- Title: Drawing in the customers in Mogadishu.
- Date: 24th July 2017
- Summary: MOGADISHU, SOMALIA (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF MAUWIYE HUSSEIN SIDOW STANDING IN FRONT OF ONE HIS MURALS FOR A MINI-MART VARIOUS OF SIGN READING: 'SHIK SHIK'/ IMAGE OF A HAND HOLDING PAINT BRUSHES (SOUNDBITE) (Somali) ARTIST, MUAWIYE HUSSEIN SIDOW, SAYING: "My name is Muawiye Hussein Sidow. I was born and raised in Afgoye district. I went to primary and secondary school in the same district. After school, my father used to teach me how to draw. He encouraged me to be an artist." PAINT BRUSH DIPPING IN CAN OF BLUE PAINT PAINT BRUSH DIPPING IN CAN OF WHITE PAINT DABBING PAINT BRUSH VARIOUS OF SIDOW PAINTING (SOUNDBITE) (Somali) ARTIST, MUAWIYE HUSSEIN SIDOW, SAYING: "In 1997, I started drawing pictures. To me this was a victory and a pleasure because my dream and ambition was to become an artist. I moved to Mogadishu help my father at his art shop in Hamarweyne district of Mogadishu." VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF AUTO PARTS SHOP WITH MURALS PAINTED BY SIDOW VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF RESTAURANT WITH MURAL PAINTED BY SIDOW (SOUNDBITE) (Somali) ARTIST, MUAWIYE HUSSEIN SIDOW, SAYING: "In 1998, my father retired from art. I inherited his business and I have been the artist here and I work in the 16 districts of Mogadishu while working at my father's shop." VARIOUS OF PAINTING OF A WOMAN DONE BY SIDOW (SOUNDBITE) (Somali) ARTIST, MUAWIYE HUSSEIN SIDOW, SAYING: "I create my own pictures. This is my skill. I never copy from others. Most of my pictures depict Somali culture. I make these paintings for the various kinds of businesses and shops." PAINTINGS VARIOUS OF PAINTING SHOWING A FREE AND PEACEFUL SOMALIA OF THE FUTURE
- Embargoed: 7th August 2017 12:38
- Keywords: murals shops artist Hussein walls
- Location: MOGADISHU, SOMALIA
- City: MOGADISHU, SOMALIA
- Country: Somalia
- Topics: Art,Arts / Culture / Entertainment
- Reuters ID: LVA0016R2TIDZ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: In Somalia, artist and muralist Muawiye Hussein Sidow offers a contrast to the airbrushed artworks that advertise big business in other parts of the world.
Sidow, also known as 'Shik Shik', is the man responsible for the art that features on more than 100 shops, including barbers, tea shops and supermarkets across Mogadishu.
Sidow's work has a hand-drawn simplicity, usually involving bright, eye-catching colours. Some pieces stretch over several metres.
Sidow's father was a commercial artist, who passed his knowledge and skills on to his son.
Sidow, 31, took on his father's business in 1998 and his painting supports not only his own family, but helps sustain his dad as well as many others.
"In 1998, my father retired from art. I inherited his business and I have been the artist here and I work in the 16 districts of Mogadishu while working at my father's shop," he said.
Somalia's economy is picking up slowly after the army and an African Union peacekeeping force helped drive Islamist group al Shabaab out of Mogadishu and other strongholds.
Al Shabaab wants to topple the Western-backed government and rule the country according to its strict interpretation of Islamic sharia law.
Store-front murals are a common way of advertising in Mogadishu but Sidow said he never duplicated murals.
"I create my own pictures. This is my skill. I never copy from others. Most of my pictures depict Somali culture. I make these paintings for the various kinds of businesses and shops," he said.
Aside from feeding his family and brightening up the urban landscape, Sidow still has ambitions to do more with his art.
He is also teaching other up and coming artists the tricks of the trade and says many of them have gone on to start their own businesses. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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