MOGADISHU — a dedicated effort is ongoing to digitize nearly 70 years of unique historical recordings stored in the archives of Radio Mogadishu, Somalia's first broadcasting service. The project is vital for the preservation of Somalia's cultural heritage but faces numerous challenges, including outdated equipment and a lack of funding.
According to a new release by Somali National News Agency, the arduous task is being led by Mohamed Yusuf Mohamed. He operates in a small, windowless room in a government building, relying on a single, antiquated machine to digitize the recordings. Working from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Mohamed is able to digitize approximately 30 to 40 songs per day.
The archives contain thousands of reels of music, poetry, religious texts, political speeches, and drama shows. Much of the material is in poor condition, at risk of further degradation. Despite the slow pace and limited resources, Mohamed remains committed. "I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to participate in improving the history of my country," he stated.
Radio Mogadishu was founded in 1951 and has survived multiple challenges, including modernization in the 1960s and closure during the civil war that began in 1991. It reopened in 2001 and has since worked to adapt to the digital age. However, its historical archives have yet to fully enter the digital realm.
The Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism (MoICT), which oversees Radio Mogadishu, has expressed urgency in preserving these archives. "This is the only archive for this nation after the civil war. As time passes, if we do not preserve it, it will only be seen in pictures," said Daud Aweis, Somalia’s federal Minister of Information, Culture, and Tourism.
Efforts to digitize the archives began in 2013, with support from the French government, African Union, United Nations, and the MoICT. However, less than a third of the 225,000 items have been digitized so far.
The challenges are manifold. The reel-to-reel tapes are prone to distortion, breaking, stretching, and chemical degradation. With just one working digital converter, the task is labor-intensive and slow. Previous efforts to digitize the archives have faltered, and the urgency for completing the task is compounded by a fire in 2018 that destroyed a portion of the archive.
Despite these obstacles, international organizations are stepping up to assist. The United Nations in Somalia is exploring options for the urgent digitization needs of Radio Mogadishu’s archives. "After 30 years of conflict, the preservation and digitization of the Radio Mogadishu archive almost compels a response from development and implementing partners," said Mark Wall, Head of UNESCO’s Somalia Desk.