Recognition & Awards

Our work in cultural knowledge, healing, and open education has been recognised by respected institutions worldwide — including the Open Education Awards for Excellence (2025 Nominee – Open Pedagogy), the British Library, BBC, the Mayor of London, and the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC).

Each recognition includes a verified link for transparency and credibility.

Open Education Awards for Excellence (2025 Nominee – Open Pedagogy)

International recognition by Open Education Global, the leading nonprofit advancing open education worldwide, in alignment with UNESCO’s vision for inclusive and accessible learning.

👉 View Recognition: https://openbadgefactory.com/v1/assertion/ba0630d00e26756995976d166a7dcb619c3a07c0

British Library Archive

50+ poems and oral tradition recordings preserved as part of Somali cultural heritage.
(Recognition supported by Goldsmiths University archive record)

👉 View Recognition: https://www.gold.ac.uk/calendar/?id=5859

BBC Radio 4 & REF2014 (SOAS Impact Case Study)

In 2010, Abdullahi was featured on BBC Radio 4’s *The Bards of Somalia*, a national broadcast that brought Somali oral poetry to a mainstream audience — a rare and significant moment for cultural representation in the UK.

This broadcast is now validated academically: the event is cited in the REF2014 Impact Case Study titled *“Enhancing Understanding of Somali Poetry and Culture”*, submitted by SOAS (School of Oriental & African Studies). This highlights the cultural impact and recognition of Somali poetry within UK higher education research.

👉 View Recognition: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00tf9nw

👉 View Recognition: https://impact.ref.ac.uk/casestudies/CaseStudy.aspx?Id=42777

Mayor of London Anthology

Poetry featured in the Mayor of London’s official cultural publication *Twelve Poems for London*, celebrating diversity and inclusion through the arts.

👉 View Recognition: https://poemsforthewall.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Twelve-Mayor-of-London-Poems.pdf

United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC)

In 2014, Abdullahi was invited as a changemaker to the Storytelling Somalia retreat, organised by UNAOC and Radical Middle Way. His participation highlighted the role of storytelling and healing in intercultural dialogue.

👉 View Event Context: https://share.google/CGclKO1EIJyRc1kxq