A veteran British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) correspondent  launched a new book about Somalia at a ceremony held at the British Embassy in Mogadishu on Saturday as the Somali capital’s second annual book fair came to a close.

Andrew Harding’s book entitled The Mayor of Mogadishu tells the story of former mayor Mohamed Ahmed Nur and draws on visits made by the author to Somalia over the past 16 years. The book paints a vivid picture of the country and the migration and resilience of its people as they recover from two decades of armed conflict.

“Here is one family’s journey over many decades through the ups and downs of one country,” Mr. Harding said.

Mogadishu Book Fair organizer Mohamed Sheikh Ali thanked Harding for attending this year’s popular Mogadishu Book Fair, which attracted thousands of people. Mr. Ali said it was a sign that Somalis were ready to “rebuild what was an amazing and beautiful place.”

The launch was hosted by the British Ambassador Harriet Mathews and attended by the ex-mayor Nur, the Federal Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Abdirahman Yusuf Ali Aynte, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia, Michael Keating, and several Somali authors and researchers.

Mr. Aynte said the large numbers of young people who attended the book fair had sent a powerful message of defiance to the country’s terrorist groups.

“Although they can kill, maim and injure, they cannot stop (young Somalis) from celebrating one of the most beautiful things that humans do, which is to write and read”, the Minister added.

Ambassador Mathews said her involvement in the book fair had given her a valuable insight into the depth and breadth of Somali culture.

Mr. Nur praised the Harding book as an important work for Mogadishu and predicted that people “who have never read anything about Somalia would read it.”

The three-day book fair was funded by the United States Agency for International Development.