Three figures sit with their backs to the viewer on a balcony that faces the sea. Their garments fall in distinct fields of color—black, red, blue—absorbing the last light. The plastic chair presses into a strip of artificial grass. A white balustrade repeats its rhythm of columns, framing the water. Beyond, the ocean is stippled with small boats, scattered as if by an inattentive hand. The sky fades from a mild tint of rose to a patient gray.
The scene is quiet but not empty. The boats suggest a day’s labor concluded, or about to begin. The women’s stillness contrasts with the restlessness of the water. Architecture, clothing, and horizon compose a modest theater, where distance becomes the subject and evening the narrator.
— Olaniyi Omiwale
I took this photo at Eid Al-Fitr 2025 at the Dolphin Hotel, Mogadishu, designed in a vernacular style to be viewed from the ocean. Somalia has the longest coast in Africa, and Mogadishu has a great share of beautiful beaches, which serve as recreational escapes where residents go to ease their minds. As a city with no public parks, people use Liido Beach and seaside premises, such as the rooftop of this hotel, as public spaces, and I went there to document how they are experiencing the Eid festival.
As I walked through the city streets, the spirit of Eid seemed to fill every frame I encountered. The scene felt like a celebration shared by the entire community—children and elders, the working class and the bourgeoisie. There were smiles everywhere, hennaed hands, warm embraces, and sweet treats everywhere.
My eyes caught a different scene from the majority of the city. A moment full of womanhood and resilience. Although Eid is a happy festival for everyone, it means much more for these three women. It is a sigh after a month full of cooking Ramadan meals for their whole families while also fasting during the daytime (sunrise to sunset). It is a little breeze landing on faces dried from sweating too much from the labour of house chores; washing dishes and clothes, cooking, babysitting, and carrying a household on their backs.
I believe deeply in the power of visual storytelling and its impact on social change. As an artist from an oral society where poetry and the spoken word dominate, I see photography and filmmaking as essential tools for filling the visual storytelling gap in the region. My photography practice mainly focuses on documenting human experience, memory, and its loss. I treat space, architecture, time, and archives as tools for building narratives that create emotional and historical connections. I draw inspiration from raw, influential community stories through research into their backgrounds, places, and cultures, giving room for dialogue, recognition, and collective healing. Through my work, I aim to create lasting archives that connect memory with collective heritage.
Sayid Omar Sheikdon is a visual artist based in Mogadishu, working in photography and filmmaking. His work is driven by a deep desire to document and preserve culture, architecture, and the people and places that define his community. Through his lens, he captures moments of daily life and the unscripted rhythm of the streets. Having grown up in a pastoral lifestyle, his storytelling is deeply influenced by Somali poetry and literature. He uses language, time, and space as tools to understand and archive human behavior and ways of life. He is currently working on a project titled “Minan – an Outer Womb,” which explores the resilient coexistence between Mogadishu and its residents. The project examines the city through its urban spaces and natural landscapes as reflections of the people who inhabit them. Whether through photography or film, Sayid Omar seeks to create stories that represent the richness and authenticity of culture in Somalia and across Africa. See more of Sayid Omar Sheikdon’s work on this website and on his Instagram.
