'This is going to be a historic night for the Somali people, it shows how hopes have been revived ... after so many years of challenges,' theatre director Abdikadir Abdi Yusuf said before the screening.
Viewers wait for the first screening of Somali films at The Somali National Theatre in Mogadishu, on September 22, 2021, which has been opened for the first time to public after its inauguration in 2020. (Photo by Abdirahman YUSUF / AFP)
Built by Chinese engineers as a gift from Mao Zedong in 1967, the National Theatre of Somalia has a history that reflects the tumultuous journey of the Horn of Africa nation.
The evening's programme was two short films by Somali director Ibrahim CM – 'Hoos' and 'Date from Hell' – with tickets sold for $10 each, expensive for many.
Although Mogadishu was home to many cinema halls during its cultural heyday, with the national theatre also hosting live concerts and plays, the seaside capital fell silent after civil war erupted in 1991.
Warlords used the theatre as a military base and the building fell into disrepair. It reopened in 2012, but was blown up by Al-Shabaab extremists two weeks later.
Viewers wait for the first screening of Somali films at The Somali National Theatre in Mogadishu, on September 22, 2021, which has been opened for the first time to public after its inauguration in 2020. (Photo by Abdirahman YUSUF / AFP)
Somalia's Minster of Information, Culture and Tourism Osman Dubbe looks on as he waits with others for the first screening of Somali films.
For many Somalis, it was a trip down memory lane and a reminder of happier times.
Somalian scriptwriter and actress Kaif Jama speaks to media ahead of the first screening of Somali films at The Somali National Theatre.
A picture taken on September 22, 2021 shows the main entrance to the Somali National Theatre in Mogadishu. - The venue will host its first screening of a movie in three decades on September 22, 2021 under heavy security, as the conflict-ravaged country hopes for a cultural renewal. (Photo by Abdirahman YUSUF / AFP)
Attendees had to pass through several security checkpoints before arriving at the theatre, inside a heavily guarded complex that includes the presidential palace and parliament.
After a painstaking restoration, authorities announced plans to hold the theatre's first screening this week.
'This is going to be a historic night for the Somali people, it shows how hopes have been revived ... after so many years of challenges,' theatre director Abdikadir Abdi Yusuf said before the screening.
Viewers wait for the first screening of Somali films at The Somali National Theatre in Mogadishu, on September 22, 2021, which has been opened for the first time to public after its inauguration in 2020. (Photo by Abdirahman YUSUF / AFP)
Built by Chinese engineers as a gift from Mao Zedong in 1967, the National Theatre of Somalia has a history that reflects the tumultuous journey of the Horn of Africa nation.
The evening's programme was two short films by Somali director Ibrahim CM – 'Hoos' and 'Date from Hell' – with tickets sold for $10 each, expensive for many.
Although Mogadishu was home to many cinema halls during its cultural heyday, with the national theatre also hosting live concerts and plays, the seaside capital fell silent after civil war erupted in 1991.
Warlords used the theatre as a military base and the building fell into disrepair. It reopened in 2012, but was blown up by Al-Shabaab extremists two weeks later.
Viewers wait for the first screening of Somali films at The Somali National Theatre in Mogadishu, on September 22, 2021, which has been opened for the first time to public after its inauguration in 2020. (Photo by Abdirahman YUSUF / AFP)
Somalia's Minster of Information, Culture and Tourism Osman Dubbe looks on as he waits with others for the first screening of Somali films.
For many Somalis, it was a trip down memory lane and a reminder of happier times.
Somalian scriptwriter and actress Kaif Jama speaks to media ahead of the first screening of Somali films at The Somali National Theatre.
A picture taken on September 22, 2021 shows the main entrance to the Somali National Theatre in Mogadishu. - The venue will host its first screening of a movie in three decades on September 22, 2021 under heavy security, as the conflict-ravaged country hopes for a cultural renewal. (Photo by Abdirahman YUSUF / AFP)
Attendees had to pass through several security checkpoints before arriving at the theatre, inside a heavily guarded complex that includes the presidential palace and parliament.
After a painstaking restoration, authorities announced plans to hold the theatre's first screening this week.
'This is going to be a historic night for the Somali people, it shows how hopes have been revived ... after so many years of challenges,' theatre director Abdikadir Abdi Yusuf said before the screening.
