While many pipo for Somalia squeeze into cafes and homes on Sunday night to watch di Euro football final, hundreds of Mogadishu most stylish residents gada for di beachside Elite Hotel for anoda competition, Miss Somalia.

Di fact say about a kilometre away one car bomb explode outside di Top Coffee restaurant wey bin dey packed wit football fans highlight di dramatic contrast of life in Somalia.

While di beauty show contestants bin dey parade for di hotel, at least five pipo dey killed and about 20 wunjure for di nearby blast.

Di militant Islamist group al-Shabab, wey don dey control much of Somalia for more dan 15 years, say na dem carry out di attack.

Hani Abdi Gas na im start di Miss Somalia competition for 2021, a brave tin to do for di culturally conservative kontri wey get problems wit Islamist militants. Somalia regularly dey top di list of di world worst places to be a woman.

Ms Gas grow up for Dadaab refugee camp for Kenya, along wit hundreds of thousands of oda Somalis wey escape from war and drought. She return to her homeland in 2020.

Although di pageant na about beauty, Ms Gas say di inspiration behind di competition na to lift up women voices and take dem out of isolation.

“E dey foster unity and empowerment,” she tok.

Ms Gas believe say time don reach for Somalia to join di rest of di world wen e come to beauty contests. “I wan celebrate di aspirations of women from diverse backgrounds, build dia confidence and give dem a chance to showcase Somali culture worldwide.”

Dis year competition certainly represent women wey dey do different tins. One of di contestants na policewoman.

Many for Somalia no like di idea of beauty pageants.

Some see dem as challenge to Islam and to Somali culture. Odas say na anoda form of gender abuse, wey reduce women to objects.

“I no like di idea say our young women dey compete for dis dreadful contest,” na so clan leader Ahmed Abdi Halane tok.

“Such tins dey against our culture and our religion. If a girl wear tight clothes and appear on stage, e go bring shame upon her family and her clan. Women suppose to stay for house and wear better clothe.”

Some women also dey opposed to beauty contests.

“E good to support di Somali youth but no be for ways wey conflict wit our religion,” na so student Sabrina, wey no wan reveal her surname.

“E no make sense for a woman to appear in public without covering her neck and dat na wetin Miss Somalia contestants do.”

Unlike di sombre-coloured robes and veils wey many Somali women dey wear, Miss Somalia contestants wear flamboyant, figure-hugging gowns.

Dressed in a long golden dress wit sleeves wey flow down to di floor, 24-year-old Aisha Ikow bin dey crowned Miss Somalia and carry a $1,000 (£770) cash prize go on house.

She be university student and make-up artist, and represent di South-West state. Di oda finalists na di regional beauty queens from Jubaland for di south and Galmudug for central Somalia.

“I go use dis as opportunity to fight against early marriage and to promote girls’ education,” Ms Ikow tok.

“Di competition dey celebrate Somali culture and beauty while e dey shape a brighter future for women.”

Di six judges, five women and one man, find am hard to choose di winner.

Di panel include di founder Ms Gas, a representative from di ministry of youth and Miss Somalia 2022. Dem judge di contestants according to dia physical beauty, di way dem waka di catwalk, di way dem dress and di way dem tok for public.

E also get an online vote wey dey open to di public.

E cost $1 to vote, wit di money dem raise dem use am fund di event for Mogadishu and overseas trips to compete in di Miss Africa, Miss World and Miss Universe competitions.

Di night-time pageant for di luxury seafront hotel na far cry from di lives of most pipo for in Somalia, especially women.

Four million Somalis, about a quarter of di population, dey live for oda parts of di kontri afta dem bin dey forced from dia homes.

Di UN estimate say between 70% and 80% of dem na women.

In 2024, dem collect enof data for Somalia to dey included in di United Nations Human Development Index for di first time in three decades. E don come last.

Somalia na fourth from di bottom for UN Gender Inequality Index. Aid groups say 52% of women for di kontri don experience gender-based violence. About 98% don undergo female genital mutilation.

Traditionally, wen a man rape a woman, im “punishment” na for am to marry di woman wey im sexually assault. Attitudes towards rape and oda forms of abuse against women never change much over di years.

In 2013, one woman for Mogadishu bin dey sentenced to jail for one year afta she report say some members of di security forces bin rape her.

For di self-declared republic of Somaliland, religious leaders throway one 2018 sexual offences law almost as soon as dem sign am. Di revised version no dey protect women from child marriage, forced marriage, rape or oda forms of sexual abuse.

But di fact say a Miss Somalia competition fit hold for Mogadishu, even a kilometre away from a suicide bombing, show say di kontri dey change - both in terms of attitude and in terms of security.

A beauty pageant for dey unthinkable a few years ago, especially wen al-Shabab control di capital.

Di crowd for Elite Hotel no leave until di early hours of di morning. Dem no hear di sound of di nearby attack as e bin dey drowned out by di noise of di Indian Ocean waves as e dey break on di beach.


Di contestants risk condemnation from some quarters sake of say dem contest


Hani Abdi Gas (R) brave criticisms to start di competition for 2021


Di organizers hope say di competition go promote Somalian culture and build women confidence