Putting the Somali Digital Rights Lexicon into Practice

Peter Chonka (Department of Digital Humanities) in collaboration with Mohamed Abdimalik (Jaantus, a Somali-based data journalism organisation), and AGA, the Somali Language Academy.

Led by Peter Chonka (Department of Digital Humanities, King’s College London), this project developed Somali-language resources to support more informed public and professional engagement with generative AI and digital rights in Somalia. Building on Peter’s earlier research on digital rights, language and data governance, the project was delivered in collaboration with Mohamed Abdimalik of Jaantus, a Somali-based data journalism organisation, and AGA, the Somali Language Academy.

The project co-developed and translated key AI-related concepts into Somali, combining technical explanation with attention to social, cultural and political context. A central output was Kasmo, an interactive Somali-English network graph that allows users to explore generative AI terms and their relationships. The team also produced a downloadable lexicon and ran workshops and discussions with journalists, researchers and cultural stakeholders in Somalia.

In addition, the project highlighted the importance of locally grounded translation in shaping public understanding of emerging technologies. It supported Somali-language debate on AI in a context where regulation and accessible terminology remain limited, and created space for reflection on how machine translation, linguistic nuance and digital governance intersect in conflict-affected settings.

For full details of the project, please see the PDF case study below.

Putting the Somali Digital Rights Lexicon into Practice – PDF Case Study