SOMALIA-MEDIA AND FILM Young Somalis hope film can set the scene for a better future

Record ID: 144208

  • Title: SOMALIA-MEDIA AND FILM Young Somalis hope film can set the scene for a better future
  • Date: 12th August 2015
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF MOGADISHU RESIDENT, MUQTAR DAHIR, BUYING DVD
  • Embargoed: 27th August 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Somalia
  • Country: Somalia
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA6RM30TVHI8DXNDGIIYIR7CRMY
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS MATERIAL WHICH WAS ORIGINALLY 4:3
    Filmmaker and trainer Abdi Ali Shire holds the attention of his students at the Somalia Media Academy (SOMA).
    The centre has been offering classes in journalism, camera operations and photography among other media studies since 2012.
    For a one-off registration fee of about $25, young Somalis have the chance to learn skills that they can put to good use in a country so devastated by conflict that there is no shortage of regular but dangerous work for reporters.
    "It was my dream to become a camerawoman in Somalia and I feel like I have a lot to aspire to after taking advantage of these training courses because I want to be a professional," said student, Hamdi Osman Hussein.
    "Students can learn the camera rules and methods and the way that they apply these rules in the photography and video and they take that with them," said Shire.
    Shire adds that media studies training is new in the country but has slowly been growing in popularity. One hundred and twenty students graduated from the academy in February.
    "There was a real challenge in the beginning, there was not much interest or readiness to learn and develop the study but after I trained about three students, many realized that they is a great need for courses like this," he said.
    Some young Somalis are taking interest in the media and using it to revive a once lively visual arts scene.
    Shortly after independence in 1960, cinema and theatre thrived in the country. Post-colonial Mogadishu hosted gatherings of world film lovers including a Pan-African film festival in the 1970s.
    But many Somali artists, actors and singers fled the violence over the past two decades, especially as Islamist group al Shabaab cracked down on any forms of art they deemed un-Islamic according to the strict interpretation of sharia law that they adhere to.
    Al Shabaab pulled its fighters out of Mogadishu in 2011 under military pressure from an African Union led military campaign and a slow revival is taking place, despite the rebels still launching frequent deadly attacks.
    Shops selling pirated movies or low quality recordings are doing brisk business.
    "My favourite films are American productions and also old Somali concerts. I watch them in the evenings at home with my family," said Muqtar Dahir, a resident of Mogadishu.
    This film, Xaq Daro, which in English means 'Unfair', is a story of a family fighting over the inheritance left to them by their late parents. With a small budget of 1000 US dollars and a cast and crew made up of volunteers, it is one of few home grown productions coming out of the horn of Africa nation.
    Osmane Jimale is learning photography at SOMA and works as a part time Radio DJ in Mogadishu. He says he wants to build a career in film here in Somalia despite the odds.
    "It is a great opportunity for me to learn this skill and I want to become a professional filmmaker in my country," said Jimale.
    Jimale and others like him may find it hard to pursue their dream in a war-weary Somalia, where institutions are weak and billions of western government and donor-pledged funds are likely to be directed towards things like health, education and security and not the arts.
    Deputy information, culture and tourism minister, Abdulah Olad Roble says the government will not ignore the role that film has to play in rebuilding the nation.
    "The Somali government is encouraging local filmmakers to take part in the development of this country and the peace process in Somalia. It is a priority for us," he said. "It can play a big role in rebuilding this country because Somali people are very willing to watch films produced in their country and that represent their culture. The revival of these industries can promote peace in the whole of Somalia," Roble said.
    Like most gains in Somalia, a future for film will not come easy, but with young people willing to pursue their dreams despite insecurity and an economy struggling to rise, then it is worth the fight.
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