Somalia hosted its first movie screening in 30 years on Sept. 22 under tight security.
The National Theater of Somalia in the capital Mogadishu screened two short films — “Hoos” and “Date from Hell” — by Somali Director IBrahim CM, becoming the first time the open-air theater screened a Somali film.
“This is going to be a historic night for the Somali people, it shows how hopes have been revived… after so many years of challenges,” Theater Director Abdikadir Abdi Yusuf told AFP News.
Tickets were $10 each, which was expensive for many.
The theater was home to many cinema halls and also hosted live concerts and plays until a civil war erupted in 1991.
Warlords used the theater as a military and suicide bombers have targeted it, leading the building to deteriorate. After reopening in 2012, Al-Shabaab jihadists blew it up.