Night falls over the town of Buraan, located in the Puntland region of Somalia. The nation of Somalia is troubled by internecine conflicts, especially in regions like Somaliland and Puntland. In recent years, the Capital City of Mogadishu has also endured its fair share of warfare and hardship. In fact, Somali Muslim men and Somali Muslim women living in the semi-autonomous regions of Puntland and Somaliland have it easier than their counterparts in the Capital. The Somali Government and the rebels have left the denizens of the Somali countryside to fend for themselves. It is that kind of world.
With the skies of Puntland darkening, Bashir Hashi heads home after a long day of tending his uncle Hafiz Ali's camel herd in the valley. The old man owns a lot of goats, sheep, bulls and cows but his camels are his prize. Hafiz Ali sells his camels to the Yemeni camel traders and has done so for many years. Camels are more useful than horses in desert country. For men and women living in Northeast Africa and the Arab world, camels are more precious than gold. They're the kings of the desert. Bashir remembered the old man telling him to protect the camels like a father protects his family.
A pack of African wild dogs accosted the herd but thanks to Bashir's vigilance, they didn't get any of the camels. The elegant beasts, sixty in number, were quite intelligent and followed Bashir's lead with minimal fuss. Bashir thanked his ancestors that it was African wild dogs rather than hyenas that came after the camels. Fearless hyenas will fight anyone and anything, including male lions. They're a herdsman's nightmare. Bashir has fought his share of hyenas when he used to herd goats instead of camels. The feral creatures are smarter and more dangerous than certain cartoon movies would have one believe...
After corralling the camels and securing them, Bashir began the long walk from the wilderness to the town of Buraan. Twenty kilometers each way, that's the deal. The terrain close to town is not ideal for grazing and for this and a few other reasons, most herdsmen and herdswomen avoid it. Human habitation tends to affect the immediate environment near major settlements. Any herdsman who brings his flock too close to the towns and cities for grazing runs the risk of losing them. In cities and towns, there are bandits, and they're worse than wild animals.
A smile creased Bashir's face as he spotted the town of Buraan in the distance. Four thousand souls call the place home. Bashir's family has been living there for many generations. In fact, Bashir's grandfather Wahid Hashi was once the Chieftain of the Aden Clan, which ran the town of Buraan back in the day. Bashir was tired after a long day in the fields. The big and tall, dark-skinned young Somali Muslim man looked forward to a night of rest, after smoking some Shisha of course. The life of a camel herdsman is seldom easy, since there are wild beasts and bandits to contend with in the wilderness of Puntland.
"What the fuck?" Bashir said to himself, hearing voices as he approached his house, located at the end of Maxamad Street. At this hour, most denizens of the town of Buraan were at home with their families. Bashir expected his wife Hodan Hashi to be waiting for him, along with their dog Marduk. Hodan's family came from the City of Mogadishu, which was a world away from the untamed wilderness of Puntland, so Bashir didn't think one of them might be visiting. Bashir drew his machete. Somalia is a dangerous country and a man cannot be too careful...
Bashir pushed the door open and stormed into the house like a sandstorm battering the Sahara. The young Somali Muslim man expected to find anything from thieves to bandits under his roof, doing who knows what to his poor wife Hodan. Bashir was ready to fight for his lady and his homestead. What he saw astonished him. Hodan was in the living room, and guess who was with her? Bashir's good friend Elmi Barkhad. The tall, slender and brown-skinned young man smiled and waved at Bashir. Confused, Bashir looked from Elmi to Hodan, who smiled at him. What the fuck were the two of them doing together?
"Hello, Bashir, Elmi came to visit, we had a long chat about you," Hodan said with a smile. The tall, brown-skinned and curvaceous young Somali Muslim woman nodded nonchalantly at her husband. Elmi winked at Hodan, like a good co-conspirator. Bashir's heart skipped a beat because, well, for the past year, he had been keeping secrets from both his wife Hodan and his friend Elmi. Seeing them together was disturbing, to say the least...
"I told Hodan all about you and me," Elmi said, and Bashir resisted the urge to throttle him. Hodan looked at Bashir and that smile of hers took on a whole new meaning. Bashir froze, unsure whether to deny everything or just grab Elmi and bash him. In the nation of Somalia, few things are as damaging to a man's reputation as an insinuation about his sexuality. In Somalia, if a person is gay, lesbian or bisexual, they should really keep it to themselves. It's a good survival strategy. Faced with an unmitigated disaster, Bashir forced himself to stay calm...
"Alright, what do you want?" Bashir said as he crossed his arms and faced his wife Hodan and his so-called friend Elmi. Hodan grinned and looked at Bashir, who was trying not to look nervous. Ever since they got married two years ago, Hodan thought that her husband Bashir was fine and masculine, everything that a real Somali Muslim man is supposed to be. The fact that Bashir liked to spend a lot of time with his male friends, especially Elmi, well, that surprised Hodan. After a bit of investigating, Hodan discovered that Elmi slept with both women and men. When Hodan demanded to know what Elmi wanted with her husband Bashir, the fellow told her everything.
"Elmi told me you slept with him, I am not surprised, but I wish you'd told me about your bisexuality," Hodan said, sighing. Bashir took a deep breath, wondering what to say. All his life, Bashir felt attracted to both women and men. Walking around the town of Buraan, Bashir would check out hot, curvy women with big butts but he also checked out handsome, masculine men. In Somali society, there is no room for gays, lesbians and bisexuals. Bashir kept his bisexual feelings to himself and went with the heterosexual norm. It was simply a matter of survival.
"I am bisexual, but that doesn't mean I don't love you, and I don't fuck men, I just let them suck me off," Bashir said, sounding totally defensive. Hodan scoffed at that while Elmi smiled. Once again, Bashir thought about decking Elmi. Among gay men and bisexual men, there is a code, especially in Africa. What men do with other men behind closed doors is supposed to stay secret. Women, and the rest of society, aren't supposed to know about it. Gay men and bisexual men in Africa are supposed to be discrete and keep their mouths shut about their sex lives, unlike their counterparts in white societies and white countries. Disclosure is not the African way.
