About Walaalo Studio & Purpose

Language is not merely a tool for communication, but a living archive of memory, identity, and belonging. Walaalo Studio was founded on this core principle.

Teach your kids Somali: With love, laughter, and a little help from us

Every word carries culture, history, and connection, shaping how children understand themselves, their families, and their communities. Our work brings Somali language and heritage into everyday life through stories, songs, and educational materials designed to make learning immersive, joyful, and meaningful.

Our work begins with sound

Our inaugural collection of five Somali children’s audiobooks, narrated by the renowned Abdi Flash of the iconic group Waaberi, foregrounds oral storytelling as a vital mode of cultural transmission.

Rooted in Somali folktales, animal stories, and musical traditions, these audiobooks support early language exposure and intergenerational continuity, particularly within diasporic families. Designed for everyday listening at home, in the car, or at bedtime. 

Extends into the visual world

Complementing the audiobooks, Walaalo Studio also produces hand-illustrated educational posters that translate language into visual form. Designed by illustrator Felicia Fortes, this poster collection includes the Somali alphabet with animals, the Somali alphabet with clear pronunciation guidance, and a Somali family tree mapping kinship terms and relationships.

Together, these visual tools support vocabulary development, pronunciation, cultural understanding, and daily language reinforcement in homes, classrooms, and learning spaces.

The name Walaalo, meaning sibling in Somali, reflects the values that guide our work: care, connection, and shared responsibility. At Walaalo Studio, we create thoughtfully crafted cultural and educational resources that allow children to hear, see, and live their language, ensuring that Somali remains not only preserved, but actively spoken, understood, and passed forward.

Founder Sagal Hussein Omar

I’ve spent over sixteen years as a journalist and storyteller, working across national and local radio, cultural reporting, and daily news, with organizations such as Swedish Radio, Utbildningsradion, and Sydsvenskan. Throughout my career, I’ve always believed in the power of stories, to connect people, illuminate experiences, and help us make sense of the world.

Now, I’m turning that experience toward a deeply personal mission. Like many parents in the diaspora, I’ve struggled with keeping my children connected to their mother tongue. Languages can easily fade when they aren’t woven into daily life, and I wanted to create something that makes learning Somali natural, joyful, and alive.

Walaalo Studio is the result, a space where stories, songs, and visuals work together to nurture language, heritage, and belonging for the next generation.