Language Resource: World Cup 2010 Conversations - Somali with Somali and English Subtitles

As in many parts of the world, the FIFA World Cup Tournament commands the attention of many. In 2010, the World Cup took place in South Africa. Though far from the Horn of Africa, many there shared the excitement of the first World Cup staged on the African continent. Many Somalis were particularly proud that K'naan's song, Wavin' Flag, was the Coca-Cola promotional anthem for the 2010 World Cup.

This short film captures some of the tension between the demands of work and watching World Cup matches. The characters also explore some of the debates around African football. This site offers it in five languages from the Horn: Amharic, Oromo, Somali, Swahili, and Tigrinya. These videos provide an audiovisual introduction to students of the languages and social interactions. Language students can also use the videos to sharpen their listening and comprehension skills. The skit here is presented in Somali.

Compare this to the same skit in the other languages. What differences do you notice?

You can also watch this with English subtitles.