"My professors also said that I should be a model, and not think about a PhD. It always irritated me. There are more important things in life than beauty. I had other plans, I wanted to get an education and help people. I became an archaeologist to study the history of Africa before colonialism and the slave trade. But many of my friends thought I was stupid because I rejected the opportunity to earn a lot of money."
Sada Mire is a Swedish-Somali archaeologist, and public intellectual known for her work on the archaeology and heritage of the Horn of Africa. She is Associate Professor of Heritage Studies at the University College London Institute of Archaeology and founder of the [Horn Heritage Foundation], a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving cultural heritage in the region.
"When you are not a member of the United Nations, you cannot sign many legal acts, such as the World Heritage Convention. Funds that are available to other countries are unobtainable for us. In addition, we do not have a law on the protection of national heritage that would allow us to secure sites."
Sada Mire"Its hard being an only child when you need all the help you can get. Im constantly aware that I need to be in many places at once. Of course, when I started studying archaeology, I had no idea that I would be like that."
Sada Mire"The most dangerous thing in the desert is bad roads, and snakes are often found near monuments. I had a few unpleasant experiences with them. For example, in Dhambalin, I lay on my stomach to take pictures of the lower part of a panel with paintings. Suddenly I heard a hiss. There was a snake under a large rock next to my head. Terrified, I slowly started to move away on my stomach, and the equally scared snake disappeared between the rocks. Another time I almost peed on a rattlesnake well hidden in the sand. Since then, I have not gone out to the bush or the desert in the dark to urinate."
Sada Mire"A man came to my office in Hargeisa [capital of Somaliland]. He took me to a place a few kilometers from his village. The paintings appeared before me suddenly, on a rock shaped like an old TV. It was unbelievable."
Sada Mire"Yes, but we didnt have a chance to study them erly. We just recorded them and secured them. I dont excavate because theres not even a museum in Somaliland where these objects could be stored and properly studied."
Sada Mire"Cultural heritage is a basic human right and need, like water, food, health and safety. In times of conflict, culture helps people not to lose their humanity. And in times of poverty, archaeological and cultural wealth can help create jobs, for example in tourism."
Sada Mire