Dozens of young people wearing white headbands took to the streets of Mogadishu this month. They walked through the city demanding justice for the young entrepreneur Mohamed Mahamoud Sheik.
Sheik, a businessman known for bringing flowers to Somalia, was shot and killed on 2 August. Sheik had opened Mogadishu’s first florist, and launched Somalia’s first laundry and dry cleaner’s since the state’s implosion in 1991.
Born to Somali parents in Italy and raised in Tanzania, Sheik was among a number of expat entrepreneurs who went back to Somalia to open businesses, following the country’s two decades of conflict.
In an interview in 2015, he spoke about why he believed flowers could bring normality to his country. “Most people wonder why [Somalia] is unable to gain peace and stability and have a functioning government. It is not because people do not want peace or a government. It’s because they cannot. They are still haunted and traumatised by the decades of war,” he said. “It has not set it into their minds that peace can truly happen.
“On a daily basis [people] witness bombs going off and see bodies and hear of death. They help those injured and bury their dead. They mourn and pray that God helps them. Then they move with their lives. The next day is again the same and nothing seems to change.
“To me flowers bring in a new light, a solution to the problems faced. It provides an opportunity to see beauty and gain sanity from all the problems surrounding us.”
Some people thought his decision to open a florist’s was mad, he said. Security was always a concern, and fresh flowers had to be imported from Kenya.
But his business grew steadily, with international UN staff making up the majority of his clients, as well as young couples on Valentine’s Day.
To make flowers more attractive to Somali customers, Sheik used chemicals to preserve them for longer. He would recommend different types, based on customers’ favourite colours and smells. But most wanted to order a red rose.
Over the years, on Valentine’s Day, he defied the warnings of some clerics, who said celebrating the event was illegal. A steady trickle of 20-somethings would come to his shop to buy baskets with flowers and chocolates, and post pictures on Instagram.
Some bought a single red rose. “I didn’t mind if they didn’t buy a bouquet,” he said. “It wasn’t about selling the flowers. It was about people appreciating them.”
He said he didn’t worry about being arrested, although he did fear being attacked. Despite this, Sheik was determined to stay. “I’m giving services people love and like,” he said. “If I just leave to another place, I won’t have the joy I’m having right now. I do get scared, but I’m staying here.”
No one has been arrested in connection with Sheik’s murder. The Mohamed Sheikh Ali Foundation has been established to continue his legacy, and a Twitter account, @WeAreNotSafe, has been set up in his memory. It is demanding security and justice for Somali citizens, and for the government to be held accountable.
Sarah-Eva Marchese originally conducted this interview for online florists Floracracy
