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JANUARY

Theme: Society and Culture
Somali society and culture has been influenced over the years by the conditions of the environment. The part of the Horn of Africa where the Somalis have lived is primarily semi-arid land which is only divided by two permanent rivers flowing out of the Ethiopian highlands and number of temporary streams which dry up in the long dry season. This has caused them to be largely nomadic pastoralists who depend on drought resistant livestock such as camel’s and goats for their means of living. It has been very important to have enough manpower to defend sufficient grazing and watering rights for ones herds. If one clan was weak and wanted to move into another area they could make alliances with another stronger group to help them for a time. If this alliance proved useful then it would remain but it also meant that they had to share the resources with all in the group. If on the other hand the weaker group became strong enough they could fairly easily renounce that alliance and attempt to go it on their own – which was to their advantage as they would not need to share any longer. This ongoing process of fusion and fission – of making semi-permanent relationships for what is perceived as ones advantage at the time - has been a major factor in shaping Somali society and culture. It affects the view of relationships all the way from overall politics in the country down to the husband & wife relationship. This coupled with the rigors of nomadic life and the desire to have many sons has led to a fairly high divorce rate. Couple this with polygamous marriage and it leads to quite a lot of tension and jealousy in family relations. On the other hand, the Somali people have a fierce loyalty to the group they feel a part of for the moment and a willingness to be generous with resources among that group.
• Pray that the spirit of God would be more and more at work in the lives of Somali seekers and believers to form them into healthy, vibrant worshiping groups, expressions of the kingdom of God among Somali society and a witness back to their people of what true, healthy, committed relationships can be like.

Week 1: Clans
... there is a 21 page guide for each week of 2008 ...