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Words in the News

Another side to Mogadishu
7 March 2014
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The Somali capital, Mogadishu, has the unenviable reputation of being one of the most
dangerous and destroyed cities on earth. But an exhibition that has opened in London
hopes to show that the city has a rich architectural history, some of which has survived
the shooting and the shelling. Mary Harper reports for the BBC:

On the walls of a London gallery hang photographs that tell an altogether different story
of Mogadishu. The images, most of which have never before been seen in public, show
the compact Arab-style Mogadishu of the thirteenth century. The elegant white Italian
colonial buildings that gave it the name 'The Pearl of the Indian Ocean'. The stark
socialist structures of the sixties and seventies.

The Somali architect, Rashid Ali, put together the exhibition. He is worried that the
current rebuilding of the city, after the return of a degree of stability, will destroy
forever what remains of its past

Rashid Ali, architect:

When this transformation is not based on a kind of a knowledge and without any policies,
it's very easy for these buildings to be entirely demolished. My point of view is that these
buildings should be preserved and not destroyed at all because they are really
important to the country's history.

As well as the photographs and videos in the exhibition, there's an architectural model
built by Rashid Ali

Rashid Ali, architect:

I see culture as a tool for revitalising and rehabilitating the city so this is what I call a
miniature city, which is a cultural hub essentially Artists' studio spaces, there's a library,
there's a small cinema, there's a cafe, there's a book shop. It sits on top of a hillside, so
you can overlook Hamar Weyne which is the old city and look at the Indian Ocean.

It's as yet unclear whether Mr Ali's dream of a cultural centre for Mogadishu will become
a reality. Or whether what remains of the city's past will be preserved. But this exhibition
makes clear that Mogadishu has the potential to be a great African city, especially if its
architectural past can be included in its future.

Words in the News British Broadcasting Corporation 2014

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 Vocabulary and definitions

compact small and close together without much space

elegant attractive and beautiful in a simple way

stark simple, plain or not containing anything that is not necessary

stability A state in which things are unlikely to change

preserved kept in good condition

revitalising giving new life and energy (to something)

hub central area where most activity takes place and/or people
come together

potential possibility for something good to happen in the future

Read and listen to the story and the vocabulary online:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2014/03/140307_witn_mogadishu_art.shtml

Another story about Somalia:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-26354143

Words in the News British Broadcasting Corporation 2014

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