Mohamed Gabobe describes his experiences navigating Mogadishu as a journalist, why he moved to the city and how he handles sensitive stories. Journalism is a craft akin to a form of artwork, with many of the most esteemed and prestigious journalists finding their way onto the media landscape under most unexpected circumstances.
I also found my path into journalism in the most unlikely of ways. As with many Somalis in the west, the ruinous legacy of scattered us across the globe. My parents left Somalia during the on-set of the Somali civil war as rebel groups took up arms across the country.
Not being able to tell the trajectory of the war, they fled with what little they had. It turned out to be a life-saving decision. As a result, they were lucky enough to be spared much of the violence that many of their loved ones and friends became victims of. Three decades later I found myself returning to the country that my parents had fled. Prior to relocating to Somalia, I spent my childhood moving from state to state across the US.
Like the nomadic customs that many Somalis hold dearly back home, it remained with my intermediate family as we moved around the US. I was exposed to a country and society that was unusual compared to what I was used to. These encounters drew me closer to a world I knew nothing about before visiting Mogadishu.
I later returned to the states and developed my passion for writing, then began experimenting with my newfound art by contributing to different Somali news websites, which drew me into the world of journalism , news and analysis.
