PICS-Mogadishu 2005

[Rahima]

These are all photos from my recent trip to Somalia. Enjoy folks!

 

Hospital SOS

 

 

 

Inside an Carwo- one of the smaller ones, but i needed dose weetbix

 

 

Coca-cola factory

 

 

 

[Rahima]

Isbitaal Banaadir-where i was born (believe it or not they still have all the birth records, don't know from which year, but mine, 1983 onwards were there. I saw my birth papers)

 

Sample pediatrics room:

 

 

 

 

Isbitaal Madina

 

 

The operating theatres:

 

[NoVa]

OMG Damn' girl..SOmalia' Is gotta goin' On...I"mean u wouldn't think that place was ZipZero Ten year's Ago...Props' 2 those that r makin' it happend back home.

 

So how' was it??? Seriously, tellllllllll it all...did ppl laught @ ya speakin english too much? lol...i'm sure they have noticed u'were from the Qurba for the first couple'of day's...and'were they givin' u wierd looks? I heard that's what happends when u go there @ the first couple day's...

 

THnxs 4 sharing with those picz...their Amazinnnnnnnngggg

[Rahima]

Somali Institute of Management and Administration (SIMAD)

 

 

Into the tutorial classess:

 

 

 

Masjid for students:

 

 

Banadir University

 

 

 

[Rahima]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Homes (obviously the newer ones):

 

 

[Rahima]

From my uncles office (sorry for all the wiring ):

 

 

 

 

 

 

And finally on our way to the airport, our tyre punctured, but alxamdullilah we made it in time:

 

[Animal Farm]

Damn, those are some nice pics, they look amazing, do you have more, i luve to see some more, I left Mogadishu when i was young, so i don't remember much, i'm likin the way its looking now,

 

thanks a much

[Rahima]

NOVA,

 

Somalia was amazing. The most spectacular feeling is knowing that it is your land, you are not a foreigner- fantastic experience walaahi .

 

The country is doing well considering all that it went through and that it has not had an influential government for a very long time. These obviously are the better scenes of the city, but nonetheless are plenty. There are so many people doing so much good, at the very least it motivated me to inshallah one day hope to go back and make my small contribution.

 

What amazed me more than anything was the business, people are talking hundreds of thousands of dollars. I mean you’ll see a little old lady (who probably is illiterate) taking with her a hundred thousand (US dollars) to Dubai to do shopping for her small bakhaar. I almost died of ciil, loool :mad: . Even education wise, they know all that you do and seem to value it more than us in the west- I don’t know what it is, but somehow they seem pumped about progressing educationally. The other amazing aspect was the food, OMG, I have never tasted such fantastic food, even the fruits are sweeter. The weather was fantastic, the atmosphere good and I finally had a chance to see the real Somalia.

 

I had a very good time and yes people could tell we were from Qurbaha, but there were many people from Qurbaha. Whilst I was there, there was even a radio program where they were interviewing youth and children from Qurbaha. The odd thing though was, somehow they believe that we know almost next to no Somali and have basically adopted the gaalo system of life. They were amazed to see me hijabed (although my hijaab was not enough for my uncle,lool) and that we spoke Somali.

 

Anyway all in all, I highly recommend that you all go. Don’t expect that it will be like London, Toronto, Minneapolis or Melbourne, but it sure as hell will be an eye opener. I remember standing in one of the business precincts of Mogadishu and thinking if this is how the country is without a government (because Mogadishu doesn’t really have a functioning administration), imagine how it would be if we had a government. I have no doubt that we would be one of the best countries in Africa if not the world.

 

Animal Farm,

 

Your wlc .

 

I have more, but we are in them and my family members so i can't post them.

 

Sorry.

[Dhimbil]

Rahima,

 

Sister, beautiful pictures, amazed at how clean the places are. I'm suprised after all thats happened, that they still have birth records, Nice!

[BN]

Rahima,

 

Those are very beautiful and inspiring photos of our homeland. Thanks for sharing.

 

P.S. Hope you won't mind if I save a couple of these as screensavers...

[LANDER]

Rahima,

Glad you took the time to show us the good being done in Mogadishu, so often the negative reports coming from there tend to over shadow a lot of the life that is flourishing in that city. I hope the vision and optimism you carry never dies.

[Sky]

Rahima, thnx for those beautiful pictures of our capital city. u must have had a great vacation. i know what u mean, with the feeling of being in ur own country.

[-Serenity-]

Rahima, those are fantastic pictures! Even more so 'cause they are unique - taken by our very own Nomad Rahima. Girl, you're wonderful.

[Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar]

Xamareeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey. Xamar is always and will always be beautiful...yaa kaliya ka qabto inkaarqabiyaashaas qabqabliyaasha eh iyo wixii daabacsan oo dadka gumeysi ku heysto.

 

Isbitaal Banaadir (my birth place too), Madiina and Soos waa wada taagan yihiin. Eebe mahadiis. I wish Digfeer had survived like them.

 

PS, Raxiima, walaashiis meelaha eberka ehna in aad soo masawirtid aa fiicneed too, I know you have had been to places like Bermuuda, Madiina (Siliga Ameerikaanka, Booli Qaran), Boondheere, Shibis, Xamar Jajab, Sayidka, Xamar Weyne, etc. Mise naf aa ku tagtay waa weysay? Anigaaba kaa geysisanaa then.

 

I have been to Xamar Jajab, boarding one day a Xaaji Khamsiin to go there, and Ilaahey knows how timid I felt that day going out without a private car, ooh the scary stares. It was a wonderful experience because qof aa korkaaga fadhiyo, yacni Xaaji Khamsiinta uu kor saaran yahay, oo dacaskiis cara maanyada miiran tintaada eber kaaga dhigaayo. Shuud.

[Rahima]

Khalid,

 

Sister, beautiful pictures, amazed at how clean the places are. I'm suprised after all thats happened, that they still have birth records, Nice!

One of the saddest things was the amount of rubbish scattered everywhere. I was so surprised, each mans house and business are sparkling, each family having 2 or 3 shaaqiyado, laakiin they neglect the rubbish outside and the rebuilding of the streets ravaged by the war. I suppose those are somewhat government responsibilities, but I never really understood why they can’t do it themselves. To be fair, some people do clean their areas and few business have begun collecting money from one another to rebuild the streets in front of and surrounding their location. We Somalis are addicted to copying one another, let’s hope this is one aspect they compete in.

 

As for the birth records, I don’t believe anyone was more shocked than I was. I was so surprised walaahi, they even took us to the room my mother gave birth to me . Amazing, but the guy explained that Isbitaal Banadir had not been touched or looted so I guess that’s why the records survived.

 

BN,

 

Thank-you for your assistance , and do what you like with them!

 

Lander,

 

Your point is probably one of the reasons why I posted here on SOL. Day in day out we seem to be preoccupied with pessimism about how bad Somalia (in particular Mogadishu) is. At least now, we know there is much to be positive about and inshallah with time it will get better.

 

Sky,

 

Your welcome brother and yes it was a fantastic feeling. My mother almost cried when we first landed in Berbera.

 

Amethyst,

 

It helps when you have a handy Nikon digital camera . Even novices like myself can take award-winning pics (am I pushing my luck,lool ?).

 

MMA,

 

Sure like I said, Mogadishu (like the rest of the country) is not perfect, but I took these pictures as a reminder to myself, to have my siblings go and to show to family/friends that we have something to be positive about. I was so sick of people bad-mouthing Mogadishu like it has no good, it was about time that we saw otherwise. I was very impressed brother, irrespective of all its downfalls; the city is doing very well. Aside from the rubbish, over-crowding and destroyed government infrastructure (which will inshallah be restored once we have a functioning government, inshallah this time), the major downfall was the amount of ‘refugees’ . We went to their camps, i was so saddened walaahi, but alxamdullilah there are many good people helping them to have better lives.

 

The other thing is it was a vacation, I also went to London, all I did was take pictures of there nice areas not the dumps of North/East and West London . I mean we all do that-don’t we?

 

Xamar weyne I thought was beautiful, especially those streets and shops which look just like little Rome. It was amazing . But without doubt my favourite xaafad was Huriwaa, those homes were amazing. I want one so bad, but I can’t afford it now-inshallah some time soon.

 

Anyway have you ever been on one of those caasiyo? How did you find it? Oh the experience I had,looool .