World
Somalia races to save Radio Mogadishu’s fading archive
Mogadishu, Somalia – Thousands of reel-to-reel tapes sit in an air-conditioned room in the archive of Somalia’s public radio, Radio Mogadishu, stacked on steel shelves and lined up like old manuscripts beneath a thick layer of dust.
Each reel contains a small fragment of Somalia’s 20th-century history, from news bulletins to speeches, music and voices that were once beamed out across the nation’s airwaves, some dating back to the early 1950s.
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Abdiqadir Geedi Robleh, an archivist at Radio Mogadishu, threads a reel onto an old tape machine, connects it to a computer, and records the contents of each tape. A tape with a love song by Mohamed Mooge Liban, a prominent singer fills the room, and Robleh is transported, he says, to his youth.
He is working with a small team to digitise and methodically order approximately 400,000 hours of broadcasts, officials here say, before the magnetic tape deteriorates beyond recovery, taking with it a crucial record of the country’s past.
“This is the world’s largest store of Somali language music, culture, dramas and everything else, and at the moment it is locked away from the public in a kind of prison,” Robleh tells Al Jazeera. “We’re working to preserve it but also open it up in future to the public.”
Founded in 1951 during the Italian colonial era, Radio Mogadishu would grow into Somalia’s largest and most important public broadcaster. It initially broadcast in Italian and Somali before introducing foreign language services, including everything from Swahili and Oromo to English and Arabic.
In its heyday, it was among the most influential and distinctive voices in East African media, reaching audiences as far afield as Tanzania, Ethiopia, and the Middle East with a style of radical pan-African broadcasting reminiscent of Radio Cairo in the Nasser years.
With the exception of a brief hiatus in the 1990s, when it fell under the control of a warlord, it has served not only as a key source of news for Somalis and audiences across the region, but also as a vital repository of the country’s collective memory.
The effort to preserve its archives has gathered new momentum this year.
In early June, Somalia’s information ministry and the UNESCO regional office for Eastern Africa – the UN’s heritage agency – brought archivists from across the country to a workshop in Mogadishu, aimed at eventually registering its contents with UNESCO’s Memory of the World programme, which catalogues archives of important historical value.
“Protecting this knowledge isn’t just relevant for Somalia, but it is relevant for everyone,” said Guilherme Canela, a senior UNESCO official who is overseeing the project.
![Thousands of tapes fill the shelves of Radio Mogadishu's archive, holding decades of Somali history. [Abdimajid Abdillahi Farah/Al Jazeera]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==)
An expert assessment carried out in April counted roughly 45,000 tapes and reels, representing an estimated 400,000 hours of material recorded since the station’s founding. More than 85 percent remain playable, but around one in 10 has deteriorated with age, and more than 5 percent has been destroyed or severely damaged, according to UNESCO.
Radio Mogadishu’s collection was recognised both for its size and because so much of what it holds exists nowhere else.
Some were damaged in an electrical fire in 2018, Robleh says, while others were lost during fighting in 1992, when US forces battled Somali militias in the streets of Mogadishu.
During the worst of the civil war, police colonel Abshir Hashi Ali risked his life to prevent the contents of the archives from being looted. When fighting engulfed Mogadishu following the 1990 collapse of the government, he said he ran back “with the aim of conveying to Somalis the wealth that is stored here”.
Abdi Jeite, the station’s director, says the digitisation drive began as early as 2012, but has been held back for years by a lack of resources. By his estimate, only approximately 10 percent of the archive has so far been converted.
“We’ve got some new tools, and more training for our archivists, but there is still a lot of support needed,” he says.
To understand why the archive matters so much, it helps to understand what radio once meant in Somali life.
“Radio Mogadishu was arguably the preeminent media institution in post-independence Somalia,” Iman Mohamed, an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota and historian of Somalia, tells Al Jazeera.
“In a society that prizes orality above the written word, radio was uniquely effective at creating a common public sphere through which ordinary people could feel bonded to one another and to a shared sense of nationhood,” Mohamed adds.
Though Somali audiences could also access BBC Somali, Radio Hargeisa, and opposition stations when the government began to deteriorate in the latter part of the 20th century, it was Radio Mogadishu that dominated the “soundscape of urban Somalia”, Mohamed said.
That dominance made Radio Mogadishu a national factory of talent. “If you were a musician, poet, playwright or producer, Radio Mogadishu was the platform you wanted to appear on,” Robleh, the archivist, said. “It made Somalia’s stars.”
Robleh, the archivist, added that many BBC Somali journalists who went on to have distinguished careers first cut their teeth at Radio Mogadishu, which became an important pipeline for Somali-language talent to the BBC.
Hassan Dahir, a former journalist at the station, was one of many Somali children who grew up dreaming of working there. For years, he recalled, Radio Mogadishu was virtually the only source of news for millions, “the eyes and ears of the community”, he told Al Jazeera.
“Its reach was so extensive that even nomadic herders followed events as far afield as the Vietnam War and the American Civil Rights Movement,” Dahir said.
Under Siad Barre, the military officer who seized power in a 1969 coup and ran Somalia for two decades under a self-styled socialist, revolutionary government, the station became an instrument of state ideology, mixing news, drama and religious programming with nationalist and anti-colonial content.
The station beamed pan-African songs Oh Africa, still asleep by Halimo Khalif Magool, which spurred the continent’s inhabitants to awaken and take charge of their own destinies. Mahamud Abdullahi Sangub’s Reject the Color of Imperialism was another popular song of the era in this same tradition of politically charged music, with lyrics like: “Africans listen to each other, reject the colour of imperialism, reject it, reject it, reject it!”
Many of those songs have been covered, sampled or repurposed since, and younger Somalis often encounter them with no idea who performed the originals, or the politics that shaped them, say Mohamed.
Its news coverage focused on anti-colonial wars in places such as Mozambique against Portugal, the struggle against apartheid in Rhodesia and South Africa and the Civil Rights Movement in the US. It covered everything from colonial battles in Guinea-Bissau to the arrest of African American political activist and author Angela Davis.
“We were telling the stories of people resisting their oppressors”, said Dahir.
The station was a “mouthpiece of the government”, cautions Mohamed, but took on a crucial role of inculcating “a patriotic and revolutionary ideological orientation in the Somali people”.
One of the most important projects the radio supported was the Somali mass literacy campaign, when the government sent students to rural Somalia in 1972 to teach the newly developed Somali script. The campaign led to a dramatic increase in literacy across the country.
It also became deeply entangled with Somalia’s regional foreign policy, as the government spent much of the 20th century at loggerheads with Ethiopia before eventually invading in 1977.
That rivalry led Radio Mogadishu to dedicate airtime to Ethiopia’s marginalised ethnic communities, as well as armed rebel movements, particularly those from Eritrea. Among its most notable initiatives were broadcasts in Oromo and Sidama.
Dahir, the former Radio Mogadishu journalist who covered Ethiopia, told Al Jazeera that these were the first-ever radio programmes in either language, both of which had been suppressed for many years in Ethiopia under policies that privileged Amharic, the language of the country’s elite.
The station itself has taken on a far smaller role in Somali life since.
The collapse of the central government in 1991 broke the state’s grip on broadcasting, opening space for private radio, television and online outlets, which have proven popular with the Somali public.
It has lost most of its foreign-language programming, and with it, much of its revolutionary edge. The Somali state also continues to be constrained by limited resources as it rebuilds after decades of conflict.
In November 2021, the al-Qaida-affiliated armed group al-Shabab, which has waged a long rebellion against Somalia’s government, assassinated the station’s then-director, Abdiaziz Mohamud Guled, in a suicide bombing in Mogadishu.
Iman Mohamed, the historian, says that with the civil war in the country, now in its third decade, preserving the archive for posterity has become more urgent.
“The destruction of archives during the civil war has left an enormous gap in Somalia’s documentary record, which means that anyone researching the country’s history is almost entirely reliant on foreign archives or oral history,” Mohamed said.
“That is especially problematic for young people,” she adds. “Recovering what we can matters for the youth who will never have known the world that Radio Mogadishu broadcast in its heyday.”
World
Box Office: ‘The Odyssey’ Stuns With $124 Million Opening Weekend, Third-Biggest Debut of the Year
It’s a box office debut fit for a king. Christopher Nolan‘s action epic “The Odyssey” ignited to $124.5 million from 3,919 domestic theaters over the weekend, defying expectations and setting up the R-rated spectacle for a long, long journey in theaters.
These ticket sales are notable as Nolan’s biggest debut since 2012’s “The Dark Knight Rises” ($160 million) as well as the third-largest opening of the year following “Toy Story 5” ($159 million) and “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” ($131 million). They’re also impressive not just because “The Odyssey” is a nearly three-hour sword-and-sandal adventure, a genre that’s rarely made these days, but also because it is rated R, which limits who can buy tickets.
At the international box office, “The Odyssey” collected $139.6 million from 73 markets for a stellar worldwide tally of $264.1 million. This marks Nolan’s biggest global opening ahead of “The Dark Knight Rises” ($249 million, not adjusted for inflation), 2009’s “The Dark Knight” ($198 million, not adjusted for inflation) and “Oppenheimer” ($180 million).
Adapted from Homer’s 3,000-year-old epic poem, “The Odyssey” stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, and chronicles his seemingly eternal, perilous voyage home after the Trojan War. Damon leads the all-star ensemble of Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Elliot Page, Jon Bernthal and John Leguizamo. Written and directed by Nolan, “The Odyssey” is one of the best-reviewed films of the year, with an “A” grade on CinemaScore exit polls and 95% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Males accounted for 56% of ticket buyers, while half of audience members were between the ages of 18 and 34, underscoring that Nolan appeals to all generations of moviegoers.
With stellar word-of-mouth, the frenzy around premium formats and an A-list cast that’s been taking the promotional circuit by storm, “The Odyssey” is primed for an epic box office run. Plus, it won’t have any competition until Sony’s “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” opens on July 31. That’s necessary to justify the film’s massive price tag. Universal spent $250 million to produce — a staggering cost for any tentpole these days, especially one that’s rated R — and another $125 million to market to global audiences.
“Christopher Nolan is the only filmmaker working today who could take an ancient story like this, attract a cast as sprawling and accomplished as this, and make it a pop culture event,” says David A. Gross, who publishes the box office newsletter FranchiseRe. “Nolan has become a unique and singular talent, with a loyal and enthusiastic following.”
Nolan has long been a commercial draw, having directed outsized box office triumphs like “The Dark Knight” trilogy, “Inception,” “Dunkirk” and “Interstellar.” But the British filmmaker reached a new level of fame after 2023’s “Oppenheimer,” which became a box office juggernaut before securing the Oscar for best picture. Fueled by the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon, “Oppenheimer” launched above expectations to $82 million and earned a remarkable $330 million in North America and $975 million globally by the end of its run. While “Oppenheimer” opened in second place behind “Barbie,” another box office behemoth, “The Odyssey” gets the satisfaction of debuting at No. 1 across the globe.
“There’s a palpable excitement in theaters this weekend,” says Universal’s domestic distribution president Jim Orr. “Christopher Nolan is one of the most trusted filmmakers ever, and audiences know he’s going to deliver something that you want to experience on the big screen. We have showtimes in certain formats that are sold out for next weekend, the weekend after, and even mid-week.”
Nolan has become synonymous with premium large formats, and “The Odyssey” is notable as the first feature shot entirely with Imax cameras. It’s a feat that Nolan has called his “longest-held ambition.” Audiences have taken note of the hype around these screens. Premium large formats contributed a massive 53% of the film’s domestic tally, with Imax accounting for $51.8 million or 23% of global ticket sales. Imax, which is dedicating its entire global footprint to “The Odyssey” for three weeks, has been scheduling showtimes around the clock in the coveted 70mm auditoriums, with some determined cinephiles enduring 2 a.m. and 7 a.m. screenings of the nearly three-hour epic.
“’The Odyssey’ is among a rarified group of instant classic blockbusters in Imax history that fully leverage our platform; as bullish as we are on its success, our experience tells us that even we don’t know how this movie will grow our brand and business,” says Rich Gelfond, CEO of Imax. “With record pre-sales, critical and audience acclaim, and the way the film presents extraordinarily in Imax, we believe all the elements are in place for ‘The Odyssey’ to enjoy a very long and successful run.”
Thanks to “The Odyssey,” the box office is rebounding after three consecutive duds: the Warner Bros. and DC adaptation “Supergirl,” Universal and Illumination sequel “Minions and Monsters” and Disney’s live action “Moana.” Despite those stumbles, domestic ticket sales are roughly 10% above 2025, according to Rentrak, and the summer season is expected to surpass $4 billion for the second time since the pandemic upended the industry.
“Nolan’s latest epic has arrived at the perfect time, reminding everyone of the undeniable allure of the big-screen moviegoing experience,” says Paul Dergarabedian, Rentrak’s head of marketplace trends.
“Moana” landed in a very distant second place with $19 million in its sophomore frame — a 56% decline from its disappointing $43 million debut. So far, Disney’s live-action remake has generated $82 million domestically and $178 million globally. Since “Moana” was so expensive (it carries a $250 million price tag) and theater owners get to keep roughly half of revenues, the film is primed to lose at least $100 million in its theatrical run. Disney’s summer has been mixed, with the studio fielding outsized hits like “The Devil Wears Prada 2” ($688 million) and “Toy Story 5” along with big-budget misfires like “Moana” and “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu” ($340 million against a $165 million budget).
“Minions and Monsters” tied with “Toy Story 5” for third place, with each film bringing in $14.8 million over the weekend.
For “Minions and Monsters,” those ticket sales represent a 34% drop from the prior weekend and boost revenues to $137 million domestically and $323 million globally. Since prior entries in Universal and Illumination’s “Despicable Me” franchise have reached or surpassed the billion-dollar mark with ease, the newest “Minions” may wind up as the lowest-grossing of the bunch. However, this installment was produced for $85 million and will turn a profit for the studio.
“Toy Story 5” is one summer’s biggest hits with $430 million in North America and $958 million worldwide after five weekends of release. It’ll soon surpass $1 billion and eventually overtake its predecessor, 2019’s “Toy Story 4” ($1.07 billion), as the highest-grossing entry in the beloved Pixar franchise.
Meanwhile, “Supergirl” dropped to No. 9 with $1.5 million in its fourth weekend. After a month in theaters, the latest comic book adaptation from Warner Bros. and DC is fizzling with $69.9 million domestically and $120 million globally. Given its hefty $170 million budget, “Supergirl” is projected to lose more than $120 million in its theatrical run. It’s the second notable flop in 2026 for Warner Bros., following this spring’s “The Bride!” which flatlined with $23 million worldwide against a $90 million budget.
Elsewhere, A24’s comedy “The Invite” has collected $3.9 million over the weekend from 2,110 screens, its widest footprint to date. After about a month in limited release, Olivia Wilde’s movie has grossed a promising $15 million.
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A powerful earthquake ripped through Peru’s Andes region overnight, killing at least five people and leaving hundreds displaced as homes and a church collapsed, with authorities warning Sunday that an unknown number of people remain missing.
The magnitude 5.5 quake struck shortly after 9:20 p.m. Saturday near the city of Sicaya in central Peru, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake injured more than 20 people and forced at least 300 residents from their homes, Peru’s National Civil Defense Institute said.
Officials were still trying to account for missing residents Sunday after several buildings collapsed or were left unsafe, including a local church and convent.
SECURITY GUARD SURVIVES EIGHT DAYS BENEATH COLLAPSED SHOPPING CENTER AFTER VENEZUELA EARTHQUAKES
Residents walk amid the debris of homes that collapsed after an earthquake struck Pumpuya, Peru, Sunday, July 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Javier Ninanya)
Authorities said the region’s widespread use of traditional adobe construction likely made the damage worse. Luis Vásquez, head of the local civil defense office, said the rustic building materials “contributed to the greater impact and damage.”
A motor tricycle is stuck amid the debris of homes that collapsed after an earthquake struck Pumpuya, Peru, Sunday, July 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Jhefry Sedano)
Images from the hard-hit farming community of Chongo Bajo showed families wrapped in blankets outside damaged homes as neighbors picked through the rubble. Animals could also be seen trapped beneath collapsed buildings.
BOY, 2, PULLED ALIVE FROM RUBBLE SIX DAYS AFTER VENEZUELA’S DEVASTATING TWIN EARTHQUAKES
“My home has been destroyed,” resident Hermenegilda Guamalato told local radio while looking for shelter with her three children in the neighboring province of Huayucachi.
Residents stand next to the covered bodies of neighbors who were killed after an earthquake struck Pumpuya, Peru, Sunday, July 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Javier Ninanya)
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Peru sits along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” one of the world’s most active earthquake zones. In 2007, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck the coastal province of Pisco, killing nearly 600 people.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Around 6,000 members of Italy’s armed forces and security services marched through Rome on Saturday, demanding higher pay, better pensions and stronger workplace protections.
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The demonstration brought together representatives of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Carabinieri and Guardia di Finanza in the first joint protest organised by the country’s main defence and security unions.
The rally came just days after the government renewed the collective agreement covering around 430,000 military and security personnel. The deal includes a gross monthly pay rise of €188 and a one-off back payment of €2,448, as well as a commitment to open talks on pension reform.
Several unions, including Sinafi, the New Carabinieri Union (NSC), Usami Aeronautica, Itamil and Silmm, refused to sign the agreement, arguing that it does not go far enough to address pay and retirement concerns. They organised Saturday’s protest to press the government for further measures.
Marching under the slogan, “Every day we serve Italy. Today we demand respect”, protesters carried banners through the streets of Rome.
In a statement issued ahead of the rally, the unions outlined four main demands: reform of the supplementary pension system and an end to plans to raise the retirement age to 65, stronger legal protections for security personnel, pay increases that keep pace with the rising cost of living, and greater investment in recruitment, training and modernising the profession.
The protest concluded with a conference on the future of Italy’s security, defence and emergency services, attended by representatives of several unions, including the New Carabinieri Union (NSC), which refused to sign the new pay agreement.
“The reasons why we did not sign this agreement and rejected it are simple: what we were supposed to receive from an economic point of view has not been delivered,” said NSC secretary-general Massimiliano Zetti.
“Because inside those uniforms working for the state, under the state’s emblem, there are not silhouettes, there are families, there are people, women and men who work. It is only right that they should be paid fairly. Security has a cost.”
Law enforcement protests in Europe
Although rare, protests by members of the armed forces and law enforcement have taken place in several EU countries in recent years.
In Italy, police unions organised demonstrations in 2023 to demand more funding for pay rises, salary increases in line with inflation and additional recruitment to tackle staff shortages.
In France, police unions staged strikes and pickets in early 2024, calling for bonuses and guarantees on shifts and leave ahead of the Paris Olympics, which required a major security operation.
In Spain, the Jusapol union repeatedly protested in 2024, demanding pay parity for National Police and Guardia Civil officers with regional police forces such as Catalonia’s Mossos d’Esquadra. Some police unions had also opposed the government’s Catalan amnesty law in late 2023.
Belgian police unions also organised protests in 2022 and 2023, including “white strikes”, roadblocks and a temporary refusal to issue fines for minor offences, with some demonstrations disrupting access to Brussels Airport.
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