A HISTORY OF THE SOMALI COMMUNITY IN THE UK



How many people speak this language in the world today ?

An estimated 7.8million speak Somali in Somalia itself with a further 12.65million speaking the language globally. It originates from the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic family.

What is the history behind its arrival in the UK ?

• The first Somali immigrants to speak their language in the UK were seamen and merchants who settled in port cities like Cardiff, Liverpool and London.
• The Royal Navy during the Second World War brought more Somali men who stayed on in search of work.
•  As a result of the Somali Civil War a large number of women and children and a few men fled Somalia to seek asylum in the UK.

Where are the main areas in the UK where this language is spoken ?

As work dried up on the merchant navy yards and ships, many of the migrants looked to industrial cities like Birmingham, Manchester and Sheffield where demand for industrial workers was high. As a result small Somali communities began to form and grew to notable modern day communities.

What is the history of this language in the UK ?

Owing to the rapid increase in migration the language has spread from Somalia to Ethopia, Yemen, Kenya, Djibouti and even further to the Middle East, North America and Europe. Many Somali speaking natives who had fled to the above countries owing to the civil war were to eventually find their way to the UK as asylum seekers. Although it should be noted that earlier settlers had already integrated into local communities and established their own communities with places of worship and some had gone further as setting up their own businesses.

When was it first spoken ?

The language was first spoken in the UK in the 19th.

Who by ?

Somali seamen and merchants.

Additional Information.
Somalia is well noted for its beautiful women and how they uphold their cultural values wherever they are in the world

                                                                                                                                                                               



Other notable Somali ambassadors include Mo Farah - international track and field athlete,  K'naan - poet, rapper and singer, Rageh Omaar - British journalist and writer and Hussain Bisad - tallest man in the world.

Somali Language greetings:Teach me Somali