Osmaniya script
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Osmaniya or Osmania script was one of the scripts created for writing the Somali Language which is the official language of Somalia and Somaliland and widely used in Ethiopia and Djibouti. It was named after Osman Yusuf Kenadid.
Osman Yusuf Kenadid created the Osmaniya Script in 1920. While this gained reasonably wide acceptance in some areas of Somalia, it was not nationally adopted and it was difficult to spread among a largely illiterate population due to the nomadic traditions of the Somali people. As Somali nationalism grew, the adoption of a universally recognized script for Somalia became an important point of discussion. After independence was gained, no progress was made on the issue, as opinion was divided over whether Arabic or Latin script should be used. By this time argument in favour of the Osmaniya script had lost support. Ultimately, on 21 October 1971, the Somali president Siad Barre’s government unilaterally decided to use the Latin script for writing Somali and the government launched a massive education program, designed to educate the people and to ensure the Latin script was adopted. This led to the ultimate decline in any use or promotion of the Osmaniya Script.
