Mogadishu, Somalia 1984 at a photography studio. Some of the photos on the wall are of Somali celebrities of that era. Getting your picture taken by one of Mogadishu’s local photographers was pretty popular back in the days when Mogadishu was peaceful.
Muqdisho #vintagesomalia
A young Somali Women at a Trade Fair in Milan, Italy in 1964 showcasing a Somali made product.
Somali Airlines Post Card
Somali Airlines was founded in 1964. In 1974 it started it’s international routes (London via Cairo, Frankfurt, Johannesburg, Dubai, Riyadh, and many more). Somali Airlines stopped running when civil war broke out in 1991 in Somalia. There are preparations for its relaunch currently in progress by Somalia’s new government.
“I was born in war, I work in war and I live in war. I have never known peace”
Ayan Muhyadin, 19. Mogadishu, Somalia.
via SomaliReport ph: Jason Florio
vintagesomalia @ gmail (dot) com
QORI DHIG QALIN QAADO (Put Down the Gun, Pick Up the Pen)
Elman Ali Ahmed was well known in Somalia for his peace activism and business accomplishments. He was murdered in 1996 in Mogadishu because he refused to stop working doing what he believed in. Ahmed’s motto “Put Down the Gun, Pick Up the Pen” can be found on walls all around Mogadishu’s streets today.
Amnesty International’s statement on his death is available here from 1996.
The Elman Peace and Human Rights Centre in Mogadishu, currently run by his daughter and widow Fartun Ahmed, which he founded in 1991 continues his work on peace building, poverty alleviation and rehabilitation. One of Ahmed daughters Ilwad Elman recently discussed his life and legacy at TEDxMogadishu (link via YouTube).
We should never forget Ahmed’s message.
May God bless his soul, and may Somalia one day reflect his belief and conviction for education over violence.
#remember, vintagesomalia
Back from Mogadishu: The Fastest Changing City in The World
I always intend to write at least twice a week, but lately there has been a delay as I’ve been on the road. I recently returned from Mogadishu and am amazed by how quickly the city is changing. Although journalists continue to tout it as the worlds most dangerous city, I believe it is time to shift the title into something about how the city of Mogadishu has undergone the most radical transformation in the world. It hasn’t even been one year since my first visit, and yet many parts of the city are unrecognizable today. And new construction is everywhere! Hotels, travel agents, import/export businesses and even a new petrol station are up and operating.
In the past, the only way to secure fuel for automobiles was through sharing containers of poor quality fuel, now today a modern petrol station is under construction with modern functioning pumps. A mall constructed in the 1970s was recently renovated, and the Somali National Theatre, the site of a violent suicide bombing last spring has been restored again into a magnificent state. Certainly problems within the city remain however if the pace continues and can expand throughout the region, the problems have a limited future of influence.
1st Pic: Somali National Theater November 2012
2nd Pic: Somali National Theatre March 2012
‘We Can’t Forget This Machine’: The Letter press of Mogadishu
From governments to warlords, international organizations, dictators, and militia men, it seem at one time or another everyone needed the services of Daha Printing Press. Read The Atlantic’s story on a print shop in Mogadishu that has remained with its original owners, and printers, for over three generations since 1967.
