Once Upon a Time in Mogadishu

A peek into the "pleasant" colonial past of the world's most dangerous city.

BY SOPHIA JONES | NOVEMBER 17, 2011

Dated 1935, this photograph shows the grand port's entrance gates in Mogadishu.

Mogadishuimages.wordpress.com

 

Sophia Jones is an Editorial Researcher at Foreign Policy.

 

RHEWITT

10:12 PM ET

November 17, 2011

Mogadishu

Mogadishu is one of dangerous place in the world...one Malaysian Cameraman TV shot in September 2011 by AMISOM force during charity mission.

 

BILLGARRISON

10:28 AM ET

November 18, 2011

Colonialism bad?

1930-1940s Italian fascism, bad - yes.
1950s British colonialism, arrogant - yes.
1980+ Somali rule, just reverting back to their pre-colonial 1880s anti-democratic, pro-slavery, thugism mentality.

 

NAIZGI

5:38 AM ET

November 19, 2011

Yes colonialism is cruel

Read more you racist pig

 

NAIZGI

5:39 AM ET

November 19, 2011

Yes colonialism is cruel

Read more you racist pig

 

NAIZGI

5:41 AM ET

November 19, 2011

Yes colonialism is cruel

Read more you racist pig

 

SKOTMCARTHUR@YAHOO.CA

4:46 PM ET

November 23, 2011

Too soon to tell

Sure but it is all relative. As the Liberians chanted recently - bring back the british. Looking back I am sure Zimbabweans might have wished for a longer transition period. And now we have the great anti-colonial hope - South Africa - contolling the press. Freedom? Maybe that's a 'colonial construct' Norman colonialism worked out ok for England. Who is to say that if we had been more patient that a unique vabriant culture would not have emerged in Africa - a blending of colonist and native into something newer, better, stronger. Now we'll never know. Africa was hurt by colonialism but hurt just as much by western ideas of anticolonialism and nationalism.

 

XTRAWIZE

3:10 AM ET

November 30, 2011

Any form of oppression is bad...

And so is anarchy. People should learn to be humans. You can learn how to play guitar, use Hostgator discount code and manage businesses. Sad that we don't have courses where you can learn how to be a good human being.

 

PAULMCCABE

8:14 AM ET

November 19, 2011

great photos of Mog...

...where I lived and worked in 1981. The famous Croce del Sud restaurant, where we used to eat cold spaghetti and rancid camel meat, was known colloquially as the The Southern Crotch. Overall Mog was a wretched place to live, but better than Hargeysa - my previous post with WFP.

 

MOSES12

3:33 PM ET

November 20, 2011

Time changes everything

The Mog has been through a lot over its time in history and it has seen a lot of ruling parties. I love the old pictures, can you imagine what they would look like with a Canon C300? I would not mind being a therapist over there...a lot of work to keep me busy.

 

USAMA2

2:40 AM ET

November 22, 2011

Ah yes, the wonderful era of

Ah yes, the wonderful era of foreign occupation, colonization, enslavement, all while lounging on the beach.

 

SHAZIB111

1:26 PM ET

November 23, 2011

you are right..

you are right by saying 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.
Mogadishu had really changed a lot.
Regard,
shanzib, an skin care/ buy adsense account expert.

 

JASSIMO

3:41 PM ET

November 24, 2011

This is one of the most

This is one of the most dangerous places in the world..

 

NICK_KINGS

2:39 PM ET

November 30, 2011

Poverty

What are the poverty levels there? Is a lot of the crime due to lack of decentaverage starting salaries or jobs in general, or does it run deeper than that?

 

SINIBALDI

11:47 AM ET

November 28, 2011

Dans la lumière...

La nuit vient
avec la douceur
d'un courant
de poésies, avec
la chanson qui
dort dans le
rêve en donnant
l'harmonie de la
fugitive neige.

Francesco Sinibaldi

 

HARLEYRIDINUSMCBRAT

4:52 PM ET

December 2, 2011

Education for Someone Educated in the '90s

When the majority of your education takes place in the 90's, this really helped add some depth to what I should have learned about Somalia and Mogadishu. I really only had the current events via the news and then age approrpriate matieral given to me as I moved up through school; I don't remember a lick of Somalia's history being taught to us. Understanding the background in any country helps make sense of a conflict.

Regardless of colonists - what it comes down to is what people do with the power handed to them after they are given independence. I'm not saying it's going to be easy, but given that multiple countries throughout history managed not to turn into hell holes after having fought or being granted their freedoms, this is truly on the hands of those who were given the power.

 

BURGESS

10:45 AM ET

December 3, 2011

classic photo, But i dont like summer, i like winter

Everyone has heard of: uggs. The boots are sheepskin, so good which you run them to always desire to preserve.

 

LLLZZZ08

3:27 AM ET

December 4, 2011

www.voguebloom.com

Christmas gifts from here == http://www.voguebloom.com/ ====
Good quality and many kinds of fashion goods for you ...
Come on!!!won't let you down...
a nice place just for you
you can find many ch`eapest and fashi0n stuff
Regret is youpaying no attention to this and miss this
I think you will like this , To see is to earn !easy for you to refering to you frends tks!
http://www.voguebloom.com/

 

SOPHIE84

8:11 AM ET

December 4, 2011

http://www.vogueboom.com

http://www.vogueboom.com

( ====http:// www.vogueboom.com ==== )
Online Store,Get Name Brand Fashion From 12USD Now! You must not miss it!
jordan air max oakland raiders $30--39;
Ed Hardy AF JUICY POLO Bikini $20;
T shirts (Polo ,edhardy,lacoste) $15
Jean(True Religion,edhardy,coogi) $30
Sunglasses (Oakey,coach,gucci,Armaini) $15
New era cap $15

 

MARIAMULHER

8:01 AM ET

December 7, 2011

Education for Someone Educated...

i Agree in when the majority of your education takes place in the 90's, this really helped add some depth to what I should have learned about Somalia and Mogadishu. I really only had the current events via the news and then age approrpriate matieral given to me as I moved up through school; I don't remember a lick of Somalia's history being taught to us...Thanks! Seguro Imoveis Massagistas Acompanhantes Ar Condicionado Carro

 

DOMINOES

12:04 PM ET

December 10, 2011

The good old days

It amazes me how much these places have changed...and how putting Israel on the map disturbed the entire world...it is silly to take what is written in a book and change the entire map and the entire dynamics of the entire world...it is sad to see how there is a different world out there now that is completely different and impoverished..I have a friend who owns a shop doing austin auto repair and his dad traveled to Somalia after the war and said how beautiful and peaceful it was...not the same story in today's day and age. Hopefully it can recover and the world can enjoy peace.