Yusuf Garaad Omar
Encyclopedia
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. Yusuf graduated from the Somali National University and then studied in France and Italy. He also has a Master of Arts focused on International Affairs from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy
at Tufts University
in Greater Boston, USA.
In the early 1980s he worked for Radio Mogadishu in Somalia and, before joining the BBC in 1992, taught French and worked for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
When he was studying in Italy in 1991 Yusuf began reporting for the Somali Service and joined the service in 1992.
Since then he has also worked on the flagship programme, Focus on Africa, and in World Service training.
Yusuf was the inspiration behind a training programme for Somali journalists who lacked proper training because of the civil war in Somalia.
His idea resulted in a BBC project funded by the EU in which more than 100 Somali journalists have been trained.
Yusuf has travelled widely in Africa both to report for the Somali Service and to train journalists.
Since his appointment as Head of the Somali Service in 1999, the Service has launched a successful website. [BBCSomali.com] is now one of the ten most accessed BBC World Service sites.
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Somali Service in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, UK since 1999. He also worked for Radio 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....
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...
in 1980s. Apart from managing the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Somali Service, he engages in programmes for training Somali journalists. Yusuf graduated from the Somali National University and then studied in France and Italy. He also has a Master of Arts focused on International Affairs from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy
The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy
The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University is the oldest school in the United States dedicated solely to graduate studies in international affairs. It is regarded as one of the world's foremost schools of international affairs. Every Fall, the school enrolls approximately 265...
at Tufts University
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
in Greater Boston, USA.
In the early 1980s he worked for Radio Mogadishu in Somalia and, before joining the BBC in 1992, taught French and worked for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
When he was studying in Italy in 1991 Yusuf began reporting for the Somali Service and joined the service in 1992.
Since then he has also worked on the flagship programme, Focus on Africa, and in World Service training.
Yusuf was the inspiration behind a training programme for Somali journalists who lacked proper training because of the civil war in Somalia.
His idea resulted in a BBC project funded by the EU in which more than 100 Somali journalists have been trained.
Yusuf has travelled widely in Africa both to report for the Somali Service and to train journalists.
Since his appointment as Head of the Somali Service in 1999, the Service has launched a successful website. [BBCSomali.com] is now one of the ten most accessed BBC World Service sites.
External links
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2002/07_july/16/omar_head.shtml
- http://www.somaliawatch.org/archivefeb01/010215204.htm
- http://www.somaliawatch.org/archivefeb01/010214103.htm
- http://maanhadal.com/articles/LETTER_TO_BBC.html
- http://wardheernews.com/articles/june/20__An_open_letter_to_BBC_World_Service.html
- http://www.hiiraan.com/op2/2009/aug/a_cabinet_reshuffle_a_hargeysa_star_demoted_a_bbc_kerfuffle.aspx
- http://www.mudugonline.com/2005/May/120505aragti.htm
- http://wardheernews.com/articles/December/27_Media_Bahar%20.html
- http://www.jimmatimes.com/article.cfm?articleID=17078
- http://drinkingfromhome.blogspot.com/2006/11/bbc-somalia-update.html
- http://yusufgarad.blogspot.com/2007/02/beware-bbc-somali-service.html