Symbolization
Symbolization is the use of words to convey meaning. Some symbols may be forced upon unwilling members of a certain group. For example, a yellow star represented the Jewish community in 1941 under Nazi rule. With Somali citizens, they were not separated into different clothing or they did not have to wear certain objects to know "who was who." They basically knew who the leaders were and who the followers were. Even though they did not have a certain object to tell them apart the Somali's had different symbols that represented their counrty.
Al Shabab - meaning "The Youth" in Arabic are one of the largest group among several armed Somali groups and clans that aim to topple Somalia's Transitional Federal Government to impose Islamic law. This symbol includes an open Qu'ran (highlights the groups goal to establish an Islamic State in Somalia) and 2 crossed AK-47 rifles (represents the groups commitment to violent jihad devotion to Islam). Above the Qur'an it says "There is no God but the God, the Muhammad is the messenger of God." And on the bottom it says "The army of hardship in Somalia." It is estimated that the Al Shaba group has 7,000 to 9,000 fighters (BBC News Africa).
Somalia's flag plays a major part in their country. The blue originates from the flag of the United Nations, it symbolizes the blue sky over Somalia and the UN; it helped the country realize its dream of independence. The white star represents freedom and the 5 historical regions: Italian Somaliland, British Somaliland, French (Djibouti), Oganden region of Ethiopia and North Kenya.
For the first time in 20 years, the National Theater, located in Mogadishu popularly known as Xamar (Somalia's capital and largest city) opened its stage to performers, musicians, singers and dancers. The stage was closed down in 1991 due to war related issues, but on April 4th 2012, citizens in Somalia seemed calm and relaxed as they were able to participate and listen in on the performances. The National Theater in the 1990s was used to contain weapons for the war. Many believed that having citizens perform and watch would help others realize that everything would get better.