𝔍𝔢𝔦𝔩𝔞𝔫 𝔄𝔡𝔞𝔪

Banadiri 🟪🟩🟪 jewellery made by the Qalin Shuwe-Dhabarweyne confederation. Traditionally, Banadiri 🟪🟩🟪 jewellery was crafted by native Banadiri artisanal clans taught by Indians and Arabs, who inherited the art from their ancestral lands. Italians and their proxies tried to mislabel this intricate jewellery as "Somalian 🇺🇳", yet even they admitted that jewellery on the Horn of Africa—especially in the south—was overwhelmingly Banadiri 🟪🟩🟪. The few inland pieces were mere imitations of Banadiri work. Banadiri women looked down on jewellery outside the Banadir region for using cheap materials, the most expensive being silver, then amber, then camel bones. In this video, Banadiri 🟪🟩🟪 Afro-Arab Omar BaaSharah explains how he inherited the trade from ancestors taught by Indian jewellers, widely regarded as the world’s most skilled. He says: “It has a special status in our community. We are called Qalin Shube (someone who melts lead ore) and are famous for that work. People respect us for this profession... Our products used to be exhibited abroad, like in Milan, Italy.” Before Somalian 🇺🇳 neighbours rage over credit for Banadiri jewellery, note Omar BaaSharah’s words: “Our buildings and work equipment have been looted (by Somalians post-1991), our livelihoods destroyed, and many of us forced to flee the country.” While others build and contribute, credit goes to Somalians 🇺🇳 for destroying it. The Head of the Human Rights and Protection Team of UNSOM, and OHCHR Representative in Somalia, recognising the Banadiri nature of “Somalian” jewellery, says: “The Xamarweyne district of Mogadishu has a rich history and remarkable heritage and culture, a testament to the goldsmith community and its craft. Goldsmithing is not just a craft for us; it is a fundamental part of the culture that identifies the Benadir communities of Mogadishu.”