Residents protest against al Shabaab Islamist insurgents in Mogadishu March 29, 2010. Football fans are devising ways of beating restrictions as the World Cup nears. Photo/FILE
By ABDULKADIR KHALIF in Mogadishu
Posted Monday, June 7 2010 at 14:55
Posted Monday, June 7 2010 at 14:55
A rag-tag band of militants may be calling the shots in large swathes of Somalia, but a gripping World Cup mania looks set to beat the ultra-conservative restrictions in place.
Youngsters seem to talk about little else, despite the best efforts of the militants to clamp down on what they deem as overly hedonistic leanings.
Satellite dishes are sprouting on rooftops all over the lawless country, as handshakes are shaken over gentlemen's agreements on the sharing of facilities with those lucky enough to be electronically endowed.
Still, underneath all the undercurrent of the craze the scenario is now markedly different: Movie houses that had taken Somalia by storm during the last World Cup in Germany have largely disappeared, following the spread of radical Islamism. Then, as little as $0.20 could secure you a front row seat in the movie house, which typically catered for about 50 houses.
Citizens as far down as the Tabeellaha--the basic community level-- were entertained by the services provided by the movie centres, whether popular Indian films, Somali documentaries or big games.
Hard
Up until 2006, the warlord and militias controlling most of Southern and Central Somalia cared little about what people watched. But with the emergence of powerful Islamic militant groups, all that changed as they came down hard on anything that sounded modern, from beauty salons to chess games.
With the often violent enforcement of restrictions, including threats to the owners of the movie houses, many folded.
Resistance to the fanatics' edicts in the capital Mogadishu saw horrific instances of hand grenades hurled over walls into crowds. Spectators lost their limbs or were maimed as they were hit by bomb fragments or injured by stampeding mobs.
Survivors turned their premises into more "acceptable" uses: Garages, restaurants or botanical gardens.
But now, though in more measured tones, football fans can be found huddled over raucous debates over which African team stands the best chance.
Football stalwarts who have followed the games over years can also be heard weighing in with the "experience" and wealth of knowledge.
Interestingly, Argentina coach Diego Maradona is arguably the person most talked in Mogadishu, the capital. His recent remarks that he would run across Buenos Aires totally naked have been repeated on many radio stations, providing much needed amusement and distractions for many war-weary Somalis.
Secret
Despite a marked lowering of life, including of the sports sort, the picture is however not all gloomy for football fans. Many of the aficionados are already preparing mini-clubs within their premises. Small groups have been trying to come together so as to keep their hideouts as secret as possible.
Such hideouts are estimated in the hundreds, and a mini-economy to support them has already emerged. Electronic repair workshops are doing brisk business, with others ordering transformers, fixing electricity stabilisers and setting up decoders.
Ali Abdi Bidihey, a resident in Beledweyne town, 335 km north of Mogadishu, sent a transformer to Mogadishu for repair before the start of the World Cup but is not sure whether he will be able to use his system to watch the games as the local Islamists are capable of introducing stricter measures at anytime.
Bidihey, however, is determined to follow his favourite team, Nigeria, through the available channels.
“My hometown is only 42 km from the border with Ethiopia,” he said. “I’ll cross the border to Fer-Fer township, if need arises.
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