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by Abdullahi Haji Abdi (Author), Abdisalam M. Issa-Salwe (Editor), Ahmed Sh Mohamud (Editor)
ABDULLAHI HAJI: MY LIFE THROUGH NEWS MEDIA captures the extraordinary journey of Abdullahi Haji Abdi, one of Somali broadcasting's pioneering voices whose career spanned the most transformative periods in Somali history.
In Somali culture, news is community connection itself. For a predominantly oral society that endured colonial rule and didn't see official Somali orthography until the 1970s, radio became the primary vessel for preserving cultural identity. Abdullahi Haji emerged as one of the most trusted voices in this tradition.
The memoir chronicles Haji's transformation from student to trailblasing broadcaster whose fearless journalism resonated across the Horn of Africa. His legendary 1972 interview with Somalia's president Siad Barre, boldly asking "When will you return to your barracks?", shocked listeners worldwide and defined his career.
When Somalis were scattered by civil war, Haji's voice became a unifying force connecting millions to their shared heritage and news from home. This memoir weaves personal reflections with broader themes of displacement and cultural preservation. This is the story of how radio waves carried a nation's heartbeat.
ABDULLAHI HAJI ABDI was born on October 15, 1939, in Warder, Ethiopia's Somali region. After Quranic education and Ethiopian Air Force pilot training at Bishoftu, he launched his broadcasting career at Ethiopian radio in the early 1960s following journalism training in Germany. In 1969, he joined the BBC Somali Service as a pioneering voice during its most influential period. His distinguished career covered major events including the Ogaden War and Ethiopian-Somali conflicts, while. conducting investigative research on khat's social impact across East Africa. Now retired in London, he authored a memoir "ABDULLAHI HAJI: MY LIFE THROUGH NEWS MEDIA" to preserve broadcasting history, cementing his legacy as the voice that connected Somali communities worldwide during unprecedented dispersal.
