Orality, Literacy, and Somali Oral Poetry

Events in the Somali regions on the Horn of Africa beginning with the establishment of the U.N. Trusteeship Territory of Somalia under Italian Administration in 1950 and culminating with the introduction of a written orthography for Somali in 1972 and the subsequent influences and aftermaths of this event on language and literacy in Somalia make a study of this region ideal for generalizing to some degree on the subject of orality and literacy. In this paper, I wish to give a brief overview of literacy in Somalia and address the relationship between literacy and orature (oral literature). I will also comment on two theoretical issues concerning orality and literacy in Africa, namely whether literacy adds complexity to human thinking and whether or not it truly influences human mentality. Only a brief overview of the history of literacy in Somalia is required, as detailed descriptions have already been published outlining the vernacular literacy movement that culminated in the development and legalization of a writing system in the Somali Democratic Republic on 21 October, 1972, and the multifaceted activities leading up to it as well as its political aftermath. Part of this movement resulted in a nationwide literacy campaign in 1973, the results of which easily rival the historical literacy reforms of Turkey under Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in the 1920s. Moreover, the orthography adopted by the Somali government in existence at that time has survived civil strife and the resulting breakdown of organized government in Somalia. The Latin script adopted in 1972 can be found in the various current Somali governments on the Horn and in the diaspora of Somalis worldwide. Furthermore, the decision to employ Latin script for the politically dominant dialect for the country in 1972 may well have determined the choice for Latin based scripts developed for other Cushitic dialects (languages?) spoken in the regions between the two main rivers of Somalia.