The Republic of Djibouti

The Republic of Djibouti

Djibouti is a small country on the Horn of Africa nestled in a very rough neighborhood with Yemen just across the Gulf of Aden and Somalia just to the south. It is an incredibly poor country with only the revenues from the Port of Djibouti to subsist off of. The country has a very heavy French influence, as it was a French colony before gaining its independence.

I was in Djibouti on business for three days to explore what the country and its hinterlands might hold in the way of new market potential for our ships. It was a trip I had been putting off for some time given its less than appealing location. What would have been a 3.5 hour direct flight from Dubai, had there actually been an airline willing to service the route, was actually a 12 hour journey via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia aboard the well worn aircraft of Ethiopian Airlines. So after taking off from Dubai at 4:45 AM, I arrived at the Djibouti International Airport in high spirits with malaria medication in hand and countless vaccinations coursing through my body.

There was only one other plane at the airport when we landed, however, it wasn't an airline I was very familiar with.

After negotiating my way through immigration, it was off to the hotel to get cleaned up before the first meetings. After checking in at the hotel, (which happend to be the tallest building in the country at four stories) I noticed the hotel was bustling with activity. I mentioned this to the front desk clerk, who said that I was the only one staying in the hotel who was not a part of the UN sponsored peace conference underway between the dozens of warring Somali clan representatives.

So with that it was off to the Port of Djibouti for a site visit and meetings with the port officials.

The port itself was an interesting experience, the potent mix of heat, humidity, flies, and smell was unlike any port I've ever been to. The liberal bathing policy at the port was a first as well (see photo above).

The working hours in Djibouti are unusual and apparently a holdover from the French colonial days. The day starts at 8 AM and breaks at noon for the afternoon off. Work begins again at 4:30 PM and continues until 7 PM. The working week is a half day off on Thursday, all day off on Friday, and then a half day on Saturday.

One of the other interesting aspects of the culture is the use of Khat. Khat is a weed that is chewed to produce mild euphoria. Its easy to pick out the men using the narcotic as they tend to have a glassy eyed look to them and their teeth are stained a lovely brown. The port has placed signs around the premises banning the substance, however, its still very prevelent.

Djibouti is a very poor place and the following pictures reflect the average housing.

So with the meetings complete and more than enough of Djibouti to last a life time, it was off to the airport being careful to follow the sign board and stay straight versus hanging a right and ending up in a place probably even worse than Djibouti!