On our first day in Mogadishu, we were driving back to our hotel, Hotel Sahafi, when the traffic slowed and a gendarme told us that the white car a few car lengths ahead of us contained a bomb. Apparently, a suicide bomber had made it this far (about two miles from our hotel) when authorities noticed the bomb and the bomber-to-be deserted the car and ran.

As a result, the road was closed and we were rerouted until the car bomb could be diffused. We were returned to the hotel and locked in for the night. While our driver and guide were getting information from the gendarme, I noticed this woman making coffee and started taking photos. Since I don’t speak Somali more than “Yes,” “No,” “My name is…” and “Move,” I didn’t realize at the time that we were so close to a live bomb.

Of course I used the time to snap street photography from inside our vehicle. These photos were taken on the outskirts of a makeshift village of refugees who left their homes in flight of the rebel group Al Shabaab.

As we pull into the square… I noticed a woman adding what looked like sugar to a tea kettle.

She then started grinding coffee

She goes into what appears to be her kitchen.

And continues her work

Grinding

She takes the coffee beans

She approaches the kettle

And someone catches her eye

Woman making coffee

She finally added the grounds (I missed it; foot traffic)

And she cleans up

The road side beside where she worked. Not her kitchen.