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Mogadishu, (insidesomalia.org) Married and wedding parties decline in number since fighting flares up in Mogadishu last year, said a resident.
Wedding processing could not be seen in main streets of Mogadishu before the fighting but now streets are null with out the joy of marriage parties.
"Bride along with bridesmaid and groom along with the best man in the front car seats are not common nowadays in Mogadishu" said Warsame Mohamed Warsame, a local journalist in Mogadishu.
Dating among young couples seem to disappear because people are busy enough to talk about safety rather than marriage and many young people think about better life and flee the country for safe heaven places to neighboring countries like Kenya, Djibouti. United States of America, Europe and even Somaliland.
"How could we think about marriage and having a partner while we are in war torn country like Somalia where day by day fighting going on" said Mohamed Omer, 23 years old student who said that he is managing to escape from the bloodshed as he said.
While deciding to marry you should have enough money for dowry and expenses for the wedding party because you should have hire a band to sing and dance during the occasion as well as hire a number of small cars for newly wedded couples and their friends, workmates, school mates, relatives and guests, said a group of young men who are now living at Elasha where nearly 3,000 people displaced by the fighting in the capital ought shelter in make-shift huts.
Unemployment reaches its highest peak as well as inflation and people could not eat more than once a day.
Many people's life depended on marriage occasions and wedding parties including musicians and dancers, cameramen and sometime a poet.
To sing at a wedding party the musicians do not earn much, always they have to receive lower charges not more than 100,000 Somali Shilling per each one while the equipment mostly old fashioned being charged separately.
There are no regular musical instruments for the musicians except those few in number privately owned thus putting in the musician in a monopoly like situation under the control of those who own the instruments used.
"Occasionally, wedding in a low profile are held at Elasha , 18 km north east of Mogadishu where newly wedded couples start life in newly built model of make shift hut known as Hommy " Said Markabo Hassan, a mother of three children who live in Elasha since fighting started in the Somali capital between Allied Somali government and Ethiopian troops against insurgents believed to be remnants of the ousted Union of Islamic Courts who regrouped themselves and start a mix of Iraqi and Afghan style of fighting tactics including roadside bombs and launching face to face confrontations against government and Ethiopian troops.
The fighting has enormously changed the life style of the people in Mogadishu but it has its positive effect which that the number of divorces declined much more than ever because intimacy among spouses reached it's highest level by the violence , as said by Mohamed Elmi, elder and human rights and peace activist in Mogadishu.
"This is Mogadishu lacking the joy and happiness of wedding parties" he said
Every Thursday evening Mogadishu had at least six to seven wedding ceremonies but now at the centre of the city it unique and rare to see wedding parties took place or see long line of small cars carrying newly wed spouses.
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