How to work in Somalia

Kabir Dhanji is a Kenya-born freelance photojournalist. He’s worked in Somalia, Sudan, Uganda and Congo. He talks with Bundaberg News Mail about the particular dangers and precautions needed when working as a journalist in Somalia,

“Somalia is quite unique in its dangers,” he said. “You have to be particularly well-versed in the ways of Africa, and in particular the ways of Somalia, to travel there… Journalists anywhere in the world don’t have the best reputation, and people sometimes assume that in Somalia, people wouldn’t have these opinions… But I can guarantee, they have laptops and the internet, and they will know exactly who you are and what you are doing there, so journalists and particularly Western journalists must not take them for granted.
“It is not an easy profession we are in, and it is tempting to walk into areas of danger to try and make a name for yourself, but it is not a joke. Somalia is an extremely fragile country, it is a warzone, with its own set of rules… You have to have permission from warlords or be with an NGO (non-government organisation) without either of those, you will definitely be walking into trouble.” link