Actor dreams of second chance as Somalia rebuild its theater
Around him, builders heave loads of cement, saw at wooden scaffolding
and shift piles of rubble as they prepare to reopen the building in May, even
as the Islamist insurgency rages on.
Organizers say they will premiere a classic Somali
musical extravaganza titled “Caretaker Government”, though precise details of
the production are still under wraps. Mohamud is hoping to get a role - a comic
role.
“Although I grew old, I am still strong ... I will act better than
before,” says the graying 59-year-old, who performed in the theater several
times before its dramatic closure. “In the past, we have been fleeing and
thinking about survival. Now people want entertainment and plays ... We have
hope now.” Hope is a precious commodity in Somalia, which has been mired in
turmoil for decades - as has its national theater.
The building opened in 1968, eight years after independence from
Britain, and treated its first audience to a comedy called “Womanizer”.
After the overthrow of president Siad Barre in 1991,
clan-based warlords blasted each other with anti-aircraft guns and fought over
the theater, which they used as a base. The building was hit so many times that
the roof collapsed a year into the conflict.
Islamist
militants who seized control in 2006 took over the building. They banned all
forms of public entertainment - from concerts to football matches - that they
considered sinful.
African
Union peacekeeping troops clawed back control of the capital in 2011 and the
new Western-backed Somali government reopened the venue the following year. But
just three weeks after that, a suicide bomber from the Islamist al Shabaab
insurgency struck during a ceremony, killing six people.
Today,
Somali soldiers still use the theater as a base, guarding the city and the
nearby presidential palace from al Shabaab, which launches sporadic attacks. But,
if all goes well, the soldiers will be replaced by thespians in the next three
months.
The
government and local businesses have clubbed together to raise $3 million for
the restoration. State workers have offered cash and their own labor, said
livestock ministry official Mohamed Omar Nur, who is on site helping out.
“We
hope that the theater will ... be a place that will provide wisdom and
entertainment, and hopefully it will also regain its reputation,” says director
Gure. The soldiers will move out once the work is finished, but they will still
be nearby to protect audiences and actors, he adds.
“Security
at the theater will be assured just like it is in any building in Mogadishu.
God willing, we shall secure the theater.”
Productions took on a more patriotic tone during war with neighboring
Ethiopia in the 1970s. Bellicose musical shows featured songs such as “Oh my
land, if I do not wash your face with blood, I am not Somali,” says current
director Osman Abdullahi Gure.
Source: Reuters
Comments
Post a Comment