Admin Posted September 29, 2014 Digital Journal - Initially designated as a school project, the Mogadishu Diaries developed into a much sought after video series as it caught the attention of the Somali public, especially its youthful fraternity starved off original Somali stories. Written, directed and produced by Abla Elmi, an Honours Double Major in Human Rights & Equity Studies and Film, the six part series takes viewers through episodes that cover among others; an introduction to the history of Somalia, arrival in Mogadishu (for filming), the arts and cultural scene, Diaspora kids, inspirational people and a parody of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (titled ‘the Fresh Prince of Mogadishu’). The 22 year old York University student left behind her comfortable life in Toronto, Canada, last summer, to spend time on the ground in Somalia to document the video series from June 30th to August 20th 2013.In an exclusive interview with the Digital Journal, Abla discussed the firsthand experience she had with the people of Somalia whom she engaged through a series of interviews that delved into virtually every aspect of the Somali life.“Well if I’m being honest, this was my final assignment for my self-designed course, so that I could earn credit (towards my degree) from my school for the work I was doing in Somalia. But this video series is so much more than an assignment for me. In fact, it was a long time coming. Originally, I was just going to create something short and hand it in only to my professor. But then more and more of my friends started reaching out to me asking me to share my footage with them. A lot of them hadn’t ever been to Somalia, or had left when they were really little, so they were eager for any and all info they could get” said Abla. Mogadishu Diaries filmmaker, Abla Elmi, sifting through sands at the Jazeera Beach on the outskirts of the Somali Capital.. Following incessant requests from her friends, Abla was prompted to post the engaging, thought-provoking footage on YouTube. She made the all important decision despite the fact that she was still developing her production skills on the path to becoming a full-fledged filmmaker in the near future. “I was initially very shy about making my work public, because I am my own worst critic. My family and friends, are really sweet, and have only encouraging words to share when I show them my work. But for me, I am a bit of a perfectionist. I only ever want to put out my best work. I know that the quality of my editing is quite shoddy, and most definitely isn’t the best work I can produce. Don’t get me wrong though. I am really proud of myself because everything I’ve learned about photography, video editing, and filmmaking in general, I’ve taught myself”’ she said. Since her young circle could not wait for an intricate, professionally developed work, it dawned on Abla that she had to learn on the go as she progressed toward her future professional goals in the film arena. “Video editing is still very new to me, and this project in particular is not anywhere near what I wanted my debut project to look like. But there was a story that needed to be told, and it wasn’t mine to keep to myself. When I first started editing photos, I remember the first two pictures were blue and orange, and I remember showing it off to everyone like it was the coolest thing EVER. Can you imagine? I get embarrassed just thinking about it. But I had to go through that to get to where I am today.” Mogadishu Sea Port. Mogadishu, Somalia. With her sights set on becoming a professional documentarian, Abla aims for groundbreaking storytelling initiatives that encourages her interviewees to come out of their comfort zones while ensuring she conforms to the same norms. “I’m interested in becoming a professional documentarian one day, and I’m hoping that not only will people allow me to help them share their stories, but I’ll be asking them to go so far out of their comfort zone, to let me share some of the most private and intimate details of their lives with the whole world. If I wasn’t willing to go out of my own comfort zone, and get in front of the camera for something as small as my own video series, how was I ever going to be able to ask people to do the same?” Driven by her humanitarian values, Abla understands well that forging a two-way trust is key to engaging her people as she makes further inroads in filmmaking. “For me, as a humanitarian, people are so important to me. I strive to become a person whose whole purpose in life is to help the vulnerable and the helpless rediscover their dignity and independence. I could never ask people to put themselves in a vulnerable position, or to put their trust in me, if I wasn’t willing to do it myself. There is no way I would ever feel comfortable asking others to be in front of my camera if I weren’t willing to do the same. Abla (left), with SNA Lieutenant, Iman, (right). Abla setting up for a rooftop interview with Iman, the 21 year old female Somali National Army (SNA) Lieutenant from Canada. The images global audiences are accustomed to about Somalia are largely those emanating from mainstream media. With this in mind, Abla emphasizes that independent filmmaking, especially Somali-based like hers, is critical in presenting accurate accounts on events taking place in the country. “Well my entire life I’ve been fascinated by people’s stories, their hopes and dreams, etc. And the same can be said for Somalia. I’ve wanted to discover Somalia for myself for the longest time, not the Somalia that the media reports on, but the Somalia that I grew up hearing about from my family. And one piece of advice that I got from my older brother growing up was to never just believe a single account of anything I hear or read. To always keep an open mind, and to thoroughly research a subject before I form an opinion. And I never fully understood what he meant until I personally experienced this myself. All I grew up hearing about Somalia was everything we heard about in the news, from pirates and terrorists, to famine and war etc. But I wanted to know more about the Somalia my parents told me about, the one where real people existed, with real stories and real lives. So that’s kind of how the ‘Mogadishu Diaries’ was born.” said Abla. “For me, diaries/journals are where people write down their most honest, and real thoughts, so that’s what I wanted this video project to be: the realest and most neutral telling of Somalia’s story that I could depict. In Somalia, I found that despite the war, despite the chaos, the hunger, poverty, and catastrophe, there were real people, with hopes and dreams, who were living out their very real lives. Their lives were set in a different setting from ours, but that doesn’t in any way diminish the importance of their lives. I’m not going to deny that a large part of Africa is experiencing everything you see on television, which is poverty, famine, destitution, etc. But then again, don’t we have the same problems here in our own countries? There are the homeless, and people who live in extreme poverty. They just look and are presented differently than those images we get from Africa,” she said. A female AMISON official debriefing the heads of the Djibouti forces based in Belet- Weyne, Somalia. A rooftop view of Mogadishu, Somalia. According to Abla, the Mogadishu Diaries are not only about reporting, but also about establishing the truth, particularly on the skewed media representation of Somalia. “I know the truth is multi-dimensional, in that two people can witness the same thing but go away with two different versions of what happened. Doesn’t mean that one version is more correct than the other, it just means that they interpreted the event differently, which created their version of the ‘truth’. But mainstream media is so concerned with shaping public opinion, dictating to the public who is ‘right’ and who is ‘wrong.’ So I hope to see more media/films that tell a story from a neutral perspective, devoid of their own biases and opinions and allow the viewer to make up their own minds. I feel like we’d have such a different society then. One that is more educated, intellectual, and open-minded.” Abla observes that life in Mogadishu is not as grim as many are led to believe. “Somalia is nothing like the way the media portrays it. Yes, there are attacks, poverty, hunger, etc. But what it chooses not to portray is that despite the war, Somalia is home to all kinds of people, from an assortment of backgrounds. It’s where real people still exist, are born and are laid to rest there, get married and start families, go to school and get their education. It’s where real human beings like you and me exist, with hopes and dreams of their own. That was what my video series was trying to capture.” Abla Elmi (second left), posing with Diaspora youth from England, Finland and America. As illustrated in the Mogadishu Diaries, the people of Somalia are resilient despite adversity and daily challenges of life. “The Somali people are some of the strongest people I have ever met. They are the very definition of survivors. They remain resilient and inspiring. Give them a little peace and see what they create. Over and over again, they have to start their lives over, and yet somehow they manage to carve out a life for themselves and for their families. Its mind boggling” said Abla. After recent gains in the security front following a string of military successes by the Somali National Army (SNA) and the African Union (AMISOM) peacekeepers in the war-ravaged nation, Abla notes Somalia is once again bustling with life. “I remember in my ‘Arrival’ episode, I was recounting what I had imagined Somalia was going to look like. I honestly had no idea what to imagine. I mean the country had been at war with itself for the last 20+ years. But what I saw when I arrived was definitely not within my realm of imagination. Within the little amount of peace they had, the Somali people had begun to rebuild themselves. Mogadishu, the capital city, was bustling, and there was construction going on everywhere” stated Abla, adding that “what really touched me though was that the city was pulsating, with this new sense of hope and life. And it is something you would get caught up in. Everyone wakes up with a sense of purpose, with something to do, and it makes you feel like you should have something you should be doing with your life as well.” Somali painters featured in the Mogadishu Diaries. The landing of foreigners on Somali soil Abla points out, attests to the fact that normalcy is returning to the recovering nation.“Something that amazed me was that there were people from all over the world in Somalia. I met people from China, Russia, Netherlands, Sri Lanka, India, America, England, Djibouti, Dubai, Turkey etc. Like a variety of countries that I just wasn’t expecting. And it made me hopeful, because if Somalia could attract people from an assortment of nations to leave the safety of their homes and come to pursue their interests in Somalia, then Somalia really couldn’t be as bad as people would like us to believe” she said. The role of Diaspora youth is critical in shaping prevailing perceptions on Somalia as well as participating in national reconstruction. The Mogadishu Diaries dedicate an entire episode on Diaspora kids. Abla is optimistic about the role of Somali youth, both the diaspora-based and their local counterparts. “I think the Diaspora will play an important role in rebuilding and reshaping Somalia. But I think what’s even more important for our Diaspora youth to remember is the local youth. Without the locals, we wouldn’t have a Somalia to go back to. So we need to respect, be thankful and grateful for the roles they have played in keeping our country alive. Not looking and treating them like placeholders, as I’ve witnessed people doing. We are not better than them. We are equals. And we need to treat them as equals. Because if we don’t, the new problem that is going to arise in Somalia will no longer be based in clannism, but rather will be between the Diaspora vs. Locals, and it won’t be pretty.” A portrait of Queen Ceebla Caraweela, taken from the collection of a Somali painter. Behind the Scenes shot from Episode 0.5 - 'The Fresh Prince of Mogadishu' (a parody of the theme song from the TV show 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'. According to Abla, unlocking the keys to better governance in Somalia would require the unity and mutual collaboration between returning diaspora Somalis and their brethren in the homeland. “If we work together, I think we have so much to bring to the table. We as the Diaspora, have gotten a chance to grow up in government systems that are functioning, we have studied different ideologies, and learned what relatively democratic societies look like, so we can bring an entirely new and fresh way of thinking to Somalia. The locals on the other hand, are the preservers of our country and our culture. They can help us mesh our ‘fresh’ thinking with what’s important to our culture and our people, and together we can create a new way of governing that works for Somalia” said Abla. Abla taking landscape pictures of Mogadishu, on board a ship docked in the Sea Port. A ‘local’ born and raised baby in Somalia. An entire episode in the Diaries is dedicated to the artistic community. Abla believes that the civil war in Somalia and resultant extremism has had an adverse effect on a previously rich and vibrant arts sector.“Well the thing is that we as Somali people, are artistic by nature. Art is ingrained so much in our culture. To be Somali, is to be an artist. But at the same time, we are also Muslims. Before the war, the majority of Somalis (not all obviously, but a large segment) of Somalis were mostly liberal. But after the War, I guess people needed something to turn to, and they turned to religion and to God. But thanks to the chaos of the war, and the birth of terrorist organizations like Al-Shabaab who force their will and their distorted version of Islam on people, art has really and truly suffered in Somalia.” When it comes to religion, Abla says that people should refrain from being judgmental over the acts of others as she believes only God is the sole and ultimate Judge. She calls upon people to spread love, peace and kindness to fellow human beings in accordance with the beautiful teachings of Islam. “For me, religion is between you and your God. Only He can really and truly determine what is in your heart and your intentions. Obviously we are human beings. By our very nature, we are prone to make mistakes. But I don’t think that it is our place as fellow human beings to judge others based on their mistakes or acts. You might look at a person and think that person isn’t what you think a traditionally ‘good and proper’ Muslim might look like, but on the inside, they may be 10 times better than you, and their relationship with God may be much stronger than yours is.” Boys walking back home after chores near the Djibouti AMISOM base in Belet-Weyne, Somalia. Boys posing for a picture near a Mogadishu monument. Further on the artistic scene, the series reveals that despite war and extremism, a functioning, but albeit a struggling arts scene still exists in Somalia. “When I got a chance to interview a lot of the artists, they told me stories about how they had lived in fear for most of the war. One painter in particular, showed me a collection of paintings that he had created when the war was particularly bad, and he thought that for sure he was going to die. He had wanted to leave something of himself behind, so he created this collection of beautiful images documenting Somalia’s history. Another told me about how he had repeatedly been threatened by Al-Shabaab, and told that if he didn’t stop painting, they would kill him. But this was their culture. They wanted to keep hold of it so that one day, when things got better, they could impart their knowledge to the next generation” recalled Abla. “Like the Somali people, these artists; musicians, poets etc, have been resilient. The war has had an effect on their work but by definition, they are survivors. And that is what the art scene in Somalia is doing. Surviving!” Abla holds the view that people should not be deterred by the tenuous security situation in Somalia. “I remember when I was telling people that I was heading to Somalia they would question why I would ever want to leave my comfortable and relatively ‘safe’ life in the West to go back to Somalia. A lot of people’s opinions are tainted by what the news is reporting about Somalia. But for those that are so concerned with my safety, first I’d like to say ‘thank you’. And second, I’d like every one to give themselves a slight reality check. As morbid as it sounds, we are all gonna die one day. Whether it’s getting hit by a bus in the ‘bubble of safety’ we consider the West, because we aren’t at war or whether I get shot in Somalia” said Abla. Loox: the wooden tablets that students use during their madarasa/duxi lessons to learn the Quran. A student in a duxi, reciting her Quranic assignment to her teacher. “As hard as it is to imagine, there are really a million ways to die. Your location doesn’t matter. Obviously you take precautions. I believe that I am going to die one day, but until it’s my time, I believe in God’s protection. And what’s greater than that?” Public safety, Abla argues, is equally of concern to many skeptics, even among those living in the supposedly safest havens on the planet. “You are not guaranteed a longer life by living in a relatively “safer” country. Just ask the parents of Travon Martin, or the Sandy Hook Elementary students, Virginia Tech, or Columbine, or even my own parents. There isn’t really any rhyme or reason, a specific age. All I understand about death is that, as painful and life altering it is, it happens. So if you can’t stop it, and it’s going to happen anyway, why not live your life the way you want to? Not the way society thinks you should” queried Abla. Taking a leaf from Christopher Reeve, the late American actor/film director, Abla’s definition of a hero/inspiring person sheds light on the daily struggles of the common person. “There’s this quote by Christopher Reeve that sums up word for word my definition of a hero. He says, ‘I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles’. What I admire the most about the people I met in Somalia is that they weren’t living their lives as renowned activists like Mandela, or Martin Luther King Jr. I spotted more Rosa Parks and Malala’s out there, and they don’t even realize how their simple actions could inspire a nation” she said. “To them, they are just trying to live their lives as best and as true as they can. In my video, I was able to get only 3, but my goal is hopefully to counter the media’s perception of Somalia by showcasing these people, and this side of Somalia. Whether it is foreigners who get injured during an attack, but are already looking forward to the next time they want to return to Somalia, because they are inspired by this country and it’s people, and they genuinely want to be a part of helping, or our own locals” she said. A calf (foreground) at a Somali Camel farm. In one of the episodes, the series highlights how the people are determined to carry on with life and rebuild their nation regardless of prevailing security challenges. “Daily, I had met people who have grown up in this conflict, and yet stubbornly refuse to see the Somalia that is painted for them by the rest of the world. To them, this is their home, and their lot in life. So they roll with the punches, and they ask you the most poignant question, “Do you think your life is more valuable than ours”? That’s a question people need to answer for themselves, but for me, the answer is a resounding, “NO”. And I hope that I get the chance to share their stories. They’ll have you reevaluating your life. I know they have managed to change mine.” While filmmaking can be a strenuous, grueling work, Abla is determined to maintain her independence in the overall pursuit of her goals. “I think this project has definitely opened my eyes to how much hard work goes into video production, no matter how small. I remember going into this project being a very independent person. Everything I’ve learned about filmmaking, I’ve taught myself, and I just hate the idea of having to ask others for help, or being reliant on anyone else. Which is so weird because I love helping people out, it’s the whole reason I’m doing what I’m doing. But I guess, I just like knowing that I don’t need anyone’s permission or need to rely on anyone else to create what I want” she said. A scenic view of Liidho Beach, Mogadishu, Somalia. In terms of lessons learned, Abla says teamwork is critical to any filmmaking project, independent or otherwise. “If this video project has taught me anything, it is the value of teamwork. Creating videos is such hard work. You wouldn’t think so watching a 5 second commercial, your favourite TV shows, or even the news. We totally take all of this for granted. But these things don’t magically just come together. They take a lot of very different, dedicated, and hard working individuals to bring everything together. Making videos is definitely not a singular experience; it is very much a team sport” said Abla. Ultimately, Abla hopes to become a film director. “I guess I’m going to continue to hone my craft. Obviously editing is not my strong suit. But I have no desire to be a video editor. My ultimate dream is to be a ‘director’. But until I hook up with other amazing individuals who can help out with the workload, I need to know how to do everything myself. I’ve already got some new video ideas. But this experience has definitely exhausted me. So I guess I’ll keep jotting down my ideas until I either manage to connect with some like–minded individuals who are interested in collaborating on a new project, or the urge to create something else becomes too much to ignore and I just go at it again by myself. Who knows what’ll come first." Abla is heading back to Somalia, to do further work on the ground. “For now, I’ve managed to convince my department to allow me to do my last year online, so that I travel. I’m headed back to Somalia to partake in an internship out there, and to do research. So I’m creating a photography page to document my travels, and to capture the stories of the people I meet along the way,” concluded Abla. For people interested in the Mogadishu Diaries, Abla Elmi can be reached at: Email: nomadsdaughter@gmail.comInstagram: @lensofarebel Blog: http://theramblingsofanomadsdaughter.blogspot.ca/Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/ramblingsofanomadsdaughterPhotography page (currently still under construction):http://www.facebook.com/throughthelensofarebel Farid Omar is a Digital Journalist based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Source: Source: http://www.digitaljournal.com/ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
