Ahmed Hassan Awke (1943 16 November 2015) ( so, Axmed Xasan Cawke) ( ar, احمد حسن عوكة) was a veteran Somali journalist, who spent most of his life in the media industry. Awke who is often considered to be one of the best Somali journalists because of his very fluent Somali, and was often used as a favorite commentator He served as a special reporter for

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...

's late president

Siad Barre Mohamed Siad Barre ( so, Maxamed Siyaad Barre, Osmanya script: ; ar, محمد سياد بري; c. 1910 – 2 January 1995) was a Somali head of state and general who served as the 3rd president of the Somali Democratic Republic from 1969 to 199 ...

until it collapsed in 1991. He hailed from the Jibril Abokor, a

Sa'ad Musa The Sa'ad Musa or Saad Musa ( so, Sacad Muuse, ar, سعد موسى, Full Name:'' Saad ibn Musa ibn Zubayr ibn Abd al-Raḥmān ibn ash- Shaykh Isḥāq ibn Aḥmad'') is a northern Somali clan. Its members form a part of the Habr Awal clan of ...

sub-division of the

Habr Awal The Habr Awal, also contemporarily known as the Subeer Awal, and alternately romanized as the Zubeyr Awal ( so, Habar Awal, ar, هبر أول, Full Name: '' Zubeyr ibn Abd al-Raḥmān ibn ash- Shaykh Isḥāq ibn Aḥmad)'' is a major clan of ...

Isaaq The Isaaq (also Isaq, Ishaak, Isaac) ( so, Reer Sheekh Isxaaq, ar, بني إسحاق, Banī Isḥāq) is a Somali clan. It is one of the major Somali clans in the Horn of Africa, with a large and densely populated traditional territory. Per ...

clan that predominately inhabits the

Gabiley Gabiley ( so, Gabiley, ar, غابيلي), also known as Gebiley, is a city in the Maroodi Jeex region of Somaliland. Gabiley is located 58 km west of Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland. It is in the center of the Gabiley district, bounded ...

region.

Early life

Ahmed Hassan Awke was born in the border town of Tog-Wajale in 1943. His father Hassan Awke was a well-known businessman in

Somaliland Somaliland,; ar, صوماليلاند ', ' officially the Republic of Somaliland,, ar, جمهورية صوماليلاند, link=no ''Jumhūrīyat Ṣūmālīlānd'' is a ''de facto'' sovereign state in the Horn of Africa, still conside ...

. As a child, he grew up in Tog-Wajale, but after completing Qur'anic education at a madrasa he moved to the town of Adadley, where he completed his primary and secondary school education. He graduated from higher education in

Berbera Berbera (; so, Barbara, ar, بربرة) is the capital of the Sahil region of Somaliland and is the main sea port of the country. Berbera is a coastal city and was the former capital of the British Somaliland protectorate before Hargeisa. It ...

in 1971, where he taught for a year as a teacher.

Career

Awke began his career at

Radio Mogadishu Radio Mogadishu ( so, Radio Muqdisho, ar, راديو مقديشو) is the federal government-run radio station of Somalia.

in 1972, and then become a reporter at

Somali National Television Somali National Television (SNTV) ( so, Telefishinka Qaranka Soomaaliyeed) is the national television station of Somalia. History The first regular TV services began in Somalia on 17 August 1983, with funds obtained from Kuwait and the United Ara ...

in 1983.
In 1996, he joined the

BBC Somali The BBC Somali Service is a BBC World Service radio station transmitted in the Somali language and based in Broadcasting House in West London and in Nairobi, where most of the radio and digital operations are based. Most of the listeners live in ...

and then moved to VOA Somali in 2007. He also worked with

Horn Cable TV Horn most often refers to: *Horn (acoustic), a conical or bell shaped aperture used to guide sound ** Horn (instrument), collective name for tube-shaped wind musical instruments *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various a ...

Universal TV Universal TV, formerly Universal Channel, is an international pay television network specializing in movies and television series in the thriller, drama, comedy, horror, crime and investigation genres, owned by NBCUniversal International Netwo ...

and

Somaliland National TV Somaliland National Television (SLNTV) is a Somali television channel. It is the official public service station of the government of Somaliland. Founded in 2005, it broadcasts from the country's capital of Hargeisa via terrestrial transmission, ...

's state-run television channel.
The former president of Somalia

Hassan Sheikh Mohamud Hassan Sheikh Mohamud ( so, Xasan Sheekh Maxamuud, ar, حسن شيخ محمود; born 29 November 1955) is a Somali politician who has served as the president of Somalia since May 2022. He is the founder and current chairman of the Union for P ...

said that Awke has made a significant contribution to the history of Somalia.

Death

He died on 17 November 2015 in

Jijiga Jijiga (, am, ጅጅጋ, ''Jijiga'') is the capital city of Somali Region, Ethiopia. It became the capital of the Somali Region in 1995 after it was moved from Gode. Located in the Fafan Zone with 70 km (37 mi) west of the border ...

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

. He was buried the next day in Tog-Wajale, his home town.

Literature

References

BBC people 1943 births 2015 deaths Somaliland people {{Somaliland-bio-stub

Early life

Career

Death

See also

Literature

References