Poetic justice? An introduction to Miimley, a contemporary Somali poetry debate

In the spring of 2017, Somali(lander) social media played host to a heated debate about government corruption, socio-economic justice and the future of Somaliland’s democratic project. The debate took place entirely in verse and became known as Miimley (‘in/with m’), as all its poems alliterate in miin (‘m’). In an immediate sense, Miimley went viral as it became a forum for airing several simmering socio-political and economic frustrations and for discussing Somaliland’s democratic trajectory.