After Sada Mire returned to her homeland, she found archaeological treasures that hadn't been seen in thousands of years.
From the April 2011 issue; published online June 19, 2011
Photo: Graham Trott, Grooming: Claire Hanson
When Sada Mire was just 12, her father, a Somali police official, was executed by the country’s brutal Barre regime, which saw him as a political threat. In 1991 she fled Somalia, reuniting with family in Sweden and eventually pursuing graduate studies in England. But while working on her Ph.D. in archaeology from University College London, Mire’s academic interests drew her back to Africa. She returned to her homeland for the first time in 16 years to carry out research in Somaliland—a relatively peaceful, self-declared state in the northwestern part of Somalia—where she discovered several prehistoric rock art sites. In 2007 she was named Somaliland’s Director of Antiquities. Mire hopes to spur interest in the region’s cultural heritage, using the past to foster peace and understanding among her people today.
You are the world’s only active Somali archaeologist. How did you become interested in this career? ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,...................