Hiiraan Online
Thursday, August 27, 2015
MOGADISHU (HOL) ----It was once dubbed as the world’s most dangerous city: Mogadishu, a tag Somalis never took easy but instead they desperately fought back to drop that tag which they say represents an erred judgment about their city by holding events that made international headlines.
Mogadishu’s Book Fair comes again, as the seaside city holds the event after more than two decades of war that left the horn Africa nation wracked by infinite violence.
The three day exhibition has featured hundreds of books and displayed an art of literacy. Most of the books focused on youth innovation for the war-torn Somalia to press forward.
Among the top guests was Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud who has taken numerous questions from the event attendants who packed the city Plaza hotel’s conference hall on Thursday.
“Somali parents should be egalitarians and their main focus should be raising educated children,” Mr. Mohamud who received gift books from new authors said.
“I graduated from university in 1981 and all I wanted was to teach - Lets support and encourage our children to read and learn.” He told the event’s audience.
As the event was being broadcast live, some of the Somalis who witnessed previous book fair events during Siad Barre’s regime recalled the days when they held outdoor book fairs in 1980s, a manifestation that brought good memories back to their minds.
“With events like this, Mogadishu is gradually reclaiming its image – this event is a remarkable event.” said Ali Samatar, a 56 years old Mogadishu resident.