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Watching from afar, and from thousands of miles away, I was delighted to listen the breaking news about the visit of a Somali Parliamentary delegation led by the country's Parliament Speaker Mr. Mohamed Sh. Osman Jawaari to Jigjiga, the capital of the Somali Regional State in eastern Ethiopia. Once the small white Ethiopian flagship plane touched down at Garaad Wiil-Waal International Airport, Mr. Jawaari stepped out from the plane with a determined step of someone who knew where he was visiting. This delegation flew in to Jigjiga from the Ethiopian federal capital Addis Ababa, but their emotional state upon arrival in Jigjiga was not the same as when they landed at Bole international airport in Addis Ababa few days earlier. To Speaker Jawaari and his team, visiting Jigjiga was being at home away from home.
A Warm Welcome:
Hundreds of well-wishers came out to welcome the Somali Parliamentary delegation, chanting: "soo dhawaada, soo dhawaada." But the most stunning image that attracted many viewers was the two children clad in a Somali traditional dress presenting flowers to the visiting Parliament Speaker. The atmosphere seemed to be more carnival than a reception for both visitors and local cheering crowd. Led by the President of the Regional State Abdi Mohamed Omar and members of his cabinet, the people of Jigjiga greeted the Somali delegation with an extravagant celebration that included the Somali traditional dance called dhaanto, which is mostly performed by the Somali Ogaden folks.
First Impression
Upon arrival, the Somali Parliament Speaker Mr. Jawaari and his delegation were very much impressed with the city's modern state-of-the-art airport, that even their words were not enough to convey their positive feelings. Their mere glance and body language can reveal how impressed and pleased they were to visit Jigjiga especially when you look at the photos taken while they were walking on the fine marble covering the floor and through the glass corridors of the glistering Garaad Wiil-Waal International Airport. To everyone who visits Jigjiga, the beauty of the city and its massive growth are visible from every corner. To those who live beyond its environs like myself can follow up this unprecedented development from the state government's own TV channel known as ESTV. If truth be told, it is not an exaggeration to say that today Jigjiga is one of the most bustling cities in East Africa. Continued
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