The small, fat sweet pancakes called “mashmash” spit andbubble as Ahmed Jama plops them into a beat-up skillet of boiling oil. Next toit, a cauldron of goat stew simmers. It’s Ramadan and as ravenous customersarrive for their first meal since dawn, the early evening rush gets underway. Withits open kitchen and relaxed garden vibe, the Village Restaurant in Hodan issomething new in Mogadishu. Since the withdrawal of Islamist militants a yearago, the city is awakening from two decades of civil war, blinking its eyes andshaking the trauma from its bones.
Mogadishu, long synonymous with war, is changing withbreathtaking speed. While violence remains an ever-present threat, Somali residentssay they are living in relative peace. From behind the kitchen counter at hisrestaurant, Jama, who was trained as a chef in Britain and returned home in2008 after 25 years abroad, serves up seafood, pastas, meat and vegetabledishes for prices approaching $10 a plate, a relatively high price tag inMogadishu.
“I only use fresh ingredients, organic,” he said. Jama has astaff of 43 people at this, his main restaurant, and a similar number at twoother premises in the city. “People are tired of war, they want jobs.” Amongthe customers buying take-out one recent afternoon was Sharmarke Shirwa, ayoung Somali-American man from Boston, who wore fat reflective shades andcarried a BlackBerry phone and the keys to a Toyota 4x4. “I eat three meals aday here normally,” he said as he handed the cashier a $100 bill. Many hereprefer US currency to the less stable Somali shilling.
“It’s the cleanest, best restaurant in town. He’s reallyusing the skills he learned in London.” Other Somalis can be found promenadingtogether along Lido Beach along the Indian Ocean on a Friday afternoon,something that would have been impossible just a year ago.
The restaurants, bars and clubs that in decades past madethis Somali Riviera buzz are now nothing but bombed out rubble. But the beachretains its natural beauty ” white sand and clear seas with waves breaking onthe reef in the distance. It is once again attracting visitors who feel that itis safe to venture out. Young men play football, and couples walk side-by-side.
