Do Somalis view having cancer as something ceeb/shameful?

[911]

My grandfather on my moms side died before I was born. I was always told that he died from a stomach disease but was looking through some records and found out that he died from Pancreatic Cancer. Similarly, one of my moms friends was extremely ill and told everyone that she had kidney problems, but she actually had Breast Cancer.
So I’m wondering, is this sort of lying common when it comes to cancer? Do Somalis view cancer as something ceeb? Otherwise, why would they lie about it? I know that Somalis with HIV keep it hidden, which is understandable due to the sexual notions surrounding HIV, but cancer is just a result of your cells fucking up, I dont see why it would be ceeb.

 

[BetterDaysAhead]

the reason why anybody would view it as something ceeb is beyond me, there are plenty of people who lived as healthy as they could and still got cancer

 

[Advokaten]

Nigga what, We do have some intelligence problems, But this level retardation we have yet encountered

 

[Mehdi Hassan]

Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing if Kim finally used the damn missiles he's been threatening us with to wipe Somalia of the face of the planet.

 

[911]

Nigga what, We do have some intelligence problems, But this level retardation we have yet encountered

Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing if Kim finally used the damn missiles he's been threatening us with to wipe Somalia of the face of the planet.

I dont know if this is a Somali thing, or if I have just encountered some weird people.

 

[Mehdi Hassan]

I dont know if this is a Somali thing, or if I have just encountered some weird people.

Nah man it's a Somali thing.

 

[911]

Nah man it's a Somali thing.

Have you encountered it?

 

[Mehdi Hassan]

Have you encountered it?

Yeah an uncle of mine had it and his wife and kids hid it from his mother and father.

 

[Yukon_Niner]

Nope just viewed as sad.

I've met a few Somalis with cancer, none hid it.

 

[farax]

Yeah they do sometimes consider it that way

 

[Halimak]

Its not coming from a place of ceeb.

Its coming from a place in which they don't want to be pitied. They don't want the theatrics or being made to feel they will die any moment. Cancer is life-threatening, therefore people look at it is a death sentence.

I get it.

 

[KobeBryant]

Sort of. Not really shameful but embarrassing. It’s strange don’t ask me why.

 

[911]

Its not coming from a place of ceeb.

Its coming from a place in which they don't want to be pitied. They don't want the theatrics or being made to feel they will die any moment. Cancer is life-threatening, therefore people look at it is a death sentence.

I get it.

That makes sense, thanks

 

[hannah54321]

Tbh this isn’t a Somali thing
Back in the day ppl didn’t like saying they had cancer I think it was Betty Ford who normalised it in America

 

[Mehdi Hassan]

Its not coming from a place of ceeb.

Its coming from a place in which they don't want to be pitied. They don't want the theatrics or being made to feel they will die any moment. Cancer is life-threatening, therefore people look at it is a death sentence.

I get it.

I think I've heard this before. Are you @HalimaJ?

 

[Dooyo]

Many look at it as a habaar. They think you must've done something awful to get it.