Fardosa Hussein

Photographer

Ramadhan in quarantine

I live in an apartment near a p...ains of my window. April, 2020.

I live in an apartment near a police check point. Since the start of April, 2020, more than three mortar hit the airport area and it's vicinity in Mogadishu city. I couldn't go outside, so I would look through the curtains of my window. April, 2020.

Ramadhan (the holiest month in ...reading the Quran. April, 2020.

Ramadhan (the holiest month in the islamic calendar) started at the peak of the pandemic. I used this time to connect with my creator and nourish my soul by reading the Quran. April, 2020.

Through the kitchen window I ge...kground. April, 2020.

Through the kitchen window I get to see a different view than that of my bedroom. I can see some homes in the neighbourhood with the view of the city in the background. April, 2020.

I lived with two of my housemat...r during Ramadhan. April, 2020.

I lived with two of my housemates in an apartment with three bedrooms. To protect each other, we would enter the kitchen in shifts to prepare Iftar during Ramadhan. April, 2020.

I wear my niqab mostly when goi...OVID -19 was real. April, 2020.

I wear my niqab mostly when going out for work or to the market but its all a blur thinking about how outside this door I have to keep safe by wearing a mask beneath my niqab to avoid being called names as many people didn't believe COVID -19 was real. April, 2020.

I took this photo at 8 p.m. at ...quickly. April, 2020.

I took this photo at 8 p.m. at night after three mortars hit the airport area in Mogadishu city. Through the mesh of my bedroom window I could see the police at the check point near our apartment go into their bunker quickly. April, 2020.

My study table is my current wo... around COVID - 19. April 2020.

My study table is my current work station. I do interviews with health workers for stories I am covering around COVID - 19. April 2020.

One of my housemates prepares p...e break our fast in the evening

One of my housemates prepares pancakes for when we break our fast in the evening

I take ablution at the sink are... prayer. April, 2020.

I take ablution at the sink area before every prayer. April, 2020.

I sat on my laundry bucket cont...dy desk. April, 2020.

I sat on my laundry bucket contemplating whether to do laundry or watch a movie at my study desk. April, 2020.

People still prefer to hang out...urope and America. April, 2020.

People still prefer to hang out at night despite the recent curfew put in place by the local administration in Mogadishu. Many people still believe that COVID -19 is not real and that it only exists in Europe and America. April, 2020.

Most nights I switch off my bed...atching. April, 2020.

Most nights I switch off my bedroom light and spend a lot of time on my phone scrolling through the internet. Since my window faced the check point bunker, I would feel anxious leaving my lights on. It always feels like someone's watching. April, 2020.

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Public Project

Ramadhan in quarantine

Copyright Fardosa Hussein 2025

Updated Apr 2021

Location Mogadishu, Somalia

Topics Africa, Covid 19, Dailylife, Documentary, Health., Health/Healing, Lifeinquarantine, Mogadishu, Photography, Ramadhan, Religion, Somalia

A year ago, the world went into a lockdown due to the COVID -19 pandemic. As a humanitarian photographer who spends most of her time in the field documenting stories, I found myself spending long days and nights in isolation at my apartment that I shared with two housemates. In April 2020, we started Ramadhan (one of the holiest months in the Islamic calendar) in lockdown. Some had the opportunity to spend time with their loved ones at home, while others like me spent time alone. In this series, I share some of my most intimate accounts in quarantine in Mogadishu, Somalia.

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