“Warlords.” “Piracy.” “Radical Islam.” These are the first words that came to students’ minds when professor Lee Cassanelli asked them about their impressions of Somalia at a lunch Tuesday sponsored by the History Undergraduate Advisory Board.
The lunch, held in Steinberg-Dietrich Hall and catered by Ethiopian restaurant Abyssinia, marked the start of a series of lunches HUAB hopes to host with professors this year.
HUAB’s mission, according to co-chairman and College senior Jared Fries, is to connect undergraduates to the department. One way it does this, he said, is by holding small events to enable students to interact with professors.
Cassanelli teaches African history, as well as oral and comparative world history, at Penn, and has focused his research on Ethiopia and Somalia from the 18th to 20th centuries. When asked why HUAB chose the topic of Somalia and piracy for the lunch, Fries replied that history majors tend to study the Americas, Europe and Asia, but few know much about Africa.
“And everyone loves pirates,” he added.
During the discussion, Cassanelli dispelled myths about Somalia. Although the country is known for having a failed government and being dominated by warlords, Cassanelli said that Somalian pirates are usually not radical Muslims or greedy warlords, but are simply money makers who “do whatever it takes to make a buck.”
Furthermore, Cassanelli said the country has admirable traits, such as being the leading breeder of camels and having an innovative and productive free market due to lack of government regulation. “Amidst all the chaos, people are doing very interesting things,” he said.
The group of about fifteen students appreciated the opportunity to learn more about Somalia over lunch. “Before, the only thing I knew about Somalia was that there was piracy, but now I realize that Somalia is a very vibrant country that we are not aware of,” College junior Karla Molina explained.
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