Join architect Rashid Ali as he discusses the changing urban fabric of Somalia’s capital city, Mogadishu, from the early 20^th Century until present day. Over the course of its history, Mogadishu has been influenced by the diverse cultures of its various rulers, residents and visiting traders; a combination of influences that strongly informed the city’s subsequent social, cultural and physical characteristics. Mogadishu’s pre-civil war architecture and built form largely owes its morphology to the region’s former colonial power, Italy, the last of the European powers to join the ‘scramble for Africa’.

It was modernism that was to have an enduring influence on post independence architecture and the built form, since this was largely seen as a way for the country to assert its identity through new architectural forms. However after 20 years of recent civil conflict these buildings have been forgotten. With images and discussion this will be a unique insight into the architecture of the city, with reflections and questions on what the future might hold for Mogadishu. There will be a Q&A session at the end.

Rashid Ali was born in Hargeisa, Somalia and studied Architecture at the Bartlett School, UCL, and City Design and Social Science at the London School of Economics. He has been widely recognised for his architecture and research output, and has twice been short-listed for the prestigious Young Architect of the Year Award. He has been featured in international publications and his work exhibited at the Architecture Foundation’s London Festival of Architecture, amongst others. Ali is Associate Lecturer at the University of Liverpool School of Arts.

 FREE, rsvp@mosaicrooms.org