[Natalia] How does language shape national identity?

[Singing in Somali] When Somali was officially recognized as Somalia's national language in October 1972, it gave people across the country an official way to communicate.

Previously, Somali had been a mainly oral tradition.

Schools and government organizations used English and Italian, the languages of Somalia's former colonizers, for written communication.

These languages were not widely accessible to many Somalis.

But then the Somali government created a Somali script based on the Roman alphabet and embarked on a national literacy campaign.

Over the next few years, approximately 2 million people in urban and rural Somalia learned to read and write.

This allowed people across the country to write and communicate in a shared language and to recognize themselves as part of a shared national identity.

The poet Hadrawi celebrated these events in his poem, "Settling the Somali Language."

For Minnesota composer Timothy C. Takach, the story of the Somali language codification is a story of joy and coming together.

He was inspired to write "Afka Hooyo," setting Hadrawi's poem to music and weaving together influences of Somali music as well as American choral traditions.

Takach turned to aural listening to create original music celebrating a culture not his own.

He collaborated with Somali poet Ahmed Ismail Yusuf, modeling his melody and rhythm off of Yusuf's reading of the poem, including his cadence, pacing, and what syllables were stressed.

[Ahmed Speaking Somali] [Singing in Somali] For Takach, it's important for audiences to see themselves represented in choral music.

He said ... Music, like language, is an expression of national identity.

When earlier waves of Scandinavian and Southeast Asian immigrants came to Minnesota, they brought with them their musical traditions.

Music is a living record of the cultures that make up our state, and Takach's song, "Afka Hooyo," is just one of the many songs that reflect the Somali traditions present here.

[Singing in Somali] (drumming) [Singing in Somali] [Drumming] [Singing in Somali] [Singing in Somali] [Singing in Somali] [Singing in Somali] [applause]