Hargeisa: the shared urban space as the symbol of the state- and nation-building

Abstract

Somaliland, de facto independent entity in the Horn of Africa, emerged at the turn of 1980s and 1990s. It creates its state- and nation-building narrative based on the fight for independence.

Contrary to other emerging states, the state-supported architecture and urbanism of the capital rarely reflect the same processes in Somaliland. Hargeisa personifies the symbol of commercial interests rather than artificially constructed symbols of the state and the nation.

Keywords

• Somaliland
• Hargeisa
• urban space
• state- and nation-building
• architecture
• de facto states