Somali violinist new to TV orchestra triumphs in four years

Born at the start of the civil war in Somalia, Maryan Ali Mohamed dreamed of one day performing on stage .

She spent hours impersonating musicians on television and always hoped to master an instrument.

In 2019, she bought her first violin. Today, this 33-year-old man is one of 40 musicians forming a Somali orchestra.

This East African country does not have an official national orchestra, but for the first time, an ensemble of musicians has been brought together for a series of television performances.

Men and women dressed in suits and satin were recorded harmoniously playing trumpets, drums and ouds - a traditional stringed instrument.< /p>

"I've never seen anything like this," said Fadumo Hussien, a 70-year-old grandmother watching from her living room on the outskirts of the capital, Mogadishu.

"I remember bands playing growing up, but nothing like this," she told the BBC. p>

The performances, organized by Mogadishu-based production company Astaan ​​TV, aim to revive Somali music.

"We brought this orchestra together and gave them a space to...