World Press Freedom Day 2025 - Somalia
World Press Freedom Day 2025
On #WorldPressFreedomDay we stand with journalists who risk their lives to report the truth under often very challenging circumstances, also in conflict situations around the world. Their work is essential to provide true information. Journalists must therefore be protected to be able to report safely, freely and independently. Journalists play an important role as an independent source of information and watchdog. They must be able to do their work independently and in safety.
The Dutch government supports the independent position of journalists and media organisations worldwide and each year the Netherlands marks World Press Freedom Day on 3 May. To honor this day, the Netherlands Embassy in Somalia puts a spotlight on the work of the Somalia Journalist Syndicate (SJS), and the #Baraarug campaign. Read more about the work of Abdalle Mumin and his team in the interview below.
The #Baraarug Campaign
Could you start by telling us about the Baraarug campaign - what does ''Baraarug'' mean, and what inspired SJS to launch this initiative?
"Baraarug," meaning "Wake Up" in Somali, is a multimedia campaign launched by the Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) in collaboration with the Netherlands Embassy through the Dutch Human Rights Fund. It was born out of an urgent need to respond to rising human rights violations in Somalia including increasing censorship, arbitrary arrests of journalists and the shrinking civic space. The campaign was launched on the International Human Rights Day on 10 December 2024 and quickly gained attention.
The campaign leverages the power of digital media to elevate the voices of women and youth—who together represent the majority of Somalia’s population—in challenging deeply rooted systems of exclusion. The Baraarug campaign is a platform for dialogue, aiming to promote conversations around rights, dignity and inclusion at a time when expressing dissent or demanding change has become increasingly perilous.
What are the focus areas of the campaign and how are young people and women involved?
The Baraarug campaign aims to raise awareness about human rights issues and inspire active engagement on social media. We encourage individuals to share how they address these issues within their own communities. By promoting the use of art as a powerful tool for expression, the campaign seeks to spark dialogue and drive action around human rights.
As an oral society, art resonates deeply with Somali culture. Historically poetry and theater offer powerful tools for emotional storytelling specically for the Somali nomadic culture where rural communities used to rely messages and this has helped to translate abstract concepts like equality and justice into relatable, everyday experiences and everyday people. With this in mind, our storytelling approach at Baraarug focuses on simply triggering the conversation—and then letting people talk. After all, Somalis love to talk; it’s often just a matter of sparking the right kind of dialogue and the method.
What methods do you use to address human rights issues?
At the opening of Baraarug, we invited a group of local traditional artists to perform a short play featuring an elder man, his wife, a local school teacher and a female university student. The storyline focused on the importance of girls’ education and how empowered women can contribute to the well-being of their community. Despite its brevity, the message was powerful and had a strong impact. Therefore using art plays a key role when talking about human rights and freedoms.
Similarly at the campaign’s launch, a young female poet Fartun Ahmed Mohamed performed a piece on dignity and gender equality, while a stage play captured attention and sparked reflection among the audience.
Women and youth are not mere participants but pivotal leaders in the campaign. Their narratives, experiences, stories and messages need to be heard, shared and valued. The focus on poetry, theather and social media attrachts a very youthful population.
How does the Baraarug campaign address freedom of expression and press freedom in Somalia?
Somalia remains one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists. In 2022 alone, more than 80 media workers were arbitrarily arrested. One case in point, our own Secretary General, Abdalle Ahmed Mumin was detained for speaking out against government-imposed media restrictions. This illustrates the grave risks journalists face simply for doing their job. Women journalists have been also targeted. Just last year three women journalists are among journalists injured with physical assault just because they were doing their job. SJS usually stands at the front to advocate, support and train the journalists with various skills including safety and security.
Baraarug places press freedom at the core of its mission drawing a clear link between freedom of expression and the broader struggle for human rights and democratic accountability. As part of the campaign, the Somali Journalists Syndicate will train 40 journalists across South Central Somalia and Puntland to strengthen ethical reporting, enhance safety awareness and equip them to tell powerful stories that drive change.
Recognizing that journalism often uncovers pressing issues affecting girls, youth, women and communities, Baraarug integrates clear advocacy and referral pathways to ensure meaningful follow-up. The campaign prioritizes journalist safety, closely monitoring risks and escalating cases when needed.
The campaign isn’t just about journalists – it also includes a focus on civic rights for youth and women, equality and justice. Can you give us an example of some key issues Baraarug is addressing?
The campaign takes a bold stance on several pressing issues: gender-based violence, youth disenfranchisement and women’s exclusion from leadership. It challenges cultural and systemic barriers such as the limited access women have to participate in governance or how unemployment fuels instability among youth.
Through social media and community events, Baraarug creates spaces for open discussion, knowledge-sharing and civic education. The goal is to inspire policy shifts toward inclusive governance and to cultivate a social fabric that values rights, equity and accountability.
Finally, as we celebrate World Press Freedom Day, what message would you like to share about press freedom and the broader goals of Baraarug? How do you hope this campaign will make a difference?
On World Press Freedom Day, the message from Baraarug is: a free press is the foundation of a fair society. Somalia has lost more than 50 journalists since 2010, yet those still standing continue to inform, investigate and give voice to the voiceless—often at great personal risk. It is worrisome that the impunity for crimes against journalists continues to persist throughout the country.
At Baraarug we continue to highlight all these issues with different programs we cover. Baraarug is not only educating the public about importance of the civic rights, but we do the proper job of advocacy and leading the way for change of culture. Baraarug envisions a Somalia where no one is silenced, where women and youth drive the national conversation and where civic engagement is a right, not a risk. The Baraarug campaign aims to "wake up" Somalia to its untapped potential—one story, one podcast and one hashtag at a time.