The Somali are one of Africa’s most linguistically homogeneous peoples: nearly all Somalis, across Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Djibouti, speak a single Cushitic language. Somali society is organized around a clan system, and for centuries the majority lived as nomadic pastoralists herding camels, cattle, sheep, and goats across the Horn of Africa’s plains.
19th-century explorer Richard Burton called Somalis a ‘nation of poets,’ and the description still holds: Somali oral poetry (maanso) follows strict rules of rhythm and meter, and has historically been used to record history, resolve disputes, and even negotiate peace.