BBC Media Action Feed

Stop the silent suffering of Somali girls

2022-08-01T10:29:46+00:00

A girl pictured in a produce market in Barawe, Somalia

UN figures indicate that over 90% of girls and women in Somalia have been subject to female genital mutilation (FGM). Discussions over FGM remain a taboo in many places in Somalia and the devastating health ramifications – including pain, bleeding, permanent disability, trauma and even death - remain prevalent.

The most commonly cited reasons for carrying out this harmful practice include cultural norms related to social acceptance, religious misconception related to cleanliness – including the belief that those who have not been cut are unclean or unworthy, and the preservation of virginity before marriage, while some believe that it is a rite of passage to adulthood.

Whatever the reasons given, FGM is a physical assault conducted on girls too young to consent, and a violation of their rights.

BBC Media Action seeks to support people in understanding their rights. The level of FGM we are witnessing in Somalia is significantly alarming and I believe needs to be addressed from the grassroots to national level.

With support from German aid agency GIZ, we are producing radio magazine programmes broadcasting in all member states of Somalia through our local partner stations, to share trusted information about the harm caused by FGM and share the perspectives of health experts, religious leaders and survivors.

These BBC Media Action-produced programmes include voices from all member states of Somalia, and all Somali dialects including ‘the Mai’, which is spoken in the South West state of Somalia. This helps builds a sense of belonging for all Somalis in relation to the programme, which is rebroadcast by seven local radio partner stations across the federal republic of Somalia and Somaliland.

The truth about FGM

The World Health Organization has created four medical classifications of FGM; level 3 is the most extreme and is also most prevalent in Somalia and Somaliland.

All classifications of FGM can cause complications at childbirth and increases risk of newborn death; other complications include fistula, bleeding, chronic pelvic infections, urinary problems and infections. FGM is often carried out under unsanitary and primitive conditions without anaesthetic, which causes severe pain, bleeding and swelling that may prevent passing urine and faeces.

We met Farhiya Abdi Ali when she featured on our weekly radio programme, Tusmada Nolosha (Lifeline). She described going through the painful FGM process:

"I am one of the many girls [who] encountered a lot of problems such as blockage of menstruation. I was taken to hospital and the only option was to open me by removing the stitches. If not opened [it] could have caused a bigger problem."

It is often believed that FGM can prevent girls from becoming pregnant. We featured Mrs Foosia Muse, a midwife at Hargiesa group hospital, in our social media clips about FGM, who clarified this is not the case.

"They believe that if the girl is stitched, she cannot be touched. But they are touched and some are brought to us stitched and pregnant. The small passage that you make for the girl for urination is the same passage that the baby enters the womb."

Our campaign in Somalia aims to reduce the incidence of FGM by connecting with people's emotions

Laws and religious perspectives

In our formative research, we also found that some mothers believed that FGM is a religious act, that a family that does not practice FGM will face stigma and the girl will be considered to be a non-Muslim.

"FGM is a huge part of the religion because it an act of worship, and a family that doesn't perform FGM on their daughters will be discriminated within the community," said a mother in Garowe, whose daughter has undergone FGM.

To help counter this, in Somaliland, the government introduced a fatwa which bans the practice of female genital mutilation in the country and vowed to punish perpetrators. The fatwa, issued by the Ministry of Endowment and Religious Affairs, pledges punishment for those who carry out FGM, and asks for compensation for FGM victims.

However, it does not clarify whether this compensation will be paid by the government or by those who violate the ban, and appears to be restricted to only the most extreme form of the practice.

This fatwa is so far only in writing. The practice of FGM has not stopped and as yet, there are no reports of fines, punishments or compensation given.

But Islamic clergy are divided on zero tolerance of FGM. Although they all agree that it is unreligious, most of them still support the ‘Sunna’, or Level 1 FGM practice; some see that FGM is part of religion, in the same way that prayer is.

Yet the Islamic religion prohibits anything that is harmful to people’s lives, and views differ among religious leaders. When we spoke with Sheikh Abdikadir Deria Adan on our programme, he said:

"It is not compulsory, as indicated in the Prophet’s teaching; nowhere have the wives of the Prophet spoken of or practiced FGM."

We realised that to reach zero tolerance for FGM, raising awareness on the harm caused by the practice was imperative. We also understood that religious leaders with academic, scientific and medical knowledge would be more likely to understand and help convey the risks.

Killing one to save thousands

In our radio drama, we created two characters who were sisters - Qamar and Amina - who hold contrasting views on FGM. In the storyline both Qamar and Amina have daughters who are of age for the practice. Qamar was preparing her two daughters for FGM, and she tried to convince her sister to bring her daughter for the procedure, too.

Amina was hesitant and seeks advice from her friend, a qualified nurse. The two of them tried hard to stop Qamar, who believed in the traditional myths, but their efforts failed. Qamar believed that as FGM was conducted on her great grandmother, her grandmother, her mother and herself, there was no way she was going to break the cultural chain.

Qamar went ahead and had FGM performed on her two daughters. As the drama progresses, listeners hear how the procedure on one of her daughters, Yasmin, goes wrong and they were unable to stop the bleeding. The women take Yasmin to hospital in an effort to save her life, but she sadly dies.

We know that drama has great power to help address cultural sensitivities and taboo topics like this by building empathy with characters based on real-life examples. Our research showed that stories and characters can help listeners to reflect on their own lives in a less direct way, and challenge entrenched gender norms.

"The death of the girl in the drama made me sad… this ending of the story can also be a lesson to mothers who are thinking of making their daughters undergo FGM," a young woman in Kismayo, who herself has undergone FGM, told us.

We hope that the death of Yasmin’s character in our radio drama will help save the lives of thousands of Somali girls.

Mohammed Gaas is Deputy Country Director for BBC Media Action Somalia

Learn more about our work in Somalia here.

When life imitates art: a love story on and off radio

2021-07-07T09:39:54+00:00

BBC Media Action’s radio dramas in Somalia are deeply rooted in local life and culture, with convincing storylines that resonate. Read about how real-life began to imitate art with our actors Najah and Moukhtaar, who played a married couple in our Talo iyo Tacab (Trial and Triumph) drama, part of our Somali Women’s Economic Empowerment and Transformation project funded by NORAD - and are now happily wed themselves.

Najah Mohamoud Jama and Moukhtaar Mohamoud Abdi first met in 2016 in the BBC Media Action studio, as they voiced roles in our radio drama Malmo dhama manta (Better days than today), part of a youth project supported by the multi-donor Somalia Stability Fund to support media development and media’s responsiveness to youth in Somalia. Moukhtaar, who is now 29, played the role of Ahmed, a young man who owned an internet café, while Najah, now 27, played the role of a young married woman named Asha.

Later, as part of our Somali Women towards Economic Empowerment and Transformation project funded by NORAD, they played the role of husband and wife in Talo iyo Tacab (Trial and triumph). Najah played a young woman named Hodan who meets and later marries Faysal, played by Moukhtaar, a young man who lives with his mother and sister. In the radio drama, Faysal and Hodan meet at university, start an online business during the coronavirus pandemic, fall in love and marry.

"The role I played in the programme reflected me. It was as though I was given the right character, because the changes that took place with Faysal were exactly the changes that took place in me," said Moukhtaar. "Often, our listeners call in to ask what will be in the next episode. Some of them, after hearing about our marriage, called it an encouragement."

Najah adds: "The programme has played a vital role in encouraging women to make decisions about their lives and that they can do business and compete with men."

Making waves

Talo iyo Tacab is part of our national radio magazine-style programme, Making Waves, which aims to support women in Somalia to develop their knowledge, confidence, and financial literacy, so they can take full advantage of economic opportunities. Broadcast via the BBC Somali Service, as well as via five local broadcasters, the show features engaging drama and discussion content to positively influence the value placed on women’s economic role in society – both at the household and community level – and challenge harmful norms holding them back. It also provides women with practical information on business opportunities and available financial services, such as grants and loans, to help kick-start their careers.

Talo iyo Tacab shows young people that women can become successful entrepreneurs and contribute financially to a household, just as men can. Their storyline has been popular in part because it is challenging stereotypes and norms found in traditional society. "I have learnt that women can do what men do, it is just a matter of believing in themselves," says Najah. "I have friends who have changed their behaviours in life and self-development, after listening to the programme."

Real life romance

Meanwhile, Moukhtaar and Najah found real-life beginning to mirror the storyline – they became engaged in early June and married shortly after. In this, they, too, challenged cultural norms, in which mothers advise their daughters on whom they should marry. "The acting made me feel that I can surely lead my own home and only with Najah. I felt as a real family man while I was in the BBC Media Action studio," Moukhtaar said.

The highlight of their colourful wedding was a song written for them by their radio drama colleague Sa’eed Ibrahim Dool.

"I was really moved by the courage of the two young actors and words started forming in my mind describing the situation, which I immediately put on paper," Sa’eed said.

The popular Somali singer Sahra Ahmed Abdillahi , also known as Sahra Ileys, who also performed in the radio drama, sang the song at their wedding: "I will give my heart in singing the song written for the couple."

Mohammed Gaas
Deputy Country Director
BBC Media Action Somalia

Find out more about our work in Somalia here.

How Somali women are supporting the country’s economy – and its future

2021-03-02T12:22:54+00:00

In Somalia, traditional gender roles and cultural norms run deep, and women running small businesses have often done so out of circumstance: widowhood, divorce, or a family that is otherwise struggling amid high rates of unemployment. In these situations, women frequently support their households by selling market goods such as tea, charcoal, vegetables, milk or khat leaves.

But these cultural norms are changing, as a growing number of young Somali women returning home from abroad go into business to attain financial freedom and to maintain control over their own lives.

This is a clear indication that with time, entrepreneurship by women will play a key role in the growth and economic transformation of Somalia. Tax collected from these small businesses can play a vital role in the country’s economy. And this shift in gender roles in business can, in turn, lead to further transformation of the role of women in society.

Training for the future

I am proud to be leading a project that is training 400 women in entrepreneurial skills for formal and informal business, including some of the most vulnerable groups in our society, and to encourage men to back them in their endeavours.

Somali women meet in an entrepreneurial training session. Photo credit: BBC Media Action

Our aim is to enable women in Somalia to overcome the barriers they face in accessing the labour market, and so tackle the hardships that result from poverty, conflict and a clan-based culture which promotes strict male hierarchy and authority. Religious and cultural limitations also impact women’s role and societal status.

Our project, Somali Women's Economic Empowerment and Transformation (SWEET), helps enhance business skills, builds networks, and overcomes cultural myths and norms around the status of women in the community, in part by including religious leaders in our discussions. We also provide Somali people with public platforms to discuss issues surrounding women entrepreneurship, including success stories from role models, and the cultural norms that hinder women’s success in the business world, through our Facebook and Twitter pages and our work with five local radio stations, producing localised programmes in their regions.

Celebrating real-life successes

This local work is accompanied by a national radio drama featuring real-life success stories of women in business, and how they overcame negative myths and cultural norms; it also invites audiences to interact by discussing ‘dilemma’ questions.

For instance, Fardaus, who is 24 and the proud owner of a boutique in Hargeisa, told me that her aunt helped her to convince her father to agree to her business, and support her financially to realise her dream.

"The more my business grew, the more I became independent," she told me, smiling. "I have also inspired many young women in setting up small businesses.’’ Faurdaus is a university graduate with a degree in computer science; she now hopes to build on her success with a chain of boutiques in cities across Somaliland.

Despite all the challenges women entrepreneurs encounter in Somalia, they are showing that they are up to the challenge of being skilled business operators, often while also balancing their more traditional roles.

By encouraging dialogue among men and women, providing information on business opportunities, training in financial management and ‘soft skills’ like customer relations, and providing access to business networks and financial services, we believe these women are empowered for a better future for themselves and for their community and society.

SWEET is supported by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) - learn more about the project here.

Conflict, flooding and now coping with the COVID-19 pandemic in Somalia

2020-07-31T10:19:25+00:00

As the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 increase across Africa, and the World Health Organization warns the pandemic is accelerating, we fear the novel coronavirus is spreading within and from densely populated urban areas on the continent. Rising cases in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu are especially worrying, which is already disrupted by years of conflict, and struggling to support thousands of internally displaced people (IDPs).

Recent flooding has also increased the number of internally displaced people into urban areas, creating the perfect environment for infectious disease such as acute watery diarrhoea and measles. And there are concerns that the virus will further spread, unnoticed, in congested camps.We at BBC Media Action are still working to ensure programmes and training continue to help support the most vulnerable members of society.

We’ve started this by working to ensure the safety of our staff in our Somalia office, especially production teams and contributors, without compromising our programmes’ quality or audience engagement. We provide handwashing stations, sanitizers, gloves and masks at all times, and keeping distance is also observed by everyone in the office. Most of our staff are advised to work from home, observing safety measures including avoiding public transport and visiting crowded places.

In our work, we have adapted in part by conducting remote mentoring with our partner stations throughout Somaliland and Somalia. Our production teams have adopted new formats that allow the incorporation of COVID-19 related themes in their programmes. The teams collect questions from our audiences, which are then answered by health, traditional and religious experts. Drama programmes are now examining how characters change their behaviours in light of COVID-19.

Somalis have adopted a ‘keep distance and hygiene’ slogan, ‘Hay Taban Hays Taban.’ But maintaining distance and sticking to strict hygiene rules is a huge challenge in the warm social culture of the Somali people. The traditional elders advise others to avoid traditional greetings, which include hand-shakes and embracing. They also advise newly appointed Sultans (Traditional leaders) and Agils (traditional chiefs) to avoid sipping milk from one shared pot at traditional ceremonies, as they would normally do, but rather use different containers instead.

Our programmes welcome religious leaders to give an Islamic perspective on COVID-19. They convey very encouraging messages through examples from the Holy Koran, such as how quarantine was practiced when a town was infected by cholera; those in the town remained in lockdown and those outside the town did not enter. They ask their congregations to perform ablutions at home, to pray in the mosque at a distance of 1.5m apart, and to put cloths down to avoid faces touching the carpet.

Religious leaders put more emphasis on COVID-19 in their Friday sermons and advise congregants to adhere to the WHO and Ministry of Health directives. They also dispel misinformation, amid common beliefs that COVID-19 cannot affect Muslims, or that it may be cured by spices, khat or camel milk.

Health experts are providing good preventive messages to our audiences. But we still face challenges, particularly in rural communities where it is not always understood that gloves and masks are meant for one person and one-time use.

These are difficult times for the people of Somalia, who are already suffering not only from flooding and conflict but now an outbreak of locusts. The country’s health systems have been impacted by decades of civil war, without the intensive-care hospital beds needed for a serious COVID-19 outbreak. Amid these many challenges, information can save lives: providing people with the tools to understand how to help protect themselves, and when and how to seek treatment.

Mohammed A. Gaas
Deputy Country Director for BBC Media Action in Somaliland and Somalia

“Convince your people” an eye opening debate show in Somalia

2018-06-22T11:56:09+00:00

“We often don’t get a chance to face our leaders and ask them questions. This was a good opportunity for us,” says 24 year-old Abdirizack Walanwal from Burao in Somaliland

There is a magic about Qanci Dadkaaga as you walk into a recording. Enthusiasm fills the hall as one person sets out chairs for the audience, another runs a soundcheck, someone else replaces a broken microphone.

From managers, researchers, finance officers, producers and studio operators as well as reporters – our production team is a diverse mix of men and women - and everybody helps everybody.

It’s teamwork at its finest, a team I’m proud produces the only debate show of its kind in the country. Qanci Dadkaaga translates as “Convince Your People” and it holds true to its name, acting as a two-way bridge connecting the population to their leaders.

It helps the audience hold their leaders accountable on important issues that affect their lives and enables those in power to provide information about important projects that have been accomplished in the public interest.

Originally the programme was only made in Hargeisa City but now, in partnership with The Horn Cable TV, we’ve been recording in different regions across Somaliland since April 2016.

“Drought affects every one of us”

It was eye opening for our audiences, many of whom didn’t know they had the right to challenge leaders about how their taxes are spent, and highlighted the pressing need for people in local regions to have their voices heard by those in power.

The results were often immediate and powerful.

In Burao the TV audience and panellists debated local issues around health which resulted in the immediate closure of an illegal slaughter-house operating in a residential area and a regional official being charged with corruption.

And, the impact of drought across the country was a major talking point.

“While drought affects every one of us, we again see lorry-loads of charcoal getting into this town every day!” audience member Ayaan Ismail said at a debate in Hargeisa before asking “What are you doing about the practice of cutting down trees?”

Questions like this pushed panellists to give answers on plans to reduce the impact of the drought, promises made to help rebuild livelihoods and the enforcement of laws on deforestation.

We enabled people in Berbera, Borama, Burao, Erigavo and Gabiley in Western and Eastern regions to raise their hands to ask their local leaders about health services, taxes, jobs, public land, rebuilding livelihoods after severe drought, issues for internally displaced people, inflation and corruption.

Over 20,000 viewers on average tune in to watch Qanci Dadkaaga online and through the supporting radio programmes we’re widening the discussion and the impact it can have.

Banning plastic containers

In a recent episode of our radio discussion programe Wayaaha Nolosha (Moments of Life), participants discussed how milk vendors transport milk across the country, usually in hard to clean and unhygienic plastic containers (jerry-cans).

The local residents made many suggestions on the show such as making steel containers compulsory because they are easy to clean and scientifically approved in dairy companies around the world, banning the sale of plastic containers and enforcing police check points.

Many local milk vendors immediately started using steel containers after hearing the programme, and the local councils in Hargeisa and Mogadishu held extra meetings to discuss the points raised and to enforce new rules.

Listen to your people

We also mentored local station Radio Hargeisa which is now producing a spin-off radio programme Magal Dadkaaga (Listen to Your People) – and challenging the status quo. In one instance, a power company convinced a local minister to stop the show broadcasting for two weeks, after refusing to join a debate about the price of electricity.

But after we met the Minister of Information and highlighted the importance of accountability programmes like Magal Dadkaaga the power company agreed to join an on air debate and then reduced their prices.

“I was very happy, when I heard my voice, on Radio Hargeisa, asking questions to the leaders,” said Hargeisa resident Ali Qawdhan.

“I never thought this could be possible, especially on the state-owned station.”

Mohamed A. Gaas is Deputy Country Director for BBC Media Action in Somalia

-Qanci Dadkaaga (Convince Your People) is a BBC Media Action TV Debate Show funded by UK Aid through Mott Macdonald.

-Wayaaha Nolosha ( Moments of Life) radio programme is produced by BBC Media Action in Hargeisa and aired by the Somali service covering Puntland, South central Somalia and Somaliland, to help citizens raise issues about national development and enhancing their living standards.

-Magal Dadkaaga (Listen to Your People) is produced by Radio Hargeisa under our mentorship.

Somalia: one of the toughest places to give birth in the world

2016-11-15T09:38:37+00:00

A tribute to Amran Mahad, lead actress in Maalmo Dhaama Maanta (A Better Life than Today), an interactive drama helping young people to talk about both the opportunities and the obstacles that they face in Somalia. She died 3 November 2016 following complications during childbirth.

Amran Mahad was known to audiences as ‘Ugasso’, a strong, ambitious young woman determined to make the world a better place. The character she played – beloved by Maalmo Dhaama Maanta’s listeners – was similar to Amran herself. A household name in Somalia, her beguiling voice floating through the airwaves, Amran captivated and inspired listeners every week.

It was with great joy that we heard the news that our newly-wedded colleague had given birth to a healthy baby boy via Caesarean section. The joy did not last long.

When I received the devastating news that my friend and colleague had passed away after complications following childbirth, a great wave of sadness washed over me. Amran had been with her baby for just 18 days.

Giving birth shouldn’t be a matter of life and death. Tragically, for many expectant mothers in Somalia, it is.

In Somalia, one woman out of every 12 dies as a result of pregnancy or childbirth. The leading causes of maternal deaths – hemorrhage (bleeding), infection, unsafe abortion, high blood pressure, seizures and obstructed labour – conspire to make Somalia one of the most dangerous places to give birth in the world. Most of these deaths are avoidable if only the right medical help is available.

I was reminded too, of the importance of our own maternal health projects, particularly our former radio drama and discussion show Tiraarka Qoyska (Pillars of the Family) where listeners could obtain expert health advice. We found that powerful and emotional story lines in the drama – in which a character died – motivated pregnant women and mothers to adopt safer health practices. In short, fictional deaths were helping to save real lives.

It’s heartbreaking that Amran’s death is all too real.

Our beautiful and talented actress won the hearts of everyone she met. She’ll be profoundly missed.

Related links

Find out more about our work in Somalia
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
Go back to the BBC Media Action website

A brush with Somalia’s people smugglers

2016-05-09T08:07:07+00:00

TONY KARUMBA/AFP/Getty Images

BBC Media Action’s radio show illustrates the realities of illegal migration through drama. Exploitation by people-smugglers in Somalia is an ever-present threat, as Mohammed A. Gaas discovered.

I came home from work to find my wife, visibly worried, standing at the gate. She had news about my teenage nephew.

“Abdirisaq hasn’t come home yet. Something must have happened to him. He’s never been out beyond 6pm”, she stressed as she flexed her fingers.

I tried to calm her but as the evening progressed, I had no choice but to go out and look for him. The first place I checked was his friend’s home, only to find out that his friend was missing too.

I checked the hospital and the central police station in vain.

It was now approaching midnight and my search was unfruitful - he was nowhere to be found. We spent the long night calling relatives and thinking of places he might have gone.

Illegal migration

Our biggest fear was that he had decided to migrate, like so many young men in our community, and was on his way to Ethiopia. The practice of illegal migration is known here as ‘tahrib’.

Many young men like him dream of destinations in Europe, Canada, Australia and America, hopeful of a better and brighter life.

The next day, I left at dawn accompanied by a police officer, driving towards one of the main migration points at the border town of Toog Wajale.

On arrival we were told by an immigration official that he suspected my nephew had already left with people smugglers.

I tried to persuade him to accompany us in our search.

“I can’t because I am all alone here,” he said. “But I do know a young man who can help you.”

He took his phone out of the pocket and called. After 20 minutes or so, a young man came.

“This is Yassin” the immigration official said, “He will help you as he knows a lot about tahrib.”

People smugglers

As we drove back towards Kalabeydh, a small town north of Wajale, Yassin told me the people smugglers prey on young women and men at marketplaces and in the streets, falsely promising them lucrative jobs abroad. They transport them to Sudan through Ethiopia. When they reach Sudan, the traffickers, locally known as ‘magefe’, turn violent and hold them to ransom, demanding thousands of dollars from their parents or risk being left to die in the desert.

I asked him how he knew all this. He answered that he too had once fallen victim but luckily he was rescued before he crossed the Somaliland border.

It’s one of the topics addressed in the radio drama I work on - Maalmo Dhaama Maanta (A Better Life than Today). In fact, a recent episode featured a character being held for ransom in the desert by traffickers after unsuccessfully trying to migrate.

I desperately hoped my nephew hadn’t succumbed to the same fate.

When we reached Kalabeydh he told me to turn towards Borama and after about 15 kilometres he told me to follow a small rough road on our left which took us into some hills.

“They must be somewhere around here,” said Yassin, “We’ll have to hide the car and wait.”

It was getting late and I had almost lost hope, when we heard the sound of a vehicle. We rushed to our car and followed them at a distance.

The vehicle stopped and we also stopped. Spotting us, they drove off at high speed.

Gunshot

We raced to the place where the smugglers had first stopped and to our left saw a small group of figures sitting under a big tree about 40 metres from the road. They tried to run away as we approached them but were stopped in their tracks as the police officer fired into the air.

There were seven boys aged between 16 and 19 and Abdirisaq was one of them. We ushered them into the car. They looked tired and pale.

The boys said they had been walking around the check points all night and they hadn’t slept. They were brought to the tree at dawn and were given two loaves of bread and one and a half litres of water to share.

As we left for Hargeisa, I could see in their eyes betrayal and shame.

Radio drama

My nephew’s brush with Somalia’s people smugglers reminded me that, despite being a drama, Maalmo Dhaama Maanta is consistently grappling with very real issues. Issues that may even affect my own family. It’s this reflection of reality which makes the programme so powerful. I only wished that my own nephew had heard the episode about illegal migration, as it may have helped him understand the grave risks it involves.

The names in this blog have been changed.

Related links

Find out more about our work in Somalia
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
Go back to the BBC Media Action website

Developing the talent of Somali journalists

2016-04-29T10:21:01+00:00

BBC Media Action Producer, Abdillahi with his mentee, Sakariye

Abdillahi shares the challenges he’s faced as a journalist in Somalia and how training is helping improve the prospects of a new generation of journalists.

As a Somali journalist, I’ve seen a lot. As the 1991 civil war erupted in Mogadishu, bombs and bullets interrupted my journalism studies. Finding it impossible to finish - despite being in the final stage of writing up my thesis – I packed my bags to return to the relative safety of my family home in Somaliland.

On arrival, I found that war had weakened free-speech in Somaliland. There was no room for independent media and journalists were regularly harassed.

Imprisoned for setting up an independent newspaper

That’s why I helped set-up ‘Voice of Hargeisa’, Somaliland’s first independent newspaper. It was seen as a direct affront to the government of the time and I was imprisoned for a month along with my team. Only with the help of lawyer, Raqia Omaar (sister of former BBC Correspondent, Rageh Omaar) and a swell of public support, were we finally released.

Finding a job at Radio Hargeisa in 1992, I worked my way up the ladder from reporter to Head of Programmes.

Now, I work as a producer for BBC Media Action, helping develop Hiigsiga Nolosha (Inspirations for Life), an interactive radio show for Somali youth covering important subjects, such as relationships, unemployment and migration.

It’s at BBC Media Action that I met Sakariye, a talented young reporter employed by BBC Media Action as a radio station mentor, to strengthen the production and editorial skills of my old employer, Radio Hargeisa.

Free speech

By improving the editorial skills of station staff, we were also improving the capacity of Somali media to conduct fair and balanced reporting. Sakariye’s experience as a reporter was the perfect match for the job and I warmed immediately to his passion for free speech - reminding me of myself when I was younger.

Nurturing his talent through production training, he was able to pass on his skills to staff at Radio Hargeisa, supporting them to produce programmes focussing on youth and peace-building and help transform their production practices by upgrading them from a manual system of cassettes to digital use of Adobe software.

He also set up monthly youth groups, providing valuable feedback for our radio programmes. It was obvious that we had a talent on our hands.
One day, Sakariye gave me a call telling me proudly, “I’ve been asked to become Head of Programmes at Radio Hargeisa.”

News that he’d been promoted into my old job made me incredibly happy. But what made me even happier, was the knowledge that, despite the challenges Somali journalists have faced over the years, I’d found a small success story in Sakariye.

Related links

More information about Hiigsiga Nolosha
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Go back to the BBC Media Action website

Making Waves in Somalia: Yasmin

2016-03-03T09:41:56+00:00

Yasmin is one of the few female drama writers in Somali society. For International Women’s Day, she shares how drama is helping raise awareness of issues affecting Somali women.

There aren’t many female writers in Somali society. Our poets and playwrights have traditionally been men.

I work with BBC Media Action as a writer for Maalmo Dhaama Manta (A Better Life than Today), an interactive radio drama for young Somalis. It’s rare for a Somali radio show to have even one female writer, but we have two! I feel proud when I watch the actors as they act out my lines, raising awareness of the very real problems faced by Somali women, including early marriage, migration, and lack of access to education and employment.

My favourite character is Ugasso, a beautiful and strong-willed woman who dreams of marrying a man from a different tribe. She wants, more than anything, to use her university education to change her life. It makes me happy to know that young listeners are inspired by the characters in the drama, whether it’s to continue their education or aspire to a better job.

In my spare time, I write theatre plays. All our theatres were destroyed by the war and I felt this left a hole in our culture. As a young mother, I want to keep the art of theatre alive for the next generation.

Read more inspiring stories of how women are using media to make waves.

Making Waves in Libya: Libya's story
Making Waves in Nepal: Bidhya’s story
Making Waves in Tanzania: Meena’s story
Making Waves in Sierra Leone: Olabisi’s story
Making Waves in Cambodia: YoKi’s story
Making Waves in South Sudan: Winnie's story
Making Waves in Kenya: Stellah's story

Polio in State House

2015-12-16T15:36:03+00:00

Simple steps can help eradicate polio for good. Our senior researcher in Somalia explains how a radio show helped inform a family about polio – and how to prevent it.

I didn’t know that a simple radio programme could help change lives, until I began working as a researcher for BBC Media Action.

State House, the site of a dilapidated colonial building from which the British were once based, is now one of the largest camps for IDP (Internally Displaced People) in Hargeisa, capital of Somaliland. People living in temporary housing here – round huts covered with colourful rags – suffer from poverty, unemployment and a lack of basic sanitation facilities. They are also at high risk of contracting polio – an orally contracted virus which can cause crippling paralysis, especially amongst children under five years old.

I recently travelled to State House to conduct research on the impact of Dhibcaha Nolosha (Drops for Life), our weekly drama and discussion radio that aims to help improve understanding about polio and challenge negative attitudes towards polio vaccination. The programme is called ‘Drops for Life’ because the recommended vaccine ‘Oral Polio Vaccination’ (OPV) requires at least three doses of ‘drops’ before a child is fully immunised.

It was at State House that I met Abdirahman, a 13 year-old boy affected by polio – and completely paralysed on the right side of his body.

Smiling up at me from a chair, I was compelled to find out more about his story.

His mother explained that when Abdirahman was born, she noticed her baby wasn’t moving as much as he should. At first, like most of the parents in the community, she assumed that it was an evil wind passing through him – and that he would soon recover. Butafter 10 months, his condition still hadn’t improved.

After multiple checks at a disability clinic in Hargeisa, she was advised her child was fine – but by age five, Abdirahman still wasn’t moving. Being a worried mother she asked for a second opinion from a local neurology expert.

After the doctor had examined the child he explained: “Your son has been affected by polio, if you had come four years ago I could’ve given him an injection that may have helped his nervous system, now it’s too late to give him anything.” The mother was distraught.

Sadly, although there’s ways of alleviating the pain and discomfort caused by polio, there’s no cure. The only sure way to prevent polio is through vaccination.

While speaking to Abdirahman’s mother, I asked her what she learnt from listening to Dhibcaha Nolosha. She told us: “the most important thing I’ve learnt is how the polio virus is transmitted.” Now, with the knowledge that polio can be passed on through the faeces of infected people and droplets from a sneeze or cough, Abdirahman’s mother makes sure her family washes their hands with soap before eating and that they drink boiled water.

She’s now also an advocate for vaccination in her community, telling us; “Even though I now vaccinate my children I didn’t know that polio vaccination needed to be taken multiple times.” She added: “my message [to others] is vaccinate your children multiple times because I wouldn’t wish upon you the struggles I have gone through with my child and the pain I feel when he sees his friends standing and running.”

Polio free

Somalia was recently declared polio free by United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in October 2015 – a testament to the work done by the Somali health authorities, with the support of UNICEF and World Health Organization (WHO) and the partners of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI). BBC Media Action is proud to have worked with UNICEF on their response. However there’s a need to remain ever vigilant to ensure there is no resurgence of the virus.

With the help of programmes like Dhibcaha Nolosha, more people like Abdirahman’s mother are being equipped with the knowledge to eradicate this terrible disease for good.

Related links

More about Dhibcaha Nolosha
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From "gangster" to grocer

2015-11-18T08:00:00+00:00

Abdirahman, the actor who plays ‘Ali’, recording for the radio drama Maalmo Dhama Maanta (A Better Life than Today).

Hoda Hersi tells the story of Abaas, from Mogadishu whose life was transformed after listening to a radio drama storyline about migration.

“I used to be a gangster”, explains Abaas, a first year student at a university in Mogadishu and now the proud owner of a grocery store.

Abaas used to live a life of crime on the streets of Mogadishu. To escape the streets he thought only of how he could accumulate enough money to migrate. If successful, his perilous route would have taken him through the vast, dry deserts of Sudan and Libya, and seen him smuggled across dangerous seas to a new life in Europe.

While listening to Googjoog FM five months ago, he tuned in to BBC Media Action’s Maalmo Dhaama Maanta (A Better Life than Today) – a weekly radio drama addressing issues important to young Somalis – such as relationships, employment and migration.

Dilemma episode

The project is the first interactive drama for young Somalis, regularly inviting listeners to decide the fate of characters by popular vote. In one ‘dilemma episode’, Ali, a young unemployed man, is torn between his wife who wants him to migrate to find a job and his mother who wants him to stay for his education. The overwhelming majority of listeners voted for Ali to attend university at home and build a life for his family in his own country.

In parallel with the fictional Ali in Maalmo Dhaama Maanta, Abaas also decided to stay in Somalia and attend university after relating to the topics of discussion he’d listened to. The programme “made me give up my old life and start a new one” he says. “It helped me [in my decision] to go back to school… and now I’m in my third semester.”

“My development programme”

Abaas is keen to add how the programme made him realise how much he loved his country, and how it inspired him to become a student and business man in Mogadishu. He says, “I call the programme my development programme”, and now encourages other young people to listen to the drama and learn from it too.

Many young Somalis are making the same life-changing decisions about their futures as Abaas. Abdirahman Ali Mohamoud, the actor who plays Ali’s role in the drama, also had a change of heart about migration while working on the drama. “I felt that after a while I was going to try to find a way out of this country. But having been part of the programme, and listening to the audiences’ responses… they tell me I am a part of something good that has impacted the community. I got a lot back from being part of this.”

There’s nothing better than getting feedback like this. Our interactive drama is helping young people understand that they are not alone in the issues they’re facing – and that together, they can become active actors in their own development, and that of their communities.

The Maalmo Dhaama Maanta drama show airs on BBC Somali Service every Friday – as well as local stations in Somaliland, Puntland and Somalia South Central. It’s part of the Hiigsiga Nolosha (Aspirations for Life) project funded by SSF (Somalia Stability Fund).

Related links

Read more about our work in Somalia
Read more about Higsiga Nolosha
Follow BBC Media Action Somali on Facebook and Twitter
Go back to the BBC Media Action website

A fictional death that saves real lives

2015-04-08T10:39:39+00:00

In a crowded, dusty camp for displaced people in Somalia, Ibrahim and Raho are doing their best to raise two children. When their baby falls ill with diarrhoea, traditional birth attendant Raho treats her with the cures handed down over generations, refusing modern oral rehydration solution (ORS) and zinc treatments. Sadly, their baby dies – another grim statistic from Somalia, where health indicators are amongst the worst in the world – another tragic and preventable infant death from diarrhoea, one of the world’s biggest child killers. The couple’s grief is real and intense.

Except that Ibrahim, Raho and their baby were fictional characters in BBC Media Action’s radio drama broadcast across Somalia. Part of a bigger radio programme – Tiraarka Qoyska (Pillars of the Family) that also included a factual magazine segment, the drama was designed to give families the information they needed to keep young children healthy and well nourished.

Fictional tragedies

And it seems to have worked. Our research found that people who listened to the programme knew more than non-listeners about how to prevent and treat children’s illnesses and practised what they learned. The storylines in which babies died seemed to be particularly effective – listeners most recalled these fictional tragedies and were more likely than non-listeners to change how they cared for sick children.

Life-saving treatment

Dehydration can be a dangerous side effect of diarrhoea so giving extra fluid to an ill baby is especially important. In Somaliland, 39% of mothers who listened to the programme and 43% of regular listeners (people who listened to at least every other episode) boosted both their breastfeeding and giving fluids to a child with diarrhoea as opposed to only one in five mothers who didn’t listen to the programme – a significant difference.

And even though a diarrhoeal baby (over six months old) may be “off its food” it is also vital to keep trying to replenish lost nourishment. Our research found that there was some mistaken belief that food and drink should be reduced for sick babies. While just a quarter of non-listener mothers said that they continued to give their children food when they had diarrhoea, 43% of regular listeners did so. Just over half of mothers who didn’t listen to the programme gave potentially life-saving ORS treatment to their child with diarrhoea, 65% of listeners used ORS.

The fictional treatment of infant death almost never made it into the programme. Writers were asked to create a compelling drama that focused on six priority behaviours to support child health. When the producer tried to persuade the writing team to add child deaths into the scripts, they initially refused, thinking that such storylines would be too upsetting. Finally, he persuaded them that killing fictional babies could save real babies’ lives.

And the message seems to have got through. As one young Somali mother said:

“They [the characters] were talking about who is better – the baby who was given the breast at first or the one who is not, and that the one who was given the breast is healthier and gets more protein than the other. I have taken this opinion and will use it if God wills.”

Related links:

Read the research briefing: How can radio drama improve child health and nutrition in Somalia?
Read more Somalia blogs
Follow BBC Media Action on Facebook and Twitter
Go back to BBC Media Action website

World Radio Day 2015

2015-02-13T07:30:00+00:00

Today (Friday 13th February) is World Radio Day and its theme is ‘youth’. Tom Baker explains how BBC Media Action is using the unique power of radio to inform, connect and empower young people around the world.

There are so many development days in the calendar, why does World Radio Day stand out for BBC Media Action?

We’re celebrating World Radio Day because radio plays such an important role in helping young people have a voice around the world - whether it’s to share their opinions or concerns, debate issues that matter to them or even to hold those in power to account.

Give us a flavour of the type of youth radio shows BBC Media Action is producing in Africa…

In Somalia we’re reaching younger audiences through a weekly radio drama called Maalmo Dhaama Manta (Better Days than Today). Essentially it’s a soap opera following young characters as they go through life’s ups and downs.

Most excitingly, every four weeks we give listeners the opportunity to vote on the outcome of the drama and the direction the characters will take.

In Tanzania we have a national radio show called Niambie (Tell Me) which is all about giving young people the information they need ahead of the local parliamentary and presidential election.

There’s a whole generation voting for the first time. They will be voting for a new government and possibly even a new constitution so it’s really important that they get reliable and clear information.

In Nigeria we’ve also been doing a lot ahead of elections. BBC Media Action’s Nigeria team are working on a really diverse set of entertaining clips that are broadcast all across the country to really capture the imagination of young people in Nigeria.

In a world full of new technology, why is radio still relevant?

What’s special about radio is its enduring popularity and that reaches more people in more places than any other medium.

More importantly it allows us to reach people in rural communities which we just wouldn’t be able to do with things like the internet.

See all BBC Media Action World Radio Day social media activity

Support BBC Media Action’s life-changing work using radio

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The politics of love

2015-01-23T16:35:03+00:00

Actress, Amran Mahad plays "Ugasso" in Maalmo Dhaama Maanta (Better Days than Today)

We are making a fun but educational drama in our Somalia office, with drama very much being the imperative word. When characters from different backgrounds come together in storylines, from Shakespearean classics like Romeo and Juliet and Othello to modern day TV shows Grey’s Anatomy and Days of Our Lives, I’ve always found it makes the drama juicier. But never could I have predicted that a Somali love affair in our fictional drama could generate a political drama in the real world.

As project coordinator in the BBC Media Action Hargeisa office, I am working with our team to create the radio drama Maalmo Dhaama Manta (Better Days than Today). It’s Somalia’s first interactive programme where the listener gets to influence the fate of the characters. The weekly drama explores a variety of issues facing youth today, from jobs and relationships to migration.

With “Somali” being an ethnic term regardless of borders and regions, we hoped that a focus on “Somali youth” would avoid the politics surrounding terms such as “Somalia” or “Somaliland”, which can raise complex issues of former colonial and clan borders. As with our previous programmes, our drama is representative of the different regions. The programme includes heartbreak, humour and the trials of being a young adult and wanting to make your own way in life. Every month a key dilemma is voted upon by listeners across the different regions by phone, text message and online, with consequences for the character chosen by popular vote.

A Romeo and Juliet romance

What we did not expect was the level of discussion that would develop after a romantic situation between our main character Ugaaso from Somaliland and her partner Aweys from South Central. Ugasso is a young woman dreaming of a better life; and Aweys, who after returning from living in Europe, is taken by Ugasso’s beauty.

Our production team received a tonne of feedback on the love affair, with opinions very much divided. Some believed the romance was beautiful, since “we are all Somalis anyway”. However, others thought the story was politically controversial because it “translates to the unity of Somaliland and Somalia”.

Historical background

Historically, Somalis have used word of mouth to spread information. During the Siad Barre regime, open opposition was not permitted, so groups of people would use stories, songs, and poems – with underlying messages – to fight the good fight. Somalis have learnt to listen and interpret dramas in a different mode inherited from that time. Today, what would seem like a simple relationship between two people from different areas can still be seen by some people as an underlining story to unite the two. Somaliland declared independence in 1991 from Somalia, but to date, isn’t recognised by the majority of the international world. It is for this reason that some people may be sensitive about any message that could be interpreted as unity.

Following much discussion on the “politics of love”, our production team has decided to move forward with the romance because this is what majority of our listeners asked for.

Somalis can and do fall in love across divides despite where they come from, and since we had started this drama to reflect the real issues Somali youth face, this Romeo and Juliet love affair and all the hurdles that it will have to overcome, must be told.

Related links

Read more about Maalmo Dhaama Manta (Better Days than Today)
Follow BBC Media Action Somali on Facebook
Go back to the BBC Media Action website

A radio drama with youth appeal for Somalia

2014-08-27T14:39:37+00:00

The assignments I take on for BBC Media Action sometimes take my breath away. Take my most recent project, for example: travel to the Horn of Africa and facilitate the creation of a 24-episode radio drama, I was told.

Make sure it fosters a sense of Somali identity and inspires young people to engage in their communities and the social issues that affect them. It goes without saying it has to be relevant to all three regions of Somalia (Southern, Puntland and Somaliland). It must be entertaining, well written, have high production values and relevant to its target youth audience. Oh, and you’ve got ten days.

Sometimes working here can feel a bit like the start of a Mission Impossible film.

To be fair, we didn’t have to create all 24 episodes. But writing and producing four of them still felt like a tall order.

Return to Somalia

It’s been eight years since I was last in Hargeisa and my memories of it are a bit vague. On arrival I’m shocked to see how the hot dusty little town, famous for its “plastic bag trees” has grown into a metropolis, albeit still pretty hot and dusty. Hotels are bursting at the seams not just because the town is hosting the 7^th International Book Fair but also because the diaspora has come home for the summer.

Somalia’s 800,000-strong diaspora is spread far and wide but most people maintain strong ties to the homeland. I was told that “Somalis never lose each other”, such is the strength of solidarity that exists among Somali families. If the value of the remittances is anything to go by (approximately $1.3bn USD annually) this comment would appear to be very true.

Perhaps it’s no surprise then that our young writers Yasmin Mohamed Kahin, Yasin Ali and Rahma Said chose to feature migrants’ stories in the drama.

Each told me stories of people they knew who had left Somalia, most in search of a better life in Europe or America who continue to send money back to the family at home.

Some of these stories do not end well. Rahma talked about the people who set out on foot to cross the Sahara attempting to reach Europe via the increasingly treacherous Mediterranean route. All had stories of Somalis who had been detained for travelling on false documents, beaten and worse.

Another all too common hazard are the people smugglers who promise to take people to Europe but then essentially kidnap them until their family can pay the thousands of dollars they demand.

Real-life inspiration

Our radio drama Maalmo Dhaama Maanta (A better life than today) is the story of young Somalis who dream of a better life.

All the characters fall somewhere on the spectrum between staying in the homeland and making a life for themselves, and looking to a better future elsewhere.

Hassan Osman plays the character of Omer.

It is a story of hard choices, hope and possibility as the young characters explore the sometimes difficult decisions they have to make to keep their lives and identity together.

Supported by the Somalia Stability Fund it will be Somalia’s first interactive radio drama where audiences regularly get to determine the choices the key characters make.

Each month radio listeners will have the opportunity to vote via SMS on a crucial decision or dilemma facing one of the characters and the writing team will incorporate the popular vote into the storyline of the drama. It will be broadcast across the whole of Somalia via partner stations and the BBC Somali Service.

To get a taste of the drama, listen on SoundCloud to a song from one scene which takes place at a sitaad, a traditional gathering where Somali women come together to sing devotional songs, share stories and offer support to each other.

Amran Mahad plays Ugasso in the drama

Storytelling in Somalia

Storytelling is strongly rooted the oral culture of Somalia. “A lie has a short leg, the truth will soon catch it up” is a saying I heard at a writers session at the Hargeisa International Book Fair this year.

The young writers I have been working with on Maalmo Dhaama Maanta have a great responsibility to tell the truth of the migrant story in a way that will engage, inform and stimulate young Somalis.

It definitely puts my task as the facilitator into perspective.

Maalmo Dhaama Maanta begins on 12 September 2014 and will be broadcast for six months.

Related links

BBC Media Action’s work in Somalia

Follow BBC Media Action on Twitter and Facebook

Go back to BBC Media Action