Somali woman guides tourists to rebrand Mogadishu as a cultural hub

Sucdi Abdul Fattah Abdul Khader, a 23-year-old Somali woman, leads guided tours in Mogadishu to show visitors the city's culture and natural beauty.

She aims to replace the international perception of her home city, which is often defined by conflict, with a narrative focused on its history and scenery. Sucdi works alongside her father and a team of guides to take guests to locations like Jazeera beach and nearby sand dunes.

She also takes visitors to the fish market to see marine life and to areas that reflect the city's history as an Indian Ocean trading center under Ottoman and Italian influence. During the tours, guests sample traditional Somali food, including camel meat and samosas. The local tourism industry is still developing, but the country's tourism department reported that 10,000 tourists visited Somalia in 2024. This figure represents a 50 percent increase from the previous year.

Sucdi uses TikTok to share videos of her tours and plans to produce content in English to reach a wider global audience. While many visitors express concern about security due to decades of civil war, they report positive experiences on the ground. Sucdi believes that showing the welcoming side of the city helps provide a fuller story of Mogadishu than what is typically shown in news reports.