Brother Daud Waraqle (Chimera), This is for you

[xiinfaniin]

When the great Arab explorer Ibn Battuta landed on Mogadishu's shores in 1331, he was greeted with a feast fit for a king. Hundreds of camels were slaughtered daily to feed the flourishing port city, where a man could eat for ten. The sultan, clad in silk and fine Jerusalem cloth, was followed by a procession of trumpets and colorful canopies upon which golden birds perched.

 

How times have changed in Somalia. Today, centuries of European colonization and political strife, coupled with interludes of devastating drought and flooding, have created a failed state that's become a haven for lawlessness. For years, Somalia was passed between foreign powers: first the Portuguese, then the British, then the French and Italians. Upon its declaration of independence in 1960, the country's artificially drawn borders proved incapable of anything resembling stability. Now, Somalia remains in a constant state of conflict.

 

Once known as the "pearl of the Indian Ocean," tourists flocked by the plane-full until the country descended into civil unrest in the 1990s. Now the only visitors are aid workers and their heavily armed bodyguards. When a Canadian tourist landed in Mogadishu last year, immigration officials thought he was either a spy or insane.

 

Above, young foreigners enjoy a warm day at Lido Beach. Sydney Oats, a former Royal Air Force (RAF) electrical fitter who was stationed in Mogadishu in 1949, provided this photo, as well as several others. He told Foreign Policy that Lido Beach, with its white beaches and breathtaking view, was the best part of Mogadishu, where young soldiers spent their afternoons nearly every day. Until 1991, when President Siad Barre was overthrown by a coalition of warlords after 22 years in power, Lido Beach was a popular club scene. This week brought news that Somalis are finally returning to the warm waters of the Indian Ocean after years of deserted beaches. But this brief beach-going interlude may be short lived. With pirates patrolling the coastline and the terrorist network al Shabaab arming children with AK-47s, Mogadishu remains arguably the most dangerous city in the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Above, a picturesque downtown Mogadishu around 1936. Pictured on the right is Arba Rukun mosque, known as the Mosque of the Four Pillars. Built in 1269 AD, the mosque predates Ibn Battuta's historic arrival in Somalia. The Italian-built Catholic cathedral, which now lies in ruins, sits in the center, and the Triumphal Arch, honoring Italian King Emmanuel III, on the left.

 

 

A postcard sent in 1950 shows the Garesa Museum. Built in 1872 by the Sultan of Zanzibar, it was later established as a museum by the Italians in the 30s, and later, the national museum after Somalia's independence. The museum suffered looting and damage at the onset of violence in the 1990s and has remained closed for two decades.

 

Above, the princess visits a monument in Mogadishu on April 18, 1936.

 

 

Source: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/11/17/once_upon_a_time_in_mogadishu?page=full#0

[xiinfaniin]

 

Blood stained the streets of Mogadishu on Jan. 11, 1948 as Somalis protested the possible return of Italian rule to Italian Somaliland, which had been controlled by the British since 1941. One report stated the clash between Italian supporters and the Somali Youth League, Somalia's first political party, was fueled with "bullets, arrows, broken bottles and knives," leaving over 50 Italians dead. One year later, as the U.N. General Assembly debated whether to reinstate Italian control, more protests rattled the city. In November of that year, it was decided that Italians would once again hold trusteeship, but only under the pretext that Somalia would gain independence in ten years.

 

On the left, the British flag is lowered on April 1, 1950, marking the end of British rule. Pictured to the right, the Italian flag is immediately raised. The picture was provided by the military, as Oats and the rest of the Royal Air Force were not allowed to attend the ceremony for their own safety.

[xiinfaniin]

A view of the white city of Mogadishu from the Indian Ocean in 1952. Sydney Oats describes the road into Mogadishu as barren for the first several miles, as the city had been shelled and bombed after the Italians had been driven out. The houses that were still standing were overgrown with grass and weeds. While many European expatriates lived in extravagant Italian-inspired homes, Somalis lived in traditional rectangular houses, often lacking windows.

[xiinfaniin]

In 1960, British and Italian Somaliland were joined, and Somalia officially gained its independence after centuries of foreign rule. The first elections were held in 1964, with the SYL winning an absolute majority. Somali politics began to flourish, with women taking an active role. Taken from an Associated Press article published in 1966, the photo above shows a pristine main street in Mogadishu. The caption describes Somalia as "perhaps the most democratic country on the dark continent." A free and fair election has not taken place in Somalia since the 1960s. Four decades later, the country is riveted by despair.

[xiinfaniin]

This 1950s postcard shows a majestic Mogadishu street shaded by palm trees. The former offices of the Municipality of Mogadishu were housed in the building on the left, and the lavish Croce del Sud Hotel, to its right.

[SayidSomal]

You are lucky if does not accuse you of fantasizing about colonial past!

 

 

p.s. if he does not - I will.

[xiinfaniin]

^^As always you are being slow, Sayid. Daud and I have an agreement about this topic.

 

ps. private messages are not working in SOL.

 

pps. pictures, pictures, Sayid. Don't pay attention to what the FO researchers wrote or the captions they provided.

[SayidSomal]

Those pictures of Mogadishu looking pristine are nice - but it is what they represent rather than how they look saxiib that matter here - or i am being too fast for you again

[xiinfaniin]

^^ :D

 

You are rather too slow still--you are still hung on the era the pics were taken, rather than the pics themselves. That I call missing the point

 

It is like focusing on the white soldiers on the Lido peach, rather than teh sandy peach itself , Waryaa wax iskula har.

 

ps. I am sure Daud would love it to deatjh

[Carafaat]

Chimera doesn't support Federal Clan States nor re-institutionalizing of past clan monarchies. He is atleast a real Somali nationalist with a vision. You and I could learn one or two from the man, ya Xiiny.

[SayidSomal]

^^Alright I'll slow do for you and break it down

 

I am looking at the whole picture, when it was taken, where it was taken, who took the picture and more imprtantly what it represents (that is including the text underneath pictures) and finally the title of the pictures as they appear in FO along with Tehran, Kabul and why they appear now. unlike you - I am not discounting anything.

 

I wonder why you didn't include in the collection as it appears in FO - the picture of the soldiers enjoying themselves in lido beach - if as you say 'you only see the sandy beach'. ?

 

p.s. - it wouldn't suprise me if he did - since he also enjoys 'noble savage porn'

[xiinfaniin]

lol@noble savage porn

 

I now know where your mind is , Sayid.

 

Carafaat, you bring discussions in other threads in this one as well --- tells me you are still under 30

[SayidSomal]

^See what happens when I actually slow down for you - you begin to catch up (not that you fully get there )

[SayidSomal]

Jokes aside - Insha'Allah Mogadishu will soon be the pearl of the Indian ocean again.

 

I never been there - but I would to be there when it does regain its former glory and reaches for the heavens

[xiinfaniin]

^^inshaa Allaah bro

 

Mogadishu was and will be great city; I grew up in the rough areas of the city and lived in other areas as well. From the slum of Tokyo to the suburb of Hodan, Mogadishu offered a metropolitan experience. Awoowe you said you did not see the city, and we were there when the dhug-dhugley was in business , and Abu Ras was the major transportation , when it was so safe that kids like me could safely go to Cinema Misyoone and come home late with no concern .

 

Adiga iyo Carafaat ba ilaahay wax badan biinaan arag, inaad maqashaan mooyee