Mogadishu, 2 August 2025 – On a recent afternoon in Mogadishu’s Waberi district, Faduma Jeylani Abdi sits on mat in her home, surrounded by bundles of colourful thread.
Her hands are a blur of activity, her eyes are intensely focused. And yet her voice is calm and relaxed as her hands deftly maneuver a needle and threads to craft one of Somalia’s most iconic garments: a ‘koofi Baraawe,’ or Baraawe hat.
The 59-year-old is a member of Somalia’s Baraawe community, long-known for its artisanal skills and expertise for producing the fine, hand-crafted headgear.
“We are famous for three things that originate from Baraawe town: muufo Baraawe (bread), caano Baraawe (a traditional fudge) and the koofi Baraawe!” Ms Abdi says, as her hands dart smoothly and methodically across the still-forming hat in her lap.
The headgear is a round, brimless cap with a flat crown, often standing out due to its colourful embroidery and intricate designs. Some versions have small holes in the cloth to allow air to circulate. A top-quality version can take up to 15 days to craft, depending on the time devoted to its production.
Made only by Baraawe women, the hat is widely recognized across Somalia as a symbol of dignity, elegance and wisdom. Often, they are presented to elders as a mark of respect and appreciation, in addition to being worn by dignitaries, from presidents, parliamentarians and diplomats to clan leaders, traditional elders and others at special events.
For the Baraawe community, the hat is more than a fashion accessory or a societal accoutrement. The hat carries a deeper meaning for them – it connects them to their roots, tradition and identity.
“Only the people of Baraawe craft these hats. No one else makes them, and we grew up mastering this skill,” Ms. Abdi says.
Community
Baraawe is located on the Benadir coastline, some 200 kilometres south of the Somali capital of Mogadishu. Because of its strategic location, the town was chosen to be the capital city of Somalia’s South West State.
The Baraawe community began crafting hats as a means of generating extra household income. For women, it became a primary occupation, helping sustain their families in tough economic times, and the traditional craftwork has been maintained across generations.
“Men have no role in the hat-making process. This work is exclusive role for women artisans, helping their families during times of scarce economic activity,” Ms. Abdi notes.
Born in 1966 in Baraawe, Ms. Abdi began learning at a young age from her mother and aunts.
“The need to support my mother and the desire to master this art motivated me. I can still remember sitting beside my mother as a 13-year-old girl, after finishing lessons at the madrassa for the day, and practising hat-making,” Ms Abdi says.
Though the trade in the hats was relatively small, it was steady and families could earn enough to sustain themselves.
As Ms. Abdi grew older – and continued to learn and practice – when the time came to choose a way to make a living, there was no question as to what kind of work she would take up.
Pride
But Ms. Abdi dismisses any notion that she faced limited choices when deciding on her future. Her perspective is somewhat different – she takes pride in her work and her community’s contribution to wider Somali society.
“All Somali men, from all backgrounds, wear the koofi Baraawe as a marker of identity, dignity, prestige and heritage,” she says.
The Baraawe hat is worn for many purposes, including religious, cultural and political reasons. Politicians often wear the hats at key ceremonies and diplomatic gatherings. Religious scholars and clan elders also must have the headwear at important events. The latter includes weddings.
“During a wedding, the bridegroom’s close relatives, an uncle or aunt, place the koofi Baraawe on his head and say, ‘From this day forward, you are a responsible man,’” Ms. Abdi says. “We also remind him that this practice is rooted in the tradition of the Prophet.”
“The hats used to be in high demand during the Hajj season,” she adds, “and we used to export them to Saudi Arabia, where pilgrims seek high-quality, traditional headwear.”
Livelihoods
The market for koofi Baraawe was severely affected by Somalia’s civil war. It has been gradually growing back as the country rebuilds, but not without new challenges for its producers.
Ms. Abdi’s pride in her artisanal work, and her community’s cultural wealth, is tempered by the realities of commerce in the modern world.
Currently, a handmade genuine koofi Baraawe costs between $50 and $80, while a lower-quality, mass-produced item can be bought for a fraction of those amounts.
“Fake imports have flooded the market. Some sell for as little as $5,” Ms. Abdi says. “In contrast, authentic Baraawe hats in Mogadishu cost a lot more, depending on the artistry, materials and design.”
“The genuine hats use soft, breathable fabric like baati (a light cotton), while fakes are made of elastic material. A real koofi Baraawe allows for air circulation, sweat from the scalp passes through holes; counterfeits do not have these,” she says.
A recent wander around Mogadishu drove home just how prevalent the knock-off hats are.
“The entire city is flooded with them!” Ms. Abdi says. “Finding an authentic one is rare, perhaps one in a thousand.”
To add to the challenges, finding younger generations which are keen to take up the craft is increasingly difficult. The work is labour-intensive, requiring intricate hand-eye coordination and an artistic eye, as well as the ability to pay meticulous attention to detail.
The loss of these skills jeopardises the passing on of the unique techniques that define the koofi Baraawe. According to Ms. Abdi, Baraawe artisans attribute this reluctance to generational changes involving the views and roles of families.
“Today’s girls do not want to sit and spend hours crafting these hats. In my time, people did what was expected of them to do. Now, young people think the older generation was not as clever as they are today,” she says.
Solutions
Some Baraawe artisans – Ms. Abdi included among them – have called for a ban on the cheaper, imported versions of the hat. But even those calls are diminishing as the number of expert koofi Baraawe artisans declines as older generations, including potential teachers, pass on.
“The artisans who used to craft the Baraawe hat are either dead, too old or have gone abroad,” Ms. Abdi notes. “The small number of remaining artisans keeps getting smaller.”
“The craft has a future, but artisans need help. A person with support can stand alone, without it, what can they achieve? I want to teach the young how to make these hats,” she adds. “We pray our traditions can regain their former glory.”
UN support
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Somalia works with local partners and Somali communities to highlight the richness and diversity of Somali people and their culture, and to promote meaningful participation in a peaceful and inclusive future for all Somalis.
As a signatory to the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, Somalia has the opportunity to document and protect traditions like Baraawe hat-making. Creating an inventory of intangible heritage could help preserve this craftsmanship for future generations.
“Koofi Baraawe is a cultural icon for the Baraawe community and indeed for all Somalis. The skills, techniques, and knowledge involved in making koofi Baraawe are intangible cultural heritage and represent the diverse ways in which women artisans of the Baraawe community express, maintain, and transmit their cultural heritage across generations,” says the Chief of the UN Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia’s (UNTMIS) Human Rights and Protection Group, Kirsten Young, who also serves as the OHCHR Representative to Somalia.
“It is immensely important that the community safeguards its culture and identity. With the ongoing rebuilding of the cultural sector in the country, Somali authorities have the opportunity to support and strengthen the Baraawe community’s efforts to preserve koofi Baraawe and enjoy their cultural rights,” she adds.
