Is enough being done to preserve and develop Af-Soomaali ?

For the last twenty something years there has been a dangerous stagnation in regards to the advancement of the Somali language. Af-Soomaali is the language spoken mainly by Somalis living in the Horn of Africa and those in the wider diaspora. It has its roots in the Cushitic languages alongside those spoken by Oromo and Afar peoples. There is no reliable consensus on how many speakers Af-Soomaali has globally, but it is generally estimated to be between 15-17 million. The absence of an effective Somali state and a vibrant literary community has brought the development of the language almost to a complete halt. It is important to note that much of the advancement of the Somali language was done under the communist era and not under Somalia's first decade of democracy. 

Between 1960-69, Somalia had no defined scripture for the Somali language. The newspapers, magazines and books were mainly printed in Italian and English.The educational system did not fair any better with only the two aforementioned languages being taught. Indeed there was such a crisis of illiteracy that the gap between the intellectual urban Somali class and the rural nomads was subject to frequent ridicule. This was in its own way Somalia's own division of class.

With the communist coup 1969, Somalia had in some ways improved. The regime adopted Somali writing and promptly made the advancement of the Somali language a priority.  Af-Soomaali was especially promoted and used in academia with subjects such as Mathematics and Physics translated and regularly updated. Here is for example a short list of terms associated with basic Physics and maths translated into Somali.

Astronomical unit = Halbeegga xiddigaha

Diameter = Dhexroorka

Formula = Hab-xisaabeed

Particles = bitaanbitooyin

Anti-Particles = lidka-bitaanbitooyinka

Nuclear reaction = iskushubmidda bu’aha

Magnetic Field = Birlabta

Charge electricity = Cabbeynta Shixnadaha Jacda

Under a brief period of time Af-Soomaali was experiencing its own golden age. State backed literacy campaigns coupled with a developing national identity helped make the Somali language central to means of communication. Almost any profession ranging from artists to Science teachers expanded the Somali language and added new words to explain new concepts. Modernizing an African language was at this time very controversial as most of the other African countries adopted the colonial language. It was this conservative attitude in regards to the Somali language that gave Somalia an identity as a country. 

However when the civil war erupted in the late eighties and in the early nighties, these gains were eroded as the consequences of dictatorship has begun to take root. Since then any development of the Somali language has been almost non existent. 

I believe today we have Af-Soomaali bearing all the hallmarks of a dying language. I believe this because almost all advancement of the language has been abandoned. Priority is given to more "developed" languages such as Turkish, Arabic, English or Amharic as is the case in Hargeisa . It is the vulnerability of the Somali language in Somalia that is the issue. Af-Soomaali is vulnerable in Somalia due to the weak nature of the state, the apathy of Somalis in general, and the exploitation of foreign actors. 

One such example is Turkey, in just a short period of time Turkish is being promoted across Mogadishu. Such examples are Turkish billboards and signs, Somali students learning Turkish, as well as poor mothers giving their newborns Turkish names instead of Somali ones. The underlying economical conditions is of course a big reason. The Turks are perhaps associated with wealth and "good fortune" in their eyes, while perhaps the perception they have of themselves is that being Somali and speaking Somali does not give you any benefit, and indeed in many cases the opposite. 

In this regard however Turkey is not the only actor, it is something Al Shabaab has been doing for many years. In Al Shabaab occupied territory it is mandatory to learn and speak a foreign language, Arabic. For those that can afford radio and television, Al shaabab has forced  them to only intercept Arab media. This is a deliberate tactic of undermining the Somali language. Therefore it is important Somalis are aware and mindful about Af-Soomaali, and that there is some kind of push back against those kind of foreign forces.Thus it brings me to one last question, is enough being done to preserve and develop Af-Soomaali?