The inhabitants of Mogadishu reconnected on Wednesday evening September 22 with the world of cinema thanks to the first screening of films in thirty years, a cultural event organized under high security in the very unstable Somali capital. The history of the Somali National Theater, donated by Chinese leader Mao Zedong in 1967, bears witness to the tumultuous decades this country in the Horn of Africa has experienced.
The place, which hosted the screening on the occasion of its reopening, has in the past experienced suicide attacks and served as a base for warlords. “This is going to be a historic night for Somalis”, its director Abdikadir Abdi Yusuf said earlier, stressing that his establishment now wants to be a place of expression for local artists.
On Wednesday evening, Somali films were screened there for the first time: two short films by director Ibrahim CM, Hoos and Date from Hell. The entrance ticket was around 8.50 euros – a steep price for many Mogadishu residents.
Participants had to pass several security checks before reaching the theater, located in a highly secure area of the city, including the Presidential Palace and the Parliament. According to sources contacted by AFP, the session was held without security incidents.
If the capital had many cinemas in its golden age, all their doors were closed with the outbreak of the civil war in 1991. Falling into disuse, the National Theater reopened in 2012, but it was destroyed two weeks more later by the Chabab, an Islamist militia linked to Al-Qaida which regularly carries out attacks in the capital.
After careful restoration, its reopening reminds many of happier days. “In the good old days, I used to come and watch concerts, dramas, pop shows, folk dances and movies at the National Theater. It makes me sad when I see Mogadishu without the nightlife that there was before ”, said in the day Osman Yusuf Osman, a fan of cinema. “But it’s a good start (…). I will not miss this historic event tonight ”, he told AFP.
Conversely, others were more circumspect, even worried about the security of the site. This is the case of Hakimo Mohamed, mother of six children, who frequented the place when she was a child. “People would go out at night and stay until late if they wanted. But now, I don’t think it’s very certain ”, she estimated. The Chabab were ousted from Mogadishu ten years ago, but they still control large rural areas.
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