On Sunday night, freelance journalist Amanda Lindhout made her first public appearance since returning to the country after spending 15 months in captivity in Somalia.

Alberta's Somali-Canadian community hosted a dinner in honour of the 28-year-old in northeast Calgary.

Lindhout's arrival at the Pineridge Community Centre was highly anticipated.

With a number of her friends and family members at her side, including her mother and father, Lindhout walked in the front door surrounded by the local media.

Everyone was clamoring to get pictures of the woman at the centre of an international news story that dates back to 2008.

Lindhout, who is originally from Sylvan Lake, was kidnapped while on a freelance assignment in Somalia in August of 2008.

She was ambushed and taken hostage along with Nigel Brennan, a freelance Australian photojournalist, and Abdifatah Mohammed Elmi, a Somali journalist, as the trio made their way to a refugee camp near Mogadishu.

Elmi was released in January 2008 after spending 146 days in captivity.

Lindhout and Brennan were released on November 25, 2009 after their families were forced to pay ransom to their kidnappers that reportedly was around the half million dollar mark.

At Sunday's event, Lindhout addressed the crowd, speaking publicly for the first time since her ordeal.

Lindhout spoke of her reasons for traveling to Somalia, saying she was touched by the humanitarian crisis in that country and the lack of media attention.

 She spoke of her desire to help in her own "humble" way to which the crowd of Somali-Canadians in attendance erupted in applause.

When Lindhout spoke of that fateful day on August 23, 2008, she said she does not think the brutal actions of the men who kidnapped her are reflective of the Somali people as a whole.

She had to pause from continuing on in her speech as the crowd finished clapping.

Lindhout said that despite her suffering, she does not hold any hate in her heart for the men who kidnapped her.

While she does not condone their actions, Lindhout says decades of war and suffering in Somalia have produced deeply wounded and traumatized individuals who know no other way than violence.

Lindhout say her thoughts and prayers are with the people of Somalia.

The Somali-Canadian community thanked Lindhout for her efforts to expose the plight of their people and presented her with a necklace, a portrait, and flowers.

They called her their "hero" and those words, written in a Somali language, adorn the necklace she was given.

While the media was invited to the event, Lindhout did not make herself available to answer any questions.