Somalia's Christmas birthdays and lost memories

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Somalia's Christmas birthdays and lost memories
© AFP
A memorial commemorating those killed in the aerial bombardment of Hargeisa in 1988
In our series of letters from African journalists, Ismail Einashe considers the importance of memory for those who lose everything in the chaos of war.
© BBC
Christmas Day, New Year's Day and Valentine's Day are dates you'll find many Somalis celebrating their birthdays. This is not as surprising as it sounds, it is just that very few Somalis know when exactly they were born and so opt for more memorable dates.
Somalia has an oral culture - most Somalis are more likely to be able to tell you the names of the last 20 generations of their forefathers rather than the details of their birth date.

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