Works · Somalia

The girls of Mogadishu are heading back to the beach

Beauty parlours and nightclubs reopen. The first free elections since 1969.

Somalia — a cultural renaissance under Al-Shabaab's shadowSomalia201730 photographs

Somalia has over a million internally displaced people and another million seeking refuge abroad. Despite being a "failed state", it has welcomed over 30,000 Yemenites fleeing war — a reflection of a desire for change. TFG troops, supported by AMISOM, are gaining ground against Al-Shabaab, which has shifted to an Al-Qaeda-style underground strategy to destabilise the capital. Their attacks target symbols of recovery, aiming to crush the nation's spirit. Yet, across Somalia, a strong desire for renewal is evident. In 2017, a turning point: beauty parlours and nightclubs are reopening, and young people are engaging in music and sports. While famine affects over 6 million people, Al-Shabaab continues its violence — yet Somalia held its first free elections since 1969, and a counter-diaspora is returning to build and invest. A whole culture is being overturned.

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The girls of Mogadishu are heading back to the beach — Somalia — 2017 — photograph by Marco Gualazzini — image 1 of 30

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