had been through, while he watched his cousins dying in front of him," she said.

While the territory of around 3.5 million people may not gain international recognition soon, Omer has made progress in supporting women's rights in the conservative territory.

Since she founded Hargeisa Girls Basketball in 2018, other female teams have come together for an all-girls league.

For her sister Fatima Omer, basketball serves both goals.

She said, "We just want the world to see us."

Words in This Story

stability - n. the quality or state of something that is not easily changed or likely to change

promote - v. to make people aware of (something, such as a new product) through advertising⁴

sovereignty - n. a country's independent authority and the right to govern itself

access - n. a way of getting near, at, or to something or someone

league - n. a group of sports teams that play against each other

1 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

2 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

3 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

4 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。