| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
 Somalia and  Kenya | |
| Kenya | 4,633 (2019) [1] |
| Somalia | 20,000 (2006) [2] |
| Languages | |
| Chimini (a Swahili dialect), Somali | |
| Religion | |
| Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Benadiri, Swahili | |
The Bravanese people, also known as the Barawani, are a minority ethnic group inhabiting the city of Barawe of Somalia.
As their name suggests, the Bravanese hail from Brava (Barawa), a port town on the southeastern coast of Somalia.
Barawa is one of the most diverse place in Somalia. The people of this Banadir coast have been mixing with people from all around the world for hundreds of years. Because of its location and distance from Asia, Middle East, Europe, and nearby Islands, Barawa was strategically located for trade while people also exchanged ideas, skills, other knowledge and culture. The regional population traces their origins Arabian (particularly Hadhrami, Adnani and Qahtani). Many Bravanese people are of Arab origin and therefore they tend to look very physically distinct from the vast majority of other Somalis. They also have some Southeast Asian ancestry established thousands of years ago by trading with people from maritime Southeast Asia such as Malaysia and Indonesia as well as China. [3] Their culture, food and music resemble those of other East African islands and the Swahili people. [4] [5] [6] The Bravanese people are locally known as "3 Tol" Haatim, Biido and Ashraf. [7] According to many sources Bravanese people are made up of Haatim, Biida, and Asharaf. [8]
The Bravanese speak the Bravanese language (Chimwiini or Chimini), Northern Dialect of Swahili. [9] Chi- is a prefix denoting "language", and Miini (Mwiini) is the alternative name of Barawa, the Bravanese people themselves would never call the town as Barawa or Brava, but rather as Miini. [10] Chimini is a standard version of the original Bravanese language which is called Chambalazi, the standard Chimini language contains Italian, and Arabic. Chambalazi contains some of the oldest Swahili words and dialects, it started to evolve through time and intermixing of other ethnicity and languages. [11] The Barawa language is over 1000 years old, and still spoken today by approximately 30,000 Bravanese, this is due to the preservation of the language by the early scholars in Barawa. Sheikh Qassim al Barawi was the first Bravanese Scholar to start writing standard Chimini, it was written in Arabic. Throughout history, the language was used to spread Islam in the Swahili Coast, this was done via poetry and Religious books or manuscripts. [12]
As a result of Government Policy such as the displacement of Nomadic Somalis into the Barawa Coast in 1974, this caused a culture shock and a threat to the language. Adding to that, political turmoil such as the Somali Civil war caused Bravanese to disperse all over the world, this resulted in the language being highly endangered in a short span of time. Brent Henderson, a researcher from University of Florida conducted a thorough research and documentation of the Barawa Language for three years. In his research he highlighted the following quote in context:
"Whatever the factors responsible for the stabilization of Chimwiini over the past six hundred years, the situation has changed drastically within the past forty years largely due to political manoeuvrings... By 1972 all government officials were required to speak and write Somali [the national language of Somalia] and it was instituted in all public schools, including the school in Brava. ... [The] most important factor in the endangerment of Chimwiini was the eruption of civil war in Somalia in the early 1990s. ... Those who could leave Brava did so by whatever means possible. ... In just three decades, Chimwiini has gone from having a stable community of speakers to having its speakers scattered across the globe." [13]
In April 2020, the Barawa language was once again under attack, authorities in the autonomous region of South West State of Somalia (Konfuur Galbeed) mandated a ban on Radio Barawa to not broadcast their shows and news in the Barawa Language. This caused a political backlash from Bravanese Communities and a numerous Bravanese Politicians. As a result, the authorities were forced to rescind the ban and Radio Barawa resumed to normal. [14]
The Hon. Bur’i Mohamed Hamza (Somali: Burci Maxamed Xamza, Arabic: البرعي محمد حمزة, died 25 June 2016) was a Somali-Canadian politician. He served as chairman and elected political leader of the Bravan community. From August 2012 to January 2014, he was a Member of the Federal Parliament of Somalia. He later served as the State Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Somalia from January to October 2014, and subsequently as the State Minister of Finance until December 2014. He was the State Minister of the Office for Environment at the time of his death.
Bravanese people had many poem writers like Miimi and her son Abdulahi Mohamed Habib, who wrote various songs with the most popular singer called Habib Amin Bishaaro and many others. Local Bravanese investors called Sawt El Rahma launched the first music studio in the 80s in Brava where Mr Bishaaro used to make his songs that were mostly based on a true story in Brava until today is heard by youngsters and elders.
Mr Bishaaro along with other artist have made songs for the Bravanese community that were all sang in Chimwini before the Somalia war in 1991 where he later died in a tragic car crash accident in Kenya 1992 just after he launched his first album that was all written in Chimwiini with the help of Ustad Juma Baalo studio a well known artist in Mombasa Kenya.
Bravanese Radio was launched in Brava after many Bravanese community left the town, but later it started to get attention from politician where they have tried to stop the Bravanese Radio to not speak the Bravanese or Chimwiini language, they were later criticized by many other Somalian politicians in 2020.
A Bravanese group in the UK launched their first internet TV channel in 2020 called Bravanese TV Live when many were shocked about the news that occurred in one of the Somali popular TV channel that some politician are urging the removal of Radio Brava and its Chimiini language and replace it to another Somali South West language.
The South-West State of Somalia, is a Federal Member State in southwestern Somalia. It was founded by Hasan Muhammad Nur Shatigadud, leader of the Somalia RRA on 1 April 2002. It was the third autonomous region to be established.
Barawa, also known as Barawe and Brava, is the capital of the South West State of Somalia. It functions as a port town in the southwestern Lower Shebelle region of Somalia. Facing the Indian Ocean, Barawa serves as the main port of the South West State.
The Rahanweyn, also known as the Digil and Mirifle are a major Somali clan. It is one of the major Somali clans in the Horn of Africa, with a large territory in the densely populated fertile valleys of the Jubba and Shebelle rivers and the areas inbetween which are mainly inhabited by settlers from the Digil and Mirifle lineages.
The Somali Youth League, initially known as the Somali Youth Club (SYC), was the first political party in Somalia.
Wadaad's writing, also known as Wadaad'sArabic, is the traditional Somali adaptation of written Arabic as well as the Arabic script as historically used to transcribe the Somali language. Originally, it referred to a non-grammatical Arabic featuring some words from the Somali language, with the proportion of Somali vocabulary varying depending on the context. Alongside standard Arabic, Wadaad's writing was used by Somali religious men (Wadaado) to record xeer petitions and to write qasidas. It was also used by merchants for business purposes and letter writing.
Sheikh Uways Al-Barawi was a Somali scholar credited with reviving Islam in 19th century East Africa.
The Banaadiri people are a people group in Somalia. Banaadiris largely inhabit Somalia's southern coastline.
Bravanese, also called Chimwiini or Chimbalazi, is a Bantu language related to Swahili spoken by the Bravanese people, who are the predominant inhabitants of Barawa, or Brava, in Somalia. Maho (2009) considers it a distinct dialect, and it has been classified as a Northern Dialect of Swahili. However, it strongly distinguishes itself from standard Swahili under all linguistic considerations.
Jubaland, the Juba Valley, is a Federal Member State in southern Somalia. Its eastern border lies 40–60 km (25–35 mi) east of the Jubba River, stretching from Dolow to the Indian Ocean, while its western side flanks the North Eastern Province in Kenya, which was carved out of Jubaland during the colonial period.
This is a 2014 timeline of events in the Somali Civil War (2009–present).
Burʽi Mohamed Hamza (Somali: Burci Maxamed Xamza, Arabic: البرعي محمد حمزة was a Somali-Canadian politician. From August 2012 to January 2014, he was a Member of the Federal Parliament of Somalia. He later served as the State Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Somalia from January to October 2014, and subsequently as the State Minister of Finance until December 2014. He was the State Minister of the Premier's Office for Environment at the time of his death.
Mana Sitti Habib Jamaladdin, commonly known as Dada Masiti, was a Swahili poet, mystic and Islamic scholar from Somalia. She composed her poetry in the Bravanese dialect spoken in Barawa.
Operation Indian Ocean was a joint military operation between the Somali military, AMISOM and the United States military against the Al-Shabaab militant group aimed at eliminating the remaining insurgent-held areas in southern Somalia. It officially began in August 2014.
Fahad Yasin Haji Dahir,, commonly known only as Fahad Yasin, is a Somali civil servant and politician, as well as a former journalist. He was also the campaign manager for Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed "Farmaajo" in the 2017 elections. After the elections, he was appointed Chief of Staff for Villa Somalia and then Director General of the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA). Farmaajo subsequently appointed him as his national security advisor.
Abdikadir Mohamed Abdikadir, better known as Ikrima, is a terrorist described as one of the most dangerous commanders of the Somali terror organisation Al-Shabaab. He has reportedly been central in the planning of several terror attacks, and responsible for forging links between Al-Shabaab and Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). He is of Somali ethnicity.
The Tunni are a Somali clan that make up part of the wider Digil-Rahanweyn branch. It is one of the major clans that inhabit in the South West State of Somalia and can also be found in Jubbaland.
Bida or Bido are a clan confederacy based in Baraawe, South West State of Somalia and make up one of the groups part of the "todobo Tol" also known as Bravanese people. Member clans of this clan umbrella can also be found in other confederacies further up the coast in Marka and Mogadishu.
Haatim are a Somali clan from southern coastal cities of Baraawe, Marka, Kismayo and Mogadishu, they can also be found in the hinterland towns in the inter-riverine are of Somalia and further down the Swahili coast. The Haatim clan are synonymous with the town they first settled in, Baraawe and make up one of the groups part of the "todobo Tol" also known as Bravanese people.
'Shanshiyo or Shaanshi is a Banaadiri clan, mainly from the southern coastal cities of Mogadishu, Marka, Baraawe and Kismayo which established communities in the hinterlands in towns such as Baidoa and Diinsoor due to trading.
The 12 Koofi, more commonly known as Reer Marka, are a Somali confederation of clans inhabiting the city of Merca and other southern coastal towns of Somalia.