Narrative
Full Description
Project narrative
On December 6, 2021, the Chinese Ambassador to Somalia, Fei Shengchao, and the Somali Minister of Information, Osman Abokar, signed a memorandum of understanding on the renovation and equipping of Somalia's National Theater, Radio Mogadishu, and the Somali National News Agency (SONNA). The agreement included repairs for Radio Mogadishu's recording studios, as well as improving the lighting and sound systems at the National Theater. Then, on July 13, 2022, a ceremony was held to celebrate the completed upgrades and renovations on the Somali National Theater and Radio Mogadishu. As of this ceremony, is unclear whether works involving SONNA had begun. The Chinese Government previously pledged assistance in renovating the Somali National Theater after it was damaged in a terrorist attack in 2012 (captured in Record ID#31069). The Somali National Theater reopened on July 1, 2020 with unspecified support from China.