BBC Somali Service
Encyclopedia
The BBC Somali Service is a BBC World Service
radio station
transmitted in the Somali language
and based in Bush House, Strand
. Since 1999 the head of the station has been Yusuf Garaad Omar
, a Somali journalist, who joined in 1992. Most of the listeners live in the Horn of Africa
and nearby regions. According to the station, it provides a key link between those in Somalia
and those elsewhere. Established on 18 July 1957 with two weekly programmes of 15 minutes each, the station made the broadcasts daily by September 1958, and on 1 July 1961 the two parts were joined and the programme time increased to 30 minutes. Increases in broadcast frequency have been made since. They currently broadcast twice daily. The station reports that, in the last three years, they have started developing local networks in Mogadishu
, Bosaso, Kismayo, and Hargeisa
. In August 2010 AllAfrica.com
reported that Shabelle Media Network
had started broadcasting some of the station's programmes.
, in which news organisations spread misinformation and encouraged ethnic groups to kill one another. In partnership with the Africa Education Trust the station launched in March 2002 an educational programme in Somalia.
The station is important for Somalis in the United Kingdom, because they rely on it to connect to Somalia. A poll by the station found that 99 percent of Somalis in the UK listen to it. Somalis view radio listening as a social activity, and therefore listen in khat houses, mosques, and Somali shops.
, the president of Somalia, said in 1985 the station and the West had misrepresented his country, and criticised it for speaking to Somali dissidents who had hijacked a Somali Airlines
plane. In 2006 a former service member for over 30 years said the station's aim is to spread British propaganda and that they are keen to see Somalia split up. Jimma Times reported in 2007 that people in Somalia were accusing the station of being biased, one person saying the station was engaging in a "media propaganda war". In March 2010 Liban Ahmad, a former trainee at the BBC, accused the station of misleading listeners, citing examples of headlines from the station such as "Somaliland Guantanamo" and "Soomaali al Qaacida ah" (Al Qaida
Somalis). In April 2010 Ibrahim Sheikh-Nor, writing in Hiiraan Online, accused Omar of having excessive control over the station and of running it like a "proprietor outfit".
BBC World Service
The BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays...
radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
transmitted in the Somali language
Somali language
The Somali language is a member of the East Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family. Its nearest relatives are Afar and Oromo. Somali is the best documented of the Cushitic languages, with academic studies beginning before 1900....
and based in Bush House, Strand
Strand, London
Strand is a street in the City of Westminster, London, England. The street is just over three-quarters of a mile long. It currently starts at Trafalgar Square and runs east to join Fleet Street at Temple Bar, which marks the boundary of the City of London at this point, though its historical length...
. Since 1999 the head of the station has been Yusuf Garaad Omar
Yusuf Garaad Omar
Yusuf Garaad Omar born in Mogadishu in June 1960 is a Somali journalist. He has been the head of BBC Somali Service in London, UK since 1999. He also worked for Radio Mogadishu in Somalia in 1980s. Apart from managing the BBC Somali Service, he engages in programmes for training Somali journalists....
, a Somali journalist, who joined in 1992. Most of the listeners live in the Horn of Africa
Horn of Africa
The Horn of Africa is a peninsula in East Africa that juts hundreds of kilometers into the Arabian Sea and lies along the southern side of the Gulf of Aden. It is the easternmost projection of the African continent...
and nearby regions. According to the station, it provides a key link between those in Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
and those elsewhere. Established on 18 July 1957 with two weekly programmes of 15 minutes each, the station made the broadcasts daily by September 1958, and on 1 July 1961 the two parts were joined and the programme time increased to 30 minutes. Increases in broadcast frequency have been made since. They currently broadcast twice daily. The station reports that, in the last three years, they have started developing local networks in Mogadishu
Mogadishu
Mogadishu , popularly known as Xamar, is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Benadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries....
, Bosaso, Kismayo, and Hargeisa
Hargeisa
Hargeisa is a city in the northwestern Woqooyi Galbeed region of Somalia. With a population of approximately 2 million residents, it is the second largest city in the country. Hargeisa is the capital of Somaliland, a self-declared republic that is internationally recognized as an autonomous region...
. In August 2010 AllAfrica.com
AllAfrica.com
AllAfrica.com is a website that aggregates news produced primarily on the African continent about all areas of African life, politics, issues and culture. It is available in both English and French and produced by AllAfrica Global Media, which has offices in Cape Town, Dakar, Lagos, Monrovia,...
reported that Shabelle Media Network
Shabelle Media Network
Shabelle Media Network is a television and radio news organization. It was founded in 2002 in Merca, Somalia.-History:The Shebelle Media Network runs Radio Shabelle, which is one of the country's most respected privately-owned radio stations....
had started broadcasting some of the station's programmes.
Praise
Charles Allen wrote in 1997 that in Somalia, a country having "three or four separate ruling factions, each with their own radio services", the station is the "one single voice which serves all Somali speakers, and keeps the idea of being Somali alive". The station is successful, Allan reports, partly because of their aim to have reporting originating in the Somali language, rather than having translations from English. Pierce Gerety, a UNICEF representative in Somalia, said it is the most important news source in the country, and that many of the citizens were listeners. Anthony Oldin contrasts its perceived unbiased reporting with the media in Rwanda during the 1994 genocideRwandan Genocide
The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass murder of an estimated 800,000 people in the small East African nation of Rwanda. Over the course of approximately 100 days through mid-July, over 500,000 people were killed, according to a Human Rights Watch estimate...
, in which news organisations spread misinformation and encouraged ethnic groups to kill one another. In partnership with the Africa Education Trust the station launched in March 2002 an educational programme in Somalia.
The station is important for Somalis in the United Kingdom, because they rely on it to connect to Somalia. A poll by the station found that 99 percent of Somalis in the UK listen to it. Somalis view radio listening as a social activity, and therefore listen in khat houses, mosques, and Somali shops.
Criticism
The station has, however, received criticism. Siad BarreSiad Barre
Mohamed Siad Barre was the military dictator and President of the Somali Democratic Republic from 1969 to 1991. During his rule, he styled himself as Jaalle Siyaad ....
, the president of Somalia, said in 1985 the station and the West had misrepresented his country, and criticised it for speaking to Somali dissidents who had hijacked a Somali Airlines
Somali Airlines
Somali Airlines was the flag carrier of Somalia.-History and destinations:The carrier was formed in March 1964 as the national airline of the country with the aid of Alitalia, which initially held a 50% controlling stake in the company, and the Somali government held the balance...
plane. In 2006 a former service member for over 30 years said the station's aim is to spread British propaganda and that they are keen to see Somalia split up. Jimma Times reported in 2007 that people in Somalia were accusing the station of being biased, one person saying the station was engaging in a "media propaganda war". In March 2010 Liban Ahmad, a former trainee at the BBC, accused the station of misleading listeners, citing examples of headlines from the station such as "Somaliland Guantanamo" and "Soomaali al Qaacida ah" (Al Qaida
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
Somalis). In April 2010 Ibrahim Sheikh-Nor, writing in Hiiraan Online, accused Omar of having excessive control over the station and of running it like a "proprietor outfit".
Further reading
- Allen, Tim; Seaton, Jean. (1999). The Media of Conflict: War Reporting and Representations of Ethnic Violence. Zed BooksZed BooksZed Books is an independent non-fiction book publishing company based in London.Founded in 1977 under the name Zed Press, Zed publishes academic books covering areas such as politics, economics, gender studies, development studies, and the environment....
. p. 303. ISBN 185649570-1. - "Yusuf Garaad’s Abuse of the BBC Somali Service". Somaliland Times. Issue 149. 6–12 January 2010. Retrieved 9 November 2010. Archived by WebCiteWebCiteWebCite is a service that archives web pages on demand. Authors can subsequently cite the archived web pages through WebCite, in addition to citing the original URL of the web page. Readers are able to retrieve the archived web pages indefinitely, without regard to whether the original web page is...
on 9 November 2010.