Radio Shabelle celebrates its 17th anniversary

[Deeq A.]

Radio Shabelle, a leading independent local FM station, is celebrating its 17^th anniversary of existence on Sunday to mark the day when the Radio first came to air on 6th May 2002 in Merca, the capital of Somalia’s southern Lower Shabelle region.

The anniversary was due to commemorate May 6, but, held one day prior to its time due the Muslim Holy Month of Ramadan, which is expected to begin Monday.

During the past 17 years, it has been feeding both local and international communities with information about the wars, droughts, economy, environment, education and daily events in the Horn of Africa country that has been without effective central institutions since 1991 when warlords overthrew former dictator Mohammed Siad Barre.

The director of the station, Abukar Mohamud has congratulated the whole staff members and the audience at large on the occasion and wished Allah’s mercy on those who lost their lives while in the line of duty.

Mohamed said Radio Shabelle was launched to cater the much-needed information to the listeners in Somalia and give the Somali people a comprehensive picture of the political, cultural and economic state of their country, letting them have the opportunity to express their freedom of speech on the important social and political issues in their country.

Villa Somalia, the country’s presidential palace, political parties and members of the public sent a cable of congratulations to the President of the Radio on the anniversary.

Shabelle Media Network [SMN] and its website, Shabelle.net will be remembered for the tangible role it took in covering the severe droughts in southern Somalia in 2005.

The radio, now based in Mogadishu, the Somali capital, who have long been known with the radio drama QOMAMO (Remorse) that reached out thousands of young militias in the country.

The radio drama exposed the ugliness of being an armed militiaman and used by warlords who cared about nobody but themselves and their wealth.

Hundreds of armed men repented, laid down their arms and joined the rest their average people because of Shabelle radio play that touched the real lives of armed militias in Somalia.

Shabelle FM expands to all over the world as people are now able to listen to the news and programs through live stream.

Shabelle Media Network Mogadishu, 6th May 2019.

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