Last updated on September 11th, 2021 at 08:00 am
The National Theater, located in the war-torn capital Mogadishu, has reopened 20 years later. The outgoing president of Somalia has expressed hope that the opening of the theater will address their long-standing call for peace in the country, which has been in turmoil for the past 21 years, to restore hope in the arts.
Since then, there has been a time-consuming process of rebuilding the site, with support from Somali authorities, business people and international partners such as China – as well as the Somali community. The process has accelerated in recent years.
Currently, the main auditorium seats 1,270 people. Theater management hopes to increase that number and expand the facility.
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The outgoing president cut the ribbon on the opening of the national theater, which has been closed for more than 20 years. He praised the Somali youth for their commitment to keeping the country afloat to the rest of the world, saying that the youth who are leading the Self-Reliance Program should be the first to stand up, and speaking at the National Theater.
“Some people believed that we would fail to implement the Self-Reliance Campaign, believing that our people could not build anything without the help of a foreigner. Your palms are full of water, nothing foreigner will do for us. ”
Current outgoing President of the Republic stressed that the Somali singers and innovators should strengthen their role in educating the public and enlightening the government, as the Muritda Council Center was rebuilt many years later.
“Somalis are alive and have the power to return. It is a rich country where its people are talented and creative, all we need is unity and the strengthening of patriotism, volunteerism and working for the common good. ”
Somalia is famous for its art and literature, and drama, but for thirty years the Somali community’s theater has suffered greatly. The great artists who went abroad during the civil war has started here in Somalia, and nightclubs and theaters have collapsed.
