Tucking into fresh seafood on a boat anchored in clear turquoise waters, which serves as a floating restaurant, Ahmed Yusuf can hardly believe he is in Mogadishu.

Nearby, on the pristine white shores of Lido beach, children scamper in pursuit of a football while locals stroll along or take a dip in the shallows of a notoriously shark-infested stretch of ocean.

In a city plagued by regular bombings by the Islamist group Al-Shabaab, leisure-seeking residents throng the beach which has seen a boom in construction of restaurants, prompting some business owners to get creative.

In January this year Abdulkadir Mohamed Ibrahim, a 48-year-old Somali entrepreneur who returned to his country from Italy, built and fitted out a double-decker boat with plush chairs and tables where diners can enjoy fresh seafood, a fresh breeze, and a sense of normalcy.

“Sometimes I don’t feel I’m in Mogadishu,” said customer Yusuf, who works for a non-governmental organisation.

“There is the sound of the waves and I watch the beautiful ocean while enjoying fresh seafood on the boat. I hope that we will have more of these kinds of businesses.”

Ibrahim had previously tried to launch several businesses in Mogadishu, such as a travel agency, which were ultimately unsuccessful, before stumbling upon the idea for the restaurant “La Lanterna”.

Source: AFP