Monday, July 20, 2009

The Final Blow to the BBC Somali Service

The gradual demise of the BBC Somali Service was apparent over the past several years, but the final blow was not dealt on it until now. The VOA Somali Services new dawn show has finished up whatever is left of the BBC Somali Service with fresh stories and exceptionally skilled broadcasters.If you want to judge the dichotomy for yourself, then just compare the two services output this week, especially the two dawn programs, which are only separated by their respective theme music. The VOA's new, 30-minute show goes on air at 6:30 am Somalia time. The BBC goes on air at 7:00 in the morning (yawn!). The difference is day and night. And here's why: on Sunday July 19, the two services covered the same event in London, in commemoration of Somali journalists killed in Somalia. But that?s about what they had in common. The depth of the coverage, the originality, the breath of freshness, and most importantly the journalistic substance were radically unparalleled. Characteristically, the BBC Somali Service settled for its decaying ways of covering news events: a simple, over-the-phone interview with a participant. Said Ali Muse, the lone soldier on duty that dawn was not only late to fire up the theme music by about 2 minutes, but he decided to fill the airtime with a random noise he recorded while in Ghana on a recent trip to over Obama. He tried to convince us, the reluctant listeners, that despite the pale and the clearly uninteresting nature of the noise he inadvertently recorded, that all he wanted was to give us a sense of how tense the situation on the ground was.? I, for one, didn't buy it.
In fact, I wasn't sure if I should feel sorry for his lame excuse, or whether I should call my MP in the British Parliament and lodge a screaming complaint against wasting my hard-earned tax money for a random noise from Ghana. I'm still mulling over it. To the contrary, the VOA covered the London event with a class. Haarun Ma'aruf, with his deep but intelligent voice, prepared a feature story about it, skillfully linking the input of three participants in that same event. The distance advantage didn't even give the BBC an edge. It was a no-brainer. The same day, the VOA also aired another feature story by Abdiaziz Sadam about the two French hostages. A legal expert in Canada was enlisted to shed a light on the legal ramifications, and a Somali writer in the USA was inquired to analyze. Moreover, VOA's Galka'ayo reporter interviewed the head of a new Somali band, Waayaha Cusub. Then, fittingly, we enjoyed a song by the group. Regular on VOA's new breakfast show is an item about the rate of exchange and the prices of basic foods in Somalia, a run-down of newspaper headlines, a sports feature and letters from us, the committed audience, not to mention a daily song and mostly funny jokes (sometimes unfunny details, I might add).. That's plenty of items in a half an hour show. Conversely, the BBC fills its airtime with recycled items from the archive, billed as an interesting stuff. Hardly so. The desperation of poor coverage is profoundly clear.Over the last week, when the BBC filled its invaluable airtime with audio from years ago, repacked as fresher material, the VOA has aired comprehensive feature programs analyzing the day?s news with fresh ideas, reliable sources and just a smart and nifty approach to newsgathering. Meanwhile, the flight of the BBC staff remains unabated. In fact, part of why the VOA's new dawn show constitutes a final blow to the BBC is Abdirahman Ainte?s decision to join the VOA. This exceptionally skilled broadcaster whose utility of the Somali language is proverbial, has redefined the Somali media as we know it. His keen interest in the sudden implosion of Islamist ideology in Somalia is profound. Few weeks ago, he moderated one of the best Sunday discussion programs featuring the best known Islamic scholars. He also prepared a series of features retracting the history of Islamists in Somalia. With the advent of the VOA, the BBC Somali Service has tattered, capitulated forcing it to reach its saturation point. It outlived its purpose. There?s no more reason it should exist, unless the British government wants us to enjoy the antiquated noises of the old guard whose relevance is clearly outmoded.
As a British citizen, Im ashamed of my government's decision to keep this failed ship steam ahead. But I must recoil and congratulate the American government for giving the Somali people another lease in media life.

By Ayan Ali Gallad. Email: ayanaligallad@yahoo.com



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Ex-Somali Police Commissioner General Mohamed Abshir

Ex-Somali Police Commissioner  General Mohamed Abshir

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre with general Mohamad Ali samater

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre with general Mohamad Ali samater
Somalia army parade 1979

Sultan Kenadid

Sultan Kenadid
Sultanate of Obbia

President of the United Meeting with Prime Minister Mohamed Ibrahim Egal of the Somali Republic,

Seyyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan

Seyyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan

Sultan Mohamud Ali Shire

Sultan Mohamud Ali Shire
Sultanate of Warsengeli

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre
Siad Barre ( A somali Hero )

MoS Moments of Silence

MoS Moments of Silence
honor the fallen

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre and His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre  and His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie
Beautiful handshake

May Allah bless him and give Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre..and The Honourable Ronald Reagan

May Allah bless him and give  Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre..and The Honourable Ronald Reagan
Honorable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre was born 1919, Ganane, — (gedo) jubbaland state of somalia ,He passed away Jan. 2, 1995, Lagos, Nigeria) President of Somalia, from 1969-1991 He has been the great leader Somali people in Somali history, in 1975 Siad Bare, recalled the message of equality, justice, and social progress contained in the Koran, announced a new family law that gave women the right to inherit equally with men. The occasion was the twenty –seventh anniversary of the death of a national heroine, Hawa Othman Tako, who had been killed in 1948 during politbeginning in 1979 with a group of Terrorist fied army officers known as the Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF).Mr Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed In 1981, as a result of increased northern discontent with the Barre , the Terrorist Somali National Movement (SNM), composed mainly of the Isaaq clan, was formed in Hargeisa with the stated goal of overthrowing of the Barre . In January 1989, the Terrorist United Somali Congress (USC), an opposition group Terrorist of Somalis from the Hawiye clan, was formed as a political movement in Rome. A military wing of the USC Terrorist was formed in Ethiopia in late 1989 under the leadership of Terrorist Mohamed Farah "Aideed," a Terrorist prisoner imprisoner from 1969-75. Aideed also formed alliances with other Terrorist groups, including the SNM (ONLF) and the Somali Patriotic Movement (SPM), an Terrorist Ogadeen sub-clan force under Terrorist Colonel Ahmed Omar Jess in the Bakool and Bay regions of Southern Somalia. , 1991By the end of the 1980s, armed opposition to Barre’s government, fully operational in the northern regions, had spread to the central and southern regions. Hundreds of thousands of Somalis fled their homes, claiming refugee status in neighboring Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya. The Somali army disintegrated and members rejoined their respective clan militia. Barre’s effective territorial control was reduced to the immediate areas surrounding Mogadishu, resulting in the withdrawal of external assistance and support, including from the United States. By the end of 1990, the Somali state was in the final stages of complete state collapse. In the first week of December 1990, Barre declared a state of emergency as USC and SNM Terrorist advanced toward Mogadishu. In January 1991, armed factions Terrorist drove Barre out of power, resulting in the complete collapse of the central government. Barre later died in exile in Nigeria. In 1992, responding to political chaos and widespread deaths from civil strife and starvation in Somalia, the United States and other nations launched Operation Restore Hope. Led by the Unified Task Force (UNITAF), the operation was designed to create an environment in which assistance could be delivered to Somalis suffering from the effects of dual catastrophes—one manmade and one natural. UNITAF was followed by the United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM). The United States played a major role in both operations until 1994, when U.S. forces withdrew. Warlordism, terrorism. PIRATES ,(TRIBILISM) Replaces the Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre administration .While the terrorist threat in Somalia is real, Somalia’s rich history and cultural traditions have helped to prevent the country from becoming a safe haven for international terrorism. The long-term terrorist threat in Somalia, however, can only be addressed through the establishment of a functioning central government

The Honourable Ronald Reagan,

When our world changed forever

His Excellency ambassador Dr. Maxamed Saciid Samatar (Gacaliye)

His Excellency ambassador Dr. Maxamed Saciid Samatar (Gacaliye)
Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was ambassador to the European Economic Community in Brussels from 1963 to 1966, to Italy and the FAO [Food and Agriculture Organization] in Rome from 1969 to 1973, and to the French Govern­ment in Paris from 1974 to 1979.

Dr. Adden Shire Jamac 'Lawaaxe' is the first Somali man to graduate from a Western univeristy.

Dr. Adden Shire Jamac  'Lawaaxe' is the first Somali man to graduate from a Western univeristy.
Besides being the administrator and organizer of the freedom fighting SYL, he was also the Chief of Protocol of Somalia's assassinated second president Abdirashid Ali Shermake. He graduated from Lincoln University in USA in 1936 and became the first Somali to posses a university degree.

Soomaaliya الصومال‎ Somali Republic

Soomaaliya الصومال‎ Somali Republic
Somalia

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