"I love Mogadishu, I love Mogadishu, I love Mogadishu!" chanted Amir Issa, a Somali businessman and camel farmer. "Please stand up, say that: I love Mogadishu!"
A video camera panned around the room, showing the audience rising to its feet and joining in the chorus. The scene was streamed live to internet users around the world. TED, the California-cool brand of inspirational speakers with "ideas worth spreading", had reached its final frontier: war-torn Somalia.
"The story of the Somalis is they are survivors," continued Issa, microphone in hand, standing on a simple stage against a white wall that bore the TEDxMogadishu logo. "They will survive in any climate … Mogadishu is ready to receive anybody … Mogadishu is ready for you."
TED – it stands for technology, entertainment, design – (Technology, Entertainment, Design) was born in the US in 1984 and its annual conference, described as "three and a half days of intellectual soul searching", attracts some of the "smartest, richest and most talented people on Earth". Speakers have included Bill Clinton, Richard Dawkins, Bill Gates, Malcolm Gladwell, Jane Goodall and Al Gore. Tickets can cost thousands of dollars.
The main conference allows one-off gatherings elsewhere under the TEDx label, with examples in Africa including TEDxSoweto in South Africa's biggest township.
On Thursday came its most intrepid offshoot yet, a hastily organised meeting in a city that has become a byword for war and nihilism – a place where pontificating might appear a western indulgence. The intention of TEDxMogadishu was to show that daily life is changing eight months after African Union troops pushed al-Qaida-linked militants out of the city.
"There is hope in Somalia," its manifesto declared. "With sustained peace on the horizon, the Somali diaspora is returning home and starting businesses. … International investors are exploring opportunities and the first Somali bank has now opened. While the stability remains fragile, Somalis are optimistic that a turning point has been reached after 21 years of conflict, and we are witnessing the rebirth of Mogadishu."
But al-Shabaab militants retain the ability to hit the capital, as shown last month when eight people were killed in a bomb attack at the reopened national theatre. Security was tight for Thursday's invitation-only gathering of 110 people, who were searched more than once on their way into the conference room on the third floor of the First Somali Bank, which itself opened last week‚ "the first commercial bank in the country's history".
Liban Egal, TEDxMogadishu's co-organiser, said the idea came about after he met Nate Mook, who helped organise TEDx events in Baghdad, Doha and Tripoli. "I was trying to tell him about the rebuilding of Mogadishu," Egal explained via Skype. "He said: this is a good story, why don't we do one? I was hesitant at first but after talking more I decided yes. It happened very fast, in four days; it wasn't planned."
Broadcast live on the web, with updates on Facebook [http://www.facebook.com/TEDxMogadishu] and Twitter, the low-budget event aimed to change negative perceptions of Mogadishu around the world, particularly among Somalis driven into exile. Egal said: "We just want to show there's a side of Mogadishu other than war. People are opening businesses and building their lives. People in the diaspora are coming back to invest. This city is making great strides and there is a lot of goodwill."
After some technical hitches and a late start, TEDxMogadishu took less than three hours to feature comedy, music, short films and, most importantly, talks from Somalis including a property developer, the founder of a university, a healthcare specialist and a peace activist who works with rape victims and ex-child soldiers, and a chef who returned home in 2008 after establishing some of Britain's best Somali restaurants.
Another speaker, Amina Hagi Elmi, founder of Save Somali Women and Children, said she had never heard of the TED franchise before receiving the invitation.
"TED is new to me, that's why I'm interested to take part," she said. "I want to share my history with the people who are watching this event. It will change people's minds about Somalia. The situation for women and girls in Mogadishu is 80% better since security improved."
There was an enthusiastic response on Twitter, with many users praising the initiative as a positive step for the beleaguered country.
But others expressed scepticism about western "do-gooders" interfering in Somalia and Africa. A Twitter user named Amal (@amal_leila) posted: "TEDx Mogadishu is about to happen soon, live stream and the theme is "Rebirth". Mainly the rebirth of £Mogadishu. The West must be so happy."
She also tweeted: "Any conference regarding #Somalia should be on repairing the country, not #Mogadishu. Every city, town, village should have an equal voice."
