Somalia 1979: Dancing in the streets and more
Marching, singing and dancing in the streets
Wolfgang Praegler & Gudrun Mirbach-Praegler
During
my
time
in
Somalia
from
1978
until
1981,
Mogadishu
was
a
safe
place.
There
were
often
activities
in
the
streets
with
music
and
dance
like
events
of
the
Socialistic
Party
of
Somalia,
Prophet‘s
Birthday
or
the
Day
of
the
Tree.
In
the
nearby
village
of
Afgoy
the
yearly
stickfighting
was
a
highlight:
Several
hundred
men
of
Afgoy
and
a
neighbouring
village,
armed
with
a
bunch
of
sticks,
where
running
towards
each
other
whipping
and
beating.
We
as
visitors
had
to
take
much
care
not
getting
caught
among
them.
All
this
was
very
loud
and wild. The loud hooting in the sound file is made with a conch horn out of a giant clam.
A: The harbour of Mogadishu and the city centre
B: Chanting and singing in the streets
C: One of the main streets of Mogadishu city
D: Braided containers with milk on a market
E: A procession on Prophet‘s Birthday in Afgoy
F: The start of stickfighting in Afgoy
G: Stickfighting in Afgoy with a mighty cloud of dust
H: Women having a party on the Day of the Tree
A
B
B
C
D
C
H
C
H
F
G
E