Abdillahi Said Awad (in Somali his name is spelt Cabdillahi Siciid Cawad) is one of the more famous frankincense harvesters in Somaliland. That is because he featured in the Vice Documentary that exposed the malpractices of a giant essential oils multilevel marketing company from the US and its local supplier. Abdillahi is interviewed in his humble abode and asked whether he is being well paid by the US company that claims to be engaging in fair trade and community development; he laughs and shows his situation. The clip to the right is extracted from the same documentary.

In a clip made by Beeyo Maal, Abdillahi explains (in Somali) how he selects the tree he will tap and how he then proceeds to tap it (see video below right).

Abdillahi’s frankincense grove is in Madar Mooge, one of the most cherished frankincense production areas of Somaliland, famous for its beautiful yield of moxor (carterii). His resin is the base of several of 2Mages current products, namely: