HornAfrik was a media organization based in

Mogadishu Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port ...

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 ...

. Prior to its closure in 2010, it was the first independent radio network to have its headquarters in the city. HornAfrik operated Radio HornAfrik, as well as one other radio station, a television station, a website and a training research center.

History

HornAfrik.net was established in 1999 by , Mohamed Elmi and Ali Iman Sharmarke, three Somali emigrants to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

who arrived after the start of the

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

in their country of birth. They later returned to Mogadishu following a period of relative calm in order to finalize market research that they had conducted on the feasibility and technological equipment necessary to start a new media company in the city. Concluding that the project was workable, HornAfrik was subsequently officially opened on 12 December 1999. Prior to the

Somali Army The Somali National Army ( Somali: ''Xooga Dalka Soomaaliyeed,'' lit. ''"Somali Ground Forces"'') is the ground forces component of the Somali Armed Forces, and is the largest out of the three service branches that make up the majority of the A ...

's pacification of Mogadishu in August 2011, HornAfrik operated from a temporary premises in the capital. The network's transmissions of international segments earned it criticism from religious fundamentalists, with the Al-Shabaab militant group routinely launching attacks against the company and its staff. HornAfrik's co-founder Sharmarke was among those killed in 2007, at the height of this Islamist insurgency in southern Somalia. Despite the threats of violence, HornAfrik persevered and continued to air outside programs. In 2008, HornAfrik celebrated its ninth anniversary. It permanently closed down operations the following year.

Programs and services

HornAfrik.net broadasted 18 hours daily. Besides Mogadishu, its FM transmissions reached several other regions in the nation. They could also be heard in other parts of the continent via satellite, as well as in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. Worldwide, the network's broadcasts were accessible through the internet. HornAfrik.net ran a number of popular call-in programs. These segments allowed residents of Mogadishu and the surrounding area to share their views on various issues of local interest, including topics related to culture, health, religion, peace, education and economy. In the past, the network also used to air interviews with faction leaders who at the time controlled parts of the city. Additionally, HornAfrik broadcast

Somali language Somali (Latin script: ; Wadaad writing, Wadaad: ; Osmanya: 𐒖𐒍 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘 ) is an Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language belonging to the Cushitic languages, Cushitic branch. It is spoken as a mother tongue by Somalis in ...

programming from the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

and

Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is the state-owned news network and international radio broadcaster of the United States of America. It is the largest and oldest U.S.-funded international broadcaster. VOA produces digital, TV, and radio content ...

. It also engaged in some philanthropic work.

Network

The HornAfrik media network consisted of Radio HornAfrik, as well as the Capital Voice private radio station. It also included a television station, HornAfrik TV, in addition to a website and a training research center. According to MENASSAT, the

Arab world The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...

media resource, HornAfrik TV during its existence operated six channels in Somali and

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

, the two official languages of Somalia.

Awards

In 2002, the Somali-Canadian founders of HornAfrik were honored as the winners of the

Canadian Journalists for Free Expression Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) is a Canadian non-governmental organization supported by Canadian journalists and advocates of freedom of expression. The purpose of the organization is to defend the rights of journalists and co ...

(CJFE's) International Press Freedom Award. HornAfrik was presented the award for its work in the face of threats and intimidation at a time when there was no effective legal recourse or protection for the local press. In 2007, the late Ali Sharmarke was also posthumously awarded the Tara Singh Hayer Award by the CJFE for his courage in the field of journalism. His 11-year-old son Liban accepted the prize on his behalf.

References

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External links