Somaliland's All-girls Basketball Team Looks for Recognition
2024-06-10
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1Hafsa Omer wears the red, white, and green flag of Somaliland while playing basketball.
2The 21-year-old is the captain of the team. Her dream is to one day play for her nation.
3But there is a problem: Somaliland is not a recognized country.
4The breakaway territory in the Horn of Africa has struggled to gain international recognition from any foreign government.
5The territory has been governing itself and enjoying comparative peace and stability since declaring independence in 1991.
6Omer and her two sisters play for Hargeisa Girls Basketball.
7It is the first all-girls team in the territory.
8She and her sisters aim to put Somaliland on the map.
9They plan on doing so by using their more than 10,000 followers on social media.
10She said, "Somaliland is looking for their recognition and we believe that we could be part of bringing the recognition..."
11She 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.
12TikTok and Instagram are two popular social media sites.
13Somaliland's sovereignty came into question in January.
14That was when local officials said they would give landlocked neighboring country Ethiopia access to the Red Sea.
15The territory said it would do that in return for recognition as an independent country.
16That caused diplomatic conflict with Somalia's federal government.
17Somalia considers Somaliland part of its territory.
18It rejected the deal permitting Ethiopia to lease 20 kilometers around the port of Berbera.
19It would have given Ethiopia access to the Red Sea for 50 years for its navy and large shipping boats.
20Somaliland officials say they have a strong case to become Africa's 55th nation.
21Once under British control, the territory now has its own police force, coast guard, passports, and money.
22It also has a government and a working democratic political system.
23That record is very different than the situation in Somalia.
24In Somalia, government forces have been fighting the militant group al Shabaab.
25The group has links to the terrorist group al Qaeda.
26Omer sees her support of Somaliland's independence as part of her father and uncles' armed struggle in the 1980s against the dictator Siad Barre.
27"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.
28While 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.
29Since she founded Hargeisa Girls Basketball in 2018, other female teams have come together for an all-girls league.
30For her sister Fatima Omer, basketball serves both goals.
31She said, "We just want the world to see us."
32I'm Gregory Stachel.
1Hafsa Omer wears the red, white, and green flag of Somaliland while playing basketball. 2The 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. 3The 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. 4Omer 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 followers on social media. 5She said, "Somaliland is looking for their recognition and we believe that we could be part of bringing the recognition..." 6She 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. 7Somaliland'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. 8The territory said it would do that in return for recognition as an independent country. That caused diplomatic conflict with Somalia's federal government. 9Somalia 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 shipping boats. 10Somaliland officials say they have a strong case to become Africa's 55th nation. 11Once 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. 12That record is very different than the situation in Somalia. In Somalia, government forces have been fighting the militant group al Shabaab. The group has links to the terrorist group al Qaeda. 13Omer sees her support of Somaliland's independence as part of her father and uncles' armed struggle in the 1980s against the dictator Siad Barre. 14"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. 15While 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. 16Since she founded Hargeisa Girls Basketball in 2018, other female teams have come together for an all-girls league. 17For her sister Fatima Omer, basketball serves both goals. 18She said, "We just want the world to see us." 19I'm Gregory Stachel. 20Giulia Paravicini reported this story for The Associated Press. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. 21_____________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23stability - n. the quality or state of something that is not easily changed or likely to change 24promote - v. to make people aware of (something, such as a new product) through advertising 25sovereignty - n. a country's independent authority and the right to govern itself 26access - n. a way of getting near, at, or to something or someone 27league - n. a group of sports teams that play against each other