The Bards of Somalia

August 24, 2010 Portrayed abroad as a land beset by gunmen, pirates and famine, Somalia is also known by those who live there as a Nation of Poets. Somalia had no written language until 1972 and poetry has always been the country's core form of mass communication – whether the spoken word or, more recently, via cassettes and radios.

In discussion with presenter Rageh Omaar, poets from the Somali community in Britain and expert translators wonder if – through the medium of everything from the spoken word to text messaging – Somalia’s bards might provide the germ of a new form of information-sharing in Britain.

Listen to the programme (available online until 28 August) here.