Article
Background
Khatra Nur’s Action Project, the Somali Sonic Archive, is a digital initiative to preserve and share Somali oral heritage by converting cassette tapes into accessible online recordings. Growing up surrounded by a strong tradition of oral storytelling — including music, poetry, and recorded personal messages — Khatra became aware of how much history was stored in these cassetes.
In the Somali diaspora, cassette tapes played a key role in maintaining connection and cultural memory during and after the civil war. These tapes, often recorded and smuggled out during times of displacement, helped families stay in touch and retain ties to their heritage. As technology advanced and tapes deteriorated, Khatra recognized the urgency of preservation and began digitizing her own family’s collection.
The Somali Sonic Archive is now freely available through SoundCloud, where listeners can hear, engage with, and share the recordings.
Considering much of Somalia’s cultural heritage was either taken from the region by colonial powers or destroyed during the civil war, it becomes even more important to preserve the personal archives we possess.
Approach and Methodology
The Somali Sonic Archive began with Khatra’s decision to digitize her family’s personal cassette collection. She researched the tools and techniques needed, selected a USB-compatible cassette converter, and began recording each tape — one side at a time. Using VLC software for editing and SoundCloud as the publishing platform, she carefully archived each file, identifying songs and artists whenever possible.
What makes this archive special is its deeply personal nature: it reflects what ordinary people valued enough to record, smuggle, and preserve — creating a rich tapestry of lived experiences, most of them profoundly shaped by the social and political circumstances of their time.
Impact
While still in its early stages, the Somali Sonic Archive has created a space for cultural preservation and personal reflection. Through listening to the tapes, Khatra was able to learn more about her parents’ interests and the values they chose to record and preserve.
The project aims to (re)introduce the new and previous generations within the Somali diaspora with their sonic heritage. They can participate by listening and engaging with the material as well as submitting their own tapes, which makes the archive a dynamic and still growing project.
The archive is available here: https://soundcloud.com/somalisonicarchive
New Steps
The next steps will include to finish digitizing all her family archives and to promote the SoundCloud channel to reach more people and to invite them to share their own materials. Lastly, she is planning on organising a sound exhibition in the future.