Young Somalis welcome Mogadishu's first bowling alley as signs of everyday life re-emerge

Описание: (9 Feb 2026)
++AUDIO AS INCOMING++

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Mogadishu, Somalia - 15 January 2026

1.⁠ ⁠Various of people bowling, balls rolling down lanes, pins falling
2.⁠ Various of Hudoon Abdi, a diaspora returnee from Canada bowling
3.⁠ ⁠SOUNDBITE (English) Hudoon Abdi, Somali-Canadian on holiday in Mogadishu:
"I'm happy. Today I came to Feynuus to play bowling. I couldn't believe Mogadishu has this place, bowling, and I'm enjoying. Actually, Mogadishu is safe. I went to a lot of places, entertainment. So I love my country, Alhamdulillah (praise be to God).”

4.⁠ ⁠Various of Abdi and others bowling
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Hudoon Abdi, Somali-Canadian on holiday in Mogadishu:
”I am telling guys to come and enjoy our country. It's beautiful, safe, a lot of entertainment and see our people. So everybody has to come back to our country.”

6.⁠ ⁠Various of Abukar Hajji who is visiting home country from the UK
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Abukar Hajji, Somali-British person on holiday in Mogadishu:
“When I was flying from the UK, I believed it's a scary place, a dangerous place like in a war country, it's a very dangerous place. I was very scared and everyone said good luck to me. Like good luck meaning, 'Allah Haku amansado' (May Allah grant you tranquillity /security of heart). But when I came here, what I saw with my eyes, I don't want to leave. I want to stay here. Because this one really is a happy life, everyone has happiness. The people are very happy. It is not scary. That is what I believe and today what I saw is very different. I was away for decades from this country.”

8. Various of people bowling, chatting, balls rolling down lanes
9. Various establishing shots of Sadaq Abdurahman, Manager of Feynuus Bowling Centre in Mogadishu, Somalia:
10.⁠ ⁠SOUNDBITE (Somali) Sadaq Abdurahman, Manager of Feynuus Bowling Centre in Mogadishu, Somalia:
"When we saw that this business has an opportunity and that many young people need a facility like this, that's when we opened this bowling centre. It has created employment opportunities for at least 40 youths, and thank God, I believe Feynuus Bowling has filled the vacuum."

11. Various of people bowling, balls rolling down lanes

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Mogadishu, Somalia - 26 January 2026

12.⁠ ⁠Various of checkpoint with vehicles being stopped for searches
13. Various of beach and nearby destroyed buildings
STORYLINE:
LEADIN

Mogadishu, long associated with war and militant attacks, is embracing a new pastime: bowling.

Somalia’s first modern bowling alley has opened in the capital, reflecting a cautious return to everyday life.

STORYLINE

In a city long defined by conflict, Somalia's capital of Mogadishu now echoes with the crash of pins at the country's first modern bowling alley.

It's the latest sign of revival in the once-thriving Indian Ocean port shaped by 35 years of civil war and militant bombings.

Millions of people were forced to flee what became one of the world’s most dangerous cities. Those who remained avoided public spaces as the al-Qaida-linked group al-Shabab waged an insurgency against the Somali state.

In recent years, improved security measures against al-Shabab, an expanded government presence and growing private investment have allowed daily life to re-emerge.

The Feynuus Bowling Center opened last year and draws many locals and Somalis returning from the diaspora, who bring investment and business ideas after years of sending billions of dollars in remittances from abroad.



“I’m enjoying it. Actually, Mogadishu is safe,” she says, urging others to visit.














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