Sada Mire (born July 1976) (

Somali Somali may refer to: Horn of Africa * Somalis, an inhabitant or ethnicity associated with Greater Somali Region ** Proto-Somali, the ancestors of modern Somalis ** Somali culture ** Somali cuisine ** Somali language, a Cushitic language ** Somali ...

: ''Sacda Mire'',

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

: سعدة ميرة‎) is a Swedish-Somali

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landsca ...

, art historian and presenter who currently serves as assistant professor at the faculty of archeology, Leiden University. She is a public intellectual and heritage activist who has argued that cultural heritage is a basic human need in her 2014 TEDxEuston talk. In 2017, Hay Festival of Literature and the Arts selected Mire as one of their 30 international thinkers and writers. She became the Director of Antiquities pf Somaliland in 2007. Raised in the Somali capital of

Mogadishu Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port ...

, Mire fled the country at the start of the

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...

at the age of 15. She then traveled to

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...

seeking asylum. She has since returned to the Horn of Africa as an archaeologist.

Early life and education

Sada Mire was born in

Hargeisa Hargeisa (; so, Hargeysa, ar, هرجيسا) is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Somaliland. It is located in the Maroodi Jeex region of the Horn of Africa. It succeeded Burco as the capital of the British Somaliland Protector ...

Somaliland Somaliland,; ar, صوماليلاند ', ' officially the Republic of Somaliland,, ar, جمهورية صوماليلاند, link=no ''Jumhūrīyat Ṣūmālīlānd'' is a ''de facto'' sovereign state in the Horn of Africa, still conside ...

, in 1977 before relocating to

with her family. Her father was as a police official who died during the early stages of the collapse of the Somali state when she was 12. After this traumatic experience, in 1991, she fled Somalia with her mother and siblings on a relative's

lorry A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame constructio ...

during the

Somali Civil War The Somali Civil War ( so, Dagaalkii Sokeeye ee Soomaaliya; ar, الحرب الأهلية الصومالية ) is an ongoing civil war that is taking place in Somalia. It grew out of resistance to the Military dictatorship, military junta wh ...

. Mire and her identical twin, Sohur, emigrated to

where an older sister lived and received asylum. The twins later moved to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

to study. Mire studied Scandinavian pre-history and archaeozoology at

Lund University , motto = Ad utrumque , mottoeng = Prepared for both , established = , type = Public research university , budget = SEK 9 billion BA degree in History of Art/Archaeology of Africa and Asia at

SOAS, University of London SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury ar ...

in 2005, and subsequently an MA in African Archaeology in 2006 and

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * '' Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. al ...

degree in Archaeology in 2009 at

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

Career

She has conducted field research in

, the

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

, Sweden, Ethiopia,

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

, Djibouti and

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...

, and has worked for the

United Nations Development Program The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...

. A TED-speaker, she has participated on the editorial boards, including ''

African Archaeological Review The ''African Archaeological Review'' is a peer-reviewed journal focusing on current African archaeology Africa has the longest record of human habitation in the world. The first hominins emerged 6-7 million years ago, and among the earliest ana ...

''. Motivated to learn the

history of Somaliland The history of Somaliland, a country in the eastern Horn of Africa bordered by the Gulf of Aden, and the East African land mass, begins with human habitation tens of thousands of years ago. It includes the civilizations of Punt, the Ottomans, a ...

, her homeland which was once a colonial country in Africa, she took up a fellowship under the department of art and archaeology at the

School of Oriental and African Studies SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury ...

in London (also head of the department of antiquities in Somaliland). She launched an ambitious programme of archeological explorations in 2007. Mire, leading a team of 50 helpers, has discovered

prehistoric Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The us ...

rock art In archaeology, rock art is human-made markings placed on natural surfaces, typically vertical stone surfaces. A high proportion of surviving historic and prehistoric rock art is found in caves or partly enclosed rock shelters; this type also m ...

in Somaliland at almost 100 sites; at least 10 of these are likely to receive

World Heritage A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

status. The

Dhambalin Dhambalin ("half, vertically cut mountain") is an archaeological site in the central Sahil province of Somaliland. The sandstone rock shelter contains rock art depicting various animals such as horned cattle and goats, as well as giraffes, an ani ...

site, which is located approximately from the

Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; ...

, contains rock art in sandstone shelters, which are inferred as about 5,000 years old, of horned cattle, sheep, and goats, as well as giraffes, which no longer exist in Somaliland. The

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

, Horn Heritage, partially funds her work for Somali Heritage.

Education work

In order to educate her people on the cultural heritage of their country, to continue with the archaeological explorations and get

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

World Heritage Sites A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

status for some of the rock art sites she has discovered, she has established the "Horn Heritage", a non-profit organization to fund her work. She was also involved in establishing Somalia’s Department of Tourism and Archaeology. Through her charity Horn Heritage and with partners, Mire initiated and implemented digital 3D and virtual reality (VR) projects for Somali heritage, so that anybody anywhere could access her rock art work. In 2006, Mire created the first website dedicated to Somali Heritage and Archeology. Mire has run national and international media campaigns to fight the looting and destruction of Somali archeological sites. One of her direct messages to the Somali public warning against looting was broadcast by BBC Somali. Mire's work for public access to education and heritage protection is illustrated by her MOOC (Massive online open course) on '''Heritage under Threat','' launched in December 2016, to be continued until 2020. This video based course introduces the learners to the topic of heritage under threat. The course is written and presented by Mire.

Theoretical contribution to heritage and archaeology

"Cultural heritage, including archeological knowledge, is a basic human need" argues Mire, in her 2011 ''NewScientist'' interview article titled 'We need culture in times of war'. Her work bridges archaeology and anthropology of the Horn of Africa in investigating the pre-Islamic and pre-Christian indigenous religions and traditions of the Horn of Africa. Mire discussed the misuse of archaeology for politics and intentional destruction of heritage sites by ideological groups for example India. For her geographical area of fieldwork, she has argued that archaeologists need to move away from the nation as this is a new construct and study the continuity of influence across different indigenous peoples in the horn of Africa, proposing regional perspective on the archaeology of the Horn of Africa. Mire is considered to have pioneered the study of indigenous heritage management systems in Africa with her article "Preserving knowledge, not objects: a Somali perspective for Archaeological Research and Heritage Management" (African Archaeological Review, 2007). She addressed the looting and destruction of Somalia's heritage after the start of the Somali civil war. She advanced a theoretical approach she terms "the Knowledge-Centered Approach" arguing that objects and monuments are not necessarily important but knowledge, skill and memory as practiced and symbolized in the landscapes. Her approaches have been discussed by other scholars in the application of locally appropriate theoretical frameworks.

Other activities

In 2011, Mire proposed to UNESCO the digital preservation of Somali potential World Heritage. She's a speaker of the first UNESCO Debate organized by UNESCO Netherlands at the RMO, September 2016. Mire spoke along Dutch philosopher Stephan Sanders. Mire has spoken on several BBC Radio programs including BBC World Service Forum panel on the Aftermath of war and marriage. She was a speaker at the Europe Lecture and an "eminent" respondent to UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova, June 2016. In September 2018, Mire participated to Hague Talks "How can we Invest in Sustainable Peace?" Mire was a speaker at the Swedish National Heritage Board Mire on BBC World Service radio documentary "Stories on the Rocks", December 2018.

Awards and honors

In April 2017, Mire was selected for the Hay Festival of Literature and the Arts' 30 international thinkers and writers. In 2016, Mire was included a list of 12 pioneer women archaeologists who have contributed to the enrichment of the discipline throughout history. Mire is on the boards of several notable institutions, including the Prince Claus Foundation.

Filmography

CNN made a feature documentary on the story of Mire and her twin sister Sohur. The CNN African Voices Program featured the sisters in their professional environment, as an archeologist and a medical doctor giving back to their community and working in their homeland, Somalia. The documentary discusses how they fled the Somali civil war and started new lives in Sweden as child refugees. For National Geographic's ''Don't Tell my Mother'' I'm in Somalia episode, presenter Diego Buñuel met up with Mire in her office in Hargeisa and with her visited some of the landmarks of Somaliland. Brazil's Futura (TV Channel) aired in 2014 a documentary titled ''Sada and Somaliland'', following her progress as the country's only Somali archeologist. Mire was one of the experts featuring in the 2017 PBS series Africa's Great Civilizations, presented by Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. Mire is the presenter and screenwriter of the MOOC titled ''Heritage under Threat''.

Selected publications

Articles

* "Somali Shield, Gaashaan". ''Hazina''. 2006. * "The Transition to Farming in Eastern Africa: New Faunal and Dating Evidence from Wadh Lang’o and Usenge, Kenya". ''Antiquity''. 2007. * "Preserving Knowledge, not Objects: A Somali Perspective for Heritage Management and Archaeological Research". ''African Archaeological Review''. 2007. * "The Discovery of Dhambalin Rock Art Site, Somaliland". ''African Archaeological Review''. 2008. * "The Knowledge-Centred Approach to the Somali Cultural Emergency and heritage development assistance in Somaliland". ''African Archaeological Review''. 2011. * "Beautiful Somali buildings are rising up in a former war zone. It gives me hope". ''The Guardian''. 2015. * "Wagar, Fertility and Phallic Stelae: Cushitic Sky-God Belief and the Site of Saint Aw-Barkhadle in Somaliland". ''African Archaeological Review''. 2015. * "Mapping the Archaeology of Somaliland: Religion, Art, Script, Time, Urbanism, Trade and Empire". ''African Archaeological Review''. 2015. * "Tourism of Somalia. 2015". * "‘The child that tiire doesn't give you, God won't give you either.’ The role of Rotheca myricoides in Somali fertility practices". In: ''Anthropology & Medicine'', 2016, 23: 3, p.311-331. * "The Role of Cultural Heritage in the Basic Needs of East African Pastoralists". ''African Study Monographs'' 53(Supplementary Issue): 147-157. * "Black history has much to reveal about our ancestors – and ourselves". ''The Guardian''. 2018.

References

External links

*
Europe lecture on cultural heritage

Reflections by Sada Mire
* Mire TEDxEusto
Cultural heritage: a basic human need - Sada Mire at TEDxEuston
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mire, Sada Somalian archaeologists Living people 1977 births People from Hargeisa Lund University alumni Alumni of the UCL Institute of Archaeology Academic staff of Leiden University Somalian women archaeologists