Colonial Amnesia and the Material Remains of Italian Colonialism in Mogadishu

Abstract

This essay examines the material legacies of Italian colonialism in Mogadishu in the aftermath of postcolonial transformations and the devastation of the Somali Civil War. It traces the history of colonial Mogadishu and the deep imprint of the Italian state on the city's spatial organization and architectural heritage. From 1893 to 1941, the city was transformed into a colonial capital through the imposition of a new European-style city upon the old historic centre. This required the demolition of pre-colonial structures and homes, and the displacement of many Somalis to the outskirts the city. With independence, colonial sites were appropriated and nationalized – streets honouring Italian figures were renamed to honour Somalis; colonial buildings became national buildings. With these transformations, however, the colonial history of the now postcolonial capital city became invisibilised and easily forgotten.