Shire Jama Ahmed
Encyclopedia
Shire Jama Ahmed was a Somali
linguist who is credited with having devised a unique Latin script
for transcribing the Somali language
. Shire Jama's winning Somali Orthoraphy was chosen from eighteen competing new orthographies in 1972 by the Language Committee and the ruling party. The committee commenced its work back in 1960.
In the late 1960s, Shire and a few other Somali linguists presented before the Somali Language Committee, an organization in charge of settling Somalia
's outstanding language issue, and eventually deciding between several prospective orthographies
. These scripts ranged from Arabic
to some resembling Ge'ez
, an ancient Ethio-Semitic
writing system. Among those proposed was the Osmanya script, an orthography invented in the early twentieth century by the Majeerteen
poet and ruler, Osman Yusuf Kenadid
, which had enjoyed a strong following. Shire's competing orthography, for its part, was derived from Latin characters, and it omitted a few letters (p, v and z) to accommodate the unique sounds of the Somali language. Shire also introduced combination letters (kh, dh and sh), which were in many ways exclusive to the language. In 1972, his proven orthography was selected as Somalia
's national writing script for Af Soomaali (as the Somali language is traditionally referred to).
family. He grew up in Dhuusamareeb and Abudwak
, two of the region's more prominent cities.
ic studies), Shire began learning the Qur'an at his nearby dugsi or madrasah
. He continued his religious studies up until 1945. It is widely reported that he attained Kabir or student head. One attains the Kabir designation when one succeeds at memorizing scripture at an above average pace. Here, Shire quickly attained complete knowledge of the Qur'an, which consists of 30 chapters of roughly equal number of verses or volume.
Jama Ahmed, Shire’s father, then decided to move his family to Mogadishu
, the capital of Somalia. Shire subsequently experienced a considerably different kind of schooling. He started attending local language schools where pupils of his age were learning Arabic and English
. While in Mogadishu, he also took up some Italian
language studies. As it was his character to excel at most tasks put before him, Shire thrived in all of his academic work.
From 1951 to 1954, Shire matriculated at a college run by former graduates of the prestigious Al-Azhar University
in Cairo
, Egypt
. His studies focused on Arabic and Islamic Law
. Later, in 1955, he was part of a group of students who received scholarships to study at Egyptian institutions of higher learning.
Teachers and administrators at Jamal Abdinasir Secondary School, a fixture in Mogadishu for more than six decades up until the late 1980s, helped secure for Shire and several dozen other highly-motivated students trips to Egypt for further studies in advanced Arabic. Shire eventually earned a degree from Al-Azhar.
. He subsequently graduated from a Russia
n university in 1967, though his first intention was apparently to attend McGill University
in Montreal
, Canada
.
, as well as the founder of the first Somali national magazine, The Light of Knowledge and Education.
In addition, he was one of the main organizers and administrators of the Somali Youth League
(SYL), a nationalist and youth-oriented political movement that existed in the 1930s through to the late 1960s. Between 1967 and 1969, he also took up the post of Chief Presidential Protocol in the Sharmarke government.
But this preference didn't stop at merely favoring one script over another; Shire also printed many books based on Somali oral culture using his modified Latin script. Shire was, in fact, a linguist by training.
Two successive governments, from 1960–1967 and 1967–1969, could not settle the debate over what script to use: Arabic, a script which most Somalis had used for centuries and which is featured in the Qur'an, or Latin, a script that only really came to the attention of the Somali people during the late 18th century upon contact with the British and Italian European administrations.
Shire campaigned for the Latin script, while Sheikh Abdurahman Sheikh Nuur
, Osman Yusuf Kenadid and Muse Haji Ismail Galal each favored different writing systems for transcribing the Somali language. Originally, there were 18 different scripts that were brought before the newly-established Somali Language Committee. Of these 18 proposed orthographies, 11 were new inventions, while 4 were derived from the Arabic script and 3 were Latin.
Anything less than choosing an Arabic alphabet was equated with being a non-Muslim
. In fact, a common taunt designed to cast a bad light on those supporting the Latin script was the expression "Latin, laa diin", which translates as "Latin, no religion" (Laa in Arabic means "no" and the word "diin" refers to religion). Shire, on the other hand, was more pragmatic in his arguments. He pointed out that the printing presses and other machines that were then in use in most other parts of the world were mostly set to the Latin alphabet, as were the machines and typewriters already extant within Somalia.
All civil servants were also ordered to learn the Somali language within six months from January of that year. It was further decided that documents in government offices would feature Shire's Latin script.
Although Shire himself was not against the Arabic script, having personally studied the Arabic language while in Mogadishu as well as during his time in Egypt, he did not think it was the most practical solution for solving the nation's lingering language issue.
Many consider the initial introduction of Shire's Somali orthography and the subsequent literacy campaign to be one of the most significant achievements in Somalia's post-colonial administration. Because of this vital decision, decades later, Somali immigrants around the globe are having better luck in learning new languages compared to people coming from countries which use non-Latin writing scripts.
The outside world took note of Somalia's progress in educating the masses in terms of literacy. Julius Nyerere
, then Tanzania's president, asserted that "[t]he Somalis are practicing what we in Tanzania preach."
or through other printing outfits in Mogadishu.
He published a number of books and pamphlets, with early publications also including periodicals. Shire Jama Ahmed's works include:
Somali people
Somalis are an ethnic group located in the Horn of Africa, also known as the Somali Peninsula. The overwhelming majority of Somalis speak the Somali language, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family...
linguist who is credited with having devised a unique Latin script
Somali alphabet
The Somali Latin alphabet has been the official writing script in Somalia since 1972. It was developed by the Somali linguist Shire Jama Ahmed specifically for transcribing the Somali language, and is based on the Latin script. The Somali Latin alphabet uses all letters of the English Latin...
for transcribing the Somali language
Somali language
The Somali language is a member of the East Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family. Its nearest relatives are Afar and Oromo. Somali is the best documented of the Cushitic languages, with academic studies beginning before 1900....
. Shire Jama's winning Somali Orthoraphy was chosen from eighteen competing new orthographies in 1972 by the Language Committee and the ruling party. The committee commenced its work back in 1960.
In the late 1960s, Shire and a few other Somali linguists presented before the Somali Language Committee, an organization in charge of settling Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
's outstanding language issue, and eventually deciding between several prospective orthographies
Orthography
The orthography of a language specifies a standardized way of using a specific writing system to write the language. Where more than one writing system is used for a language, for example Kurdish, Uyghur, Serbian or Inuktitut, there can be more than one orthography...
. These scripts ranged from Arabic
Arabic alphabet
The Arabic alphabet or Arabic abjad is the Arabic script as it is codified for writing the Arabic language. It is written from right to left, in a cursive style, and includes 28 letters. Because letters usually stand for consonants, it is classified as an abjad.-Consonants:The Arabic alphabet has...
to some resembling Ge'ez
Ge'ez alphabet
Ge'ez , also called Ethiopic, is a script used as an abugida for several languages of Ethiopia and Eritrea but originated in an abjad used to write Ge'ez, now the liturgical language of the Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Church...
, an ancient Ethio-Semitic
Ethiopian Semitic languages
Ethiopian Semitic is a language group, which together with Old South Arabian forms the Western branch of the South Semitic languages. The languages are spoken in both Ethiopia and Eritrea...
writing system. Among those proposed was the Osmanya script, an orthography invented in the early twentieth century by the Majeerteen
Majeerteen
The Majeerteen is a Somali clan. Its members form a part of the Harti confederation of Darod sub-clans, and primarily inhabit the Puntland region in northeastern Somalia....
poet and ruler, Osman Yusuf Kenadid
Osman Yusuf Kenadid
-Biography:In the early 1920s, in response to a national campaign to settle on a standard orthography for the Somali language , Kenadid, a leader in the Majeerteen Sultanate of Hobyo in Somalia and nephew of Sultan Yusuf Ali Kenadid, devised a phonetically sophisticated alphabet called Osmanya for...
, which had enjoyed a strong following. Shire's competing orthography, for its part, was derived from Latin characters, and it omitted a few letters (p, v and z) to accommodate the unique sounds of the Somali language. Shire also introduced combination letters (kh, dh and sh), which were in many ways exclusive to the language. In 1972, his proven orthography was selected as Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
's national writing script for Af Soomaali (as the Somali language is traditionally referred to).
Early years
Shire was born in the Galgadud region of Somalia to a MarehanMarehan
The Marehan are a Somali clan. They are one of the major Darod sub-clans, forming a part of the Sade confederation of clans. The majority of the Marehan live in the Jubbada Hoose, Gedo and Jubbada Dhexe regions in southwestern Somalia, as well as the Galguduud and Mudug regions in central...
family. He grew up in Dhuusamareeb and Abudwak
Abudwak
Abudwak is a town in the central Galguduud region of Somalia. It is the capital of the Abudwak District. The city is situated about 20km west of the main highway that connects the country's southern and northern regions....
, two of the region's more prominent cities.
Education
In 1940, at about the age of five (the usual age when children first start Qur'anQur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
ic studies), Shire began learning the Qur'an at his nearby dugsi or madrasah
Madrasah
Madrasah is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, whether secular or religious...
. He continued his religious studies up until 1945. It is widely reported that he attained Kabir or student head. One attains the Kabir designation when one succeeds at memorizing scripture at an above average pace. Here, Shire quickly attained complete knowledge of the Qur'an, which consists of 30 chapters of roughly equal number of verses or volume.
Jama Ahmed, Shire’s father, then decided to move his family to Mogadishu
Mogadishu
Mogadishu , popularly known as Xamar, is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Benadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries....
, the capital of Somalia. Shire subsequently experienced a considerably different kind of schooling. He started attending local language schools where pupils of his age were learning Arabic and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. While in Mogadishu, he also took up some Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
language studies. As it was his character to excel at most tasks put before him, Shire thrived in all of his academic work.
From 1951 to 1954, Shire matriculated at a college run by former graduates of the prestigious Al-Azhar University
Al-Azhar University
Al-Azhar University is an educational institute in Cairo, Egypt. Founded in 970~972 as a madrasa, it is the chief centre of Arabic literature and Islamic learning in the world. It is the oldest degree-granting university in Egypt. In 1961 non-religious subjects were added to its curriculum.It is...
in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. His studies focused on Arabic and Islamic Law
Islamic law
Islamic law can refer to:*Sharia: The code of conduct enjoined upon Muslims in the Quran*Fiqh: Muslim jurisprudence...
. Later, in 1955, he was part of a group of students who received scholarships to study at Egyptian institutions of higher learning.
High School Years at Mogadishu's Jamal Abdinasir Secondary School
Shire Jama Ahmed graduated from Jamal Abdinasir Secondary School in downtown Mogadishu. The school was also known to Mogadishu residents as Allahi Secondary and Arabic Grammar School.Teachers and administrators at Jamal Abdinasir Secondary School, a fixture in Mogadishu for more than six decades up until the late 1980s, helped secure for Shire and several dozen other highly-motivated students trips to Egypt for further studies in advanced Arabic. Shire eventually earned a degree from Al-Azhar.
Studies Abroad in Egypt and in Russia
After having successfully completed his studies in Egypt, Shire again found himself among a group of students selected for scholarships to study abroad, albeit this time in the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. He subsequently graduated from a Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n university in 1967, though his first intention was apparently to attend McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Career
Shire was the first president of the Somali National Academy of CultureSomali National Academy of Culture
Somali National Academy of Culture, also known as the Somali National Academy of Arts, Sciences and Literature, was an important institution in Somalia that was responsible for the preservation and exploration of national artifacts and other material of national importance.-Establishment:Somali...
, as well as the founder of the first Somali national magazine, The Light of Knowledge and Education.
In addition, he was one of the main organizers and administrators of the Somali Youth League
Somali Youth League
The Somali Youth League was the first political party in Somalia. It played a key role in the nation's road to independence during the 1950s and 1960s.-History:...
(SYL), a nationalist and youth-oriented political movement that existed in the 1930s through to the late 1960s. Between 1967 and 1969, he also took up the post of Chief Presidential Protocol in the Sharmarke government.
Language issue
For about a decade, there was an effort to find a common orthography for the Somali language, with many Somali scholars working hard to introduce new writing scripts. From as early as the Somali Language Committee's establishment in 1962, it was reported that Shire already favored the Latin script.But this preference didn't stop at merely favoring one script over another; Shire also printed many books based on Somali oral culture using his modified Latin script. Shire was, in fact, a linguist by training.
Two successive governments, from 1960–1967 and 1967–1969, could not settle the debate over what script to use: Arabic, a script which most Somalis had used for centuries and which is featured in the Qur'an, or Latin, a script that only really came to the attention of the Somali people during the late 18th century upon contact with the British and Italian European administrations.
Shire campaigned for the Latin script, while Sheikh Abdurahman Sheikh Nuur
Sheikh Abdurahman Sheikh Nuur
Sheikh Abdurahman Sheikh Nuur was a Somali religious leader and the inventor of the Borama script for the Somali language.-Biography:Nuur was born in Borama, Somalia to a Gadabuursi Dir family...
, Osman Yusuf Kenadid and Muse Haji Ismail Galal each favored different writing systems for transcribing the Somali language. Originally, there were 18 different scripts that were brought before the newly-established Somali Language Committee. Of these 18 proposed orthographies, 11 were new inventions, while 4 were derived from the Arabic script and 3 were Latin.
Anything less than choosing an Arabic alphabet was equated with being a non-Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
. In fact, a common taunt designed to cast a bad light on those supporting the Latin script was the expression "Latin, laa diin", which translates as "Latin, no religion" (Laa in Arabic means "no" and the word "diin" refers to religion). Shire, on the other hand, was more pragmatic in his arguments. He pointed out that the printing presses and other machines that were then in use in most other parts of the world were mostly set to the Latin alphabet, as were the machines and typewriters already extant within Somalia.
Official introduction of the Af Somali script
The military government, which came to power in October 1969 under the aegis of General Mohamed Siad Barre, took up the agenda. Within a year, the new administration elected to use Shire's refined Latin script as the official writing method for transcribing the Somali language. By 1972, Barre's government began printing more books in Af Soomaali using the new script for primary and high schools alike.All civil servants were also ordered to learn the Somali language within six months from January of that year. It was further decided that documents in government offices would feature Shire's Latin script.
Although Shire himself was not against the Arabic script, having personally studied the Arabic language while in Mogadishu as well as during his time in Egypt, he did not think it was the most practical solution for solving the nation's lingering language issue.
Somali Rural literacy campaign
After the Somali national script was introduced, the government undertook a massive literacy campaign in villages and rural settlements across the country from 1974 to 1975. This effort was termed in the Somali language Ol Olaha Waxbarashada Reer Miyiga or countryside campaign to teach reading and writing. The national campaign was carried out by young people, mostly elementary school teachers as well as high school students. This was a relatively easy undertaking as there was now an alphabet to learn.Many consider the initial introduction of Shire's Somali orthography and the subsequent literacy campaign to be one of the most significant achievements in Somalia's post-colonial administration. Because of this vital decision, decades later, Somali immigrants around the globe are having better luck in learning new languages compared to people coming from countries which use non-Latin writing scripts.
The outside world took note of Somalia's progress in educating the masses in terms of literacy. Julius Nyerere
Julius Nyerere
Julius Kambarage Nyerere was a Tanzanian politician who served as the first President of Tanzania and previously Tanganyika, from the country's founding in 1961 until his retirement in 1985....
, then Tanzania's president, asserted that "[t]he Somalis are practicing what we in Tanzania preach."
Publications
Shire wrote many works dealing with literacy and Somali culture. All of these publications were produced in either his own printing pressPrinting press
A printing press is a device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium , thereby transferring the ink...
or through other printing outfits in Mogadishu.
He published a number of books and pamphlets, with early publications also including periodicals. Shire Jama Ahmed's works include:
- Iftiinka Aqoonta ("The Light of Knowledge") - magazine-format periodical
- Elementary Education Drill Book
- Somali Education and Legal Assistance - prepared for US Peace CorpsPeace CorpsThe Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
volunteers - Halgankii Nolosha ("Life Struggles") National Press, Mogadishu 1974
- Gabayo, Maahmaah, iyo Sheekooyin Yaryar ("Poems, Proverbs, and Short Stories"),
- Shire Jama Ahmed Personal Press, Mogadishu, 1965