Somali state media is to start broadcasting in Italian after a hiatus of 30 years. This followed an agreement signed recently between Mogadishu and Rome.
Prior to the breakout of the 1991 Civil War, the state media had been broadcasting in Italian.
That’s because Italy colonized Somalia up to 1960 when the East African nation obtained its independence.
Several publications were also in Italian.
On October 6, Osman Abukar Dubbe, the Somali Minister of Information, broke the news to the world.
Dubbe revealed this after signing an agreement with Alberto Vecchi, the Italian Ambassador to Somalia.
Consequently, Somali National TV (SNTV) will introduce Italian broadcasts soon.
Nevertheless, several Somali scholars have criticized the move terming it a non-priority.