Hargeysa, Somaliland, July 11, 2009 (SL Times) – The French embassy in Djibouti suspended cooperation with Somaliland ministry of tourism. Somaliland’s ministry of tourism and the French embassy used to cooperate in the fields of culture, arts and archeology. As indicated in a letter from the French embassy to the Minister of Tourism, Mr. Abdirizaq Waaberi, the French decision was triggered by the ministry of tourism’s non-fulfillment of an agreement that it had entered with the French embassy. Another contributing factor to the French decision was contradictory messages about celebration of the world music day that were sent by the ministry of tourism to the French embassy.
The letters to the French embassy were sent by the Ministry of Tourism’s Director General, Mr. Hassan Ismail Hassan. In the first letter, dated on June 7, he agreed to the June 21 world music day celebration. He also agreed that France could funnel the fund it was donating for organizing the event through the local organization SOFCADA. But in a subsequent letter to the embassy, Mr. Hassan Ismail Hassan sent a letter to the embassy saying that the ministry will not take part in music day celebration and that it has also stopped working with SOFCADA.
The French embassy has increased its cooperation with Somaliland in the last few years. It had sponsored Somaliland artists to participate in artistic events abroad. It assisted Somaliland artists in recording modernized versions of traditional Somali songs and dances so they could be marketed overseas. It has also provided musical equipments for Somaliland artists. Some of these equipments were used in the May 18 and June 26 celebrations.
France has also opened a cultural center in Somaliland for teaching French language. It also assists Somaliland in locating and preserving archaeological sites, the most famous of which was Las Geel.





 

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