President vs the Pirates, The (ATOM Study Guide)

Somalia is the textbook definition of a failed state. What was once one of Africa's most powerful countries – and one of immense strategic importance – is now in ruins, beset by entrenched corruption and continuously warring clans. As the world knows too well, piracy has become deep-seated in Somali society. It's a significant driver of local economies. In many cases it's the only economy. The once fabulously rich fishing grounds have been pillaged by international fishing corporations that employ armed patrol boats to protect their super-trawlers from angry Somali fishermen. Other European corporations have used the Somali coast to dump toxic waste into the sea, destroying fish stocks.

Led by the current President of Puntland, Abdirahman Farole, we follow the story of former Somali migrants to Australia who have returned to their homeland in the Somali province of Puntland, determined to transform their broken State into a modern African nation. We gain unprecedented insider access to a group of educated and ambitious Somali-Australian returnees who are convinced that they can succeed where Western nations and the UN have failed. Along the way, we discover the close and influential relationship that exists between the elite in Puntland and the Somali community in a suburb of Melbourne.

Just a few years ago, Farole was driving to his part-time job as a refugee settlement officer in Melbourne, Australia. Today he is driven to work as the President of Puntland, one of the semi-autonomous, and largely dysfunctional, clan-states of Somalia. On a quest for law, order and justice, Farole has raised funds and built a private militia to fight piracy on land and sea, and made major inroads to bring greater stability to his homeland. But this is not enough for Farole. He has a grander dream.

Since 2009, this former bank manager has been on a mission to bring true representational democracy to Puntland and to create a modern African nation out of one of the world's worst failed states. But the odds are stacked against him. His breakdown of civil order and descent into chaos that began in the 1960s has devastated a once-thriving agricultural economy and wrecked hopes of unlocking Somalia's resources. Efforts to introduce a multi-party political system are resisted at every turn by the powerful warlords who control the centuries-old clan system. The militant Islamist group al-Shabaab – closely linked to al-Qaeda – is waging a bitter and violent campaign. What's more, the international community sees Farole as a pariah for violating a UN arms embargo so he could arm his militia.

It's a remarkable inside view of the politics of this volatile and little-understood African nation and the role that Australian Somalis are playing in an effort to turn it around. The consequences of Farole's mission will have an international impact. Will the chronic turmoil in Somalia and Puntland continue to breed extremism and foster unending violent clan warfare, or can the seeds of democracy take root?

Areas for study

• Geography
• Religious Studies
• Society and Culture

Although the documentary isn't particularly graphic, some of the concepts are highly controversial and aren't suitable for junior students. Teachers are advised to use professional discretion before embarking on a student viewing.