Africa Daily Can you make a living as an artist in Somalia?
Available for over a year
'90% of Somali people don't know the value of art. That is the problem.'
Maslah Abdi Dahir has been threatened by the Islamist insurgent group Al Shabaab who believe portraiture is 'haram' or forbidden under Islam. Other Somalis have told him art is a waste of time with so many people out of work.
But the Prime Minister spotted and praised his work and he has 250K followers on TikTok.
So what drives the 28 year old founder of Mogadishu's art centre and school?
For today's Africa Daily, Peter Musembi speaks with Maslah Abdi Dahir – and one of his students Anisa Abdulahi Farah.
Produced by Mohamed Gabobe in Mogadishu.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Idris Elba: ‘I want to build the African Odeon'
Idris Elba has spoken of his ambition to create the 'African Odeon' – a chain of cinemas to ignite the cinemagoing experience across the continent. Elba was speaking at an event at SXSW London in which he spoke to host Clara Amfo in a session called Creativity as Capital for Change. In remarks reported by the Hollywood Reporter and Screen, Elba said: 'There's a crazy number across the entire continent – less than about 3,000 cinemas, actual cinemas that you and I have grown up with. I would love to be able to tackle some of that, because I believe that the cinema experience that we all have gone through should be experienced by a new generation. I don't think it should all be on a phone.' Elba added: 'How do I do that? Building a model of data that shows that actually people do want to watch films, that they will enjoy the experience of theatre. I'm not going to try and boil the ocean, but it's going to happen one bit at a time … Yeah man, I want to build the African Odeon.' Elba, who was born in London to a Sierra Leonean father and a Ghanaian mother, has spoken previously about his ambitions to support the film industry in sub-Saharan Africa, saying in October: 'It's really important that we own those stories of our tradition, of our culture, of our languages, of the differences between one language and another.' He is also part of a consortium developing an 'eco city' on Sherbro Island in Sierra Leone. In London, Elba mentioned an AI-powered app called Talking Scripts that turns written material into audio, aiming to help people with reading difficulties such as dyslexia, as well as a digital wallet he had co-founded, called Akuna Wallet, designed to help creatives send money across borders more easily than before. He added: 'Any film or piece of music that was made in the 80s was made on equipment less superior than your phone is now. These kids know that. They are making films, they are making songs on these devices. Ultimately, there is a wall when it comes to getting it out there and monetising it, [but] I think the confidence that Afrobeats, Nollywood, has given African creators, young creators, is huge.'
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Jack P. Shepherd's fiancée Hanni Treweek shares sweet post about Celebrity Big Brother winner as they count down days to July wedding
Jack P Shepherd's fiancée Hanni Treweek has shared a sweet post about her husband-to-be as they celebrated a year since getting engaged. The Celebrity Big Brother winner, 37, and Hanni, 35, who was a colleague of the star's as a storyline writer and researcher on Corrie, will tie the knot on July 26 of this year. The couple's wedding is set for next month and Hanni shared a sweet tribute to her husband on Thursday as she counts down the days to the nuptials. Sharing a collection of throwback snaps from their trip to the Serengeti where he asked her to be his wife, Hanni wrote: '365 days of being your Fiancée. 51 days until we become Husband & Wife. 'Looking back at the most special memories with you, Tanzania will always hold a special place in my heart ⛺️❤️ Happy one year anniversary. What a magical year it's been ✨.' From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Sharing a collection of throwback snaps from their trip to the Serengeti where he asked her to be his wife, Hanni wrote: '365 days of being your Fiancée. 51 days until we become Husband & Wife' Resharing the post on his Instagram Story, Jack wrote: 'Happy one year anniversary @hannitreweek. I'm so lucky to call you my future wife.' Jack and Hanni got engaged during a romantic safari holiday in the Serengeti in June 2024. At the time, the couple posed for loved-up snaps in their safari getups to announce the happy news on social media. Flashing her sparkling engagement ring, Hannah beamed for the camera before kissing her new fiancé. Captioning the snaps, she gushed: '05.06.24 I said YES to forever!!!' Jack and Hanni have been dating since 2017, after meeting on the soap when she worked in the press office. She later became a storyliner on the ITV show, before quitting to work as a fashion influencer. Despite being colleagues, their romance actually began when Jack impressed Hanni at a mutual friend's wedding. Speaking to OK! Magazine in 2020, Jack recalled: 'Then our mutual friends got married and we were both guests at the wedding. 'We got chatting, I made Hanni laugh, we had a couple of drinks and we flirted. That was it.' The duo then later bumped into each other once again in a Sainsbury's, which led to an exchange of texts and a blossoming romance. He told The Daily Star: 'I texted her afterwards and said 'that was awkward' and she told me she thought she looked a mess and then we started texting from there. 'I actually thought she looked fit – I just saw the girl I fancy wearing Lycra! We quickly went on our first date and we just clicked.' In 2018, the couple went public with their relationship and Jack gushed that Hanni was his 'soulmate' in another interview with OK! Magazine. He went on to discuss their next steps during an appearance on Loose Women in 2020 during a chat about marriage. Jack said: 'I think it is only sensible really to have those sorts of conversations with a partner or someone that you're dating even if you're going out for like a few months, as soon as you know it's serious.' Hanni added: 'I think we fell quite quickly and from that we just clicked, and we were on the same page, and you do have those conversations but yeah I think we would like to... in the future.' Now, the couple are stronger than ever and are in the midst of wedding planning with their big day just months away. In March, Hanni shared a loved-up picture of the couple along with the caption: 'Love wedding planning with you, a cute lil wednesday evening menu tasting for the big day.' The smitten couple regularly share insights to their loved-up relationship, including date nights, the home they share, and their three dogs. Before his relationship with Hanni, Jack was engaged to ex Lauren Shippey, who he had been dating since he was 14 and shares two children with - Nyla and Reuben.
The Independent
4 hours ago
- The Independent
National Trust covers up artwork with JK Rowling's name after public interference
The National Trust has removed a piece of art featuring the name of JK Rowling after it was 'tampered with by a member of the public'. Visitors to Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire between April and November 2024 were invited to stitch the names of women they found inspirational and should be celebrated onto a textile display. Until recently, the fabric artwork, which had been named 'A Virtuous Woman' had been on display with the Harry Potter author's name sewn onto it seven times, but on two occasions had been stitched over by other participants. However, feminist campaigner Jean Hatchet shared images on X of her and another woman unpicking the stitching, saying they had 'corrected' the work. As a result, the National Trust said it had removed the artwork to 'protect it from further tampering and damage'. Ms Hatchet criticised the response, saying she removed the 'stitching with the correct tool', took 'great time and care', and did not damage it. In recent years, Ms Rowling has divided opinion with her gender critical views, which has seen her argue trans women should not be allowed into female-only spaces. Activists have called her transphobic, a claim which she denies. The artwork was designed by Layla Khoo in association with the National Trust and the University of Leeds, with other names to appear including Baroness Margaret Thatcher, Taylor Swift and the word 'mum'. A National Trust spokesperson said: 'The artwork was open to contributions for 8 months and closed in November when the piece was finished and put on public display. 'During the participation phase, JK Rowling's name was stitched onto the piece seven times and in two instances it was stitched over by other participants. At the time the artwork was completed and subsequently hung, JK Rowling's name appeared five times without any overstitching. 'We ask people not to damage or tamper with artworks once they are finished and on public display. The piece has been taken off display for investigation and to protect it from further tampering or damage. We take all claims and incidents of damage to items in our care seriously and investigate each one.'
