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From Our Own Correspondent: Nicknames in Somalia

Somalia and Niger

07/03/2014

Nicknames in Somalia

BBC World Service - From Our Own Correspondent, Nicknames in Somalia

Baldy, One Leg or Big Bottom, what Somali nickname would you choose?

Ruthless but honest: Justin Marozzi appreciates the rough-hewn humour of Somali nicknames. Celeste Hicks, near Zinder, asks what the oil industry is really bringing to Niger.

In Somalia, you're no-one without a nickname - although the handles themselves can be ruthlessly honest. Justin Marozzi, working in Mogadishu, explains just why becoming known as "White Hair" means so much to him. 

Plus: how much profit is Niger's nascent oil industry really bringing to local people? Near Zinder, in the country's east, Celeste Hicks sees a gulf opening up between Nigeriens' hopes and what's been delivered.

Presenter: Pascale Harter. Producer: Polly Hope.

Photo: An smiling militiaman in Wajiid, south central Somalia. RADU SIGHETI/AFP/Getty Images.

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