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Many youth in Somalia wear t-shirts with an Apple logo on them. Social media plays a role in this. Society has changed, explains one analyst.
There are three T-shirts on the counter in front of me. All with the iPhone or Apple logo. The seller wants $10 a piece. He doesn’t understand why I’m asking so many questions. T-shirts with brand logos, that’s normal in Somalia: Nike, BMW, TikTok. Or just a bitten apple.
Such logos are popular with young people, explains the seller. This is evident in the streets. But why Apple and iPhones? According to the seller, rich people in Somalia could afford an iPhone. If you are poor, at least buy a t-shirt.
Legend:
Brand logos are particularly popular with young people, says a salesperson.
SRF
Somalia is a country of contrasts. Rich Somalis drive past boys with donkey carts in shiny off-roaders. Wealth is shown, explains analyst Samira Gaid. And – how could it be otherwise – on the iPhone: “Somali politicians earn well, many even own several iPhones. Influencers on social media also like to show off their iPhone as a status symbol.”
Somalia has changed, Gaid explains: “We used to be a traditional society of animal keepers. Wealth was shown by the number of cows one owned. For women also on gold jewelry. »
Wealth used to be measured by the number of cows someone owned. For women also on gold jewelry.
What used to be gold jewelery and cows is now the mobile phone. Social media have changed a lot: “Ten years ago, Somalis still dressed fairly conservatively. But meanwhile, the young know very well what’s hot in the West.”
Apple shirts have rarely been seen in the West. But in Somalia on every street corner. Meanwhile, Samira Gaid tells me, even her girlfriends’ children are demanding Apple shirts – notably in families that can also afford iPhones.
«Even Islamists wear a symbol of the West»
Gaid explains how she became aware of the trend a few months ago: in videos of killed fighters from the terrorist militia Al-Shabaab – who actually reject everything Western. “At first I thought the apple was a symbol for something in Al-Shabaab. Then I suddenly saw the logo everywhere. It’s ironic that even Islamists wear a symbol of the West.”
Back to buying clothes: One store down, the salesperson explains to me the advantages of T-shirts with an iPhone on them: “You can tell in which year the T-shirt was made. If it says iPhone 13 or 14, then the item of clothing is also new. That suits the customer.”
Legend:
Advantage of the t-shirt according to the seller: it is clear in which year it was bought.
SRF
And it convinces me too. The seller wants seven dollars for the T-shirt. I end up buying two Apple shirts for five dollars each. And I’m ready if this trend continues.