Our Work
What We Do
Koor's work is centered on preserving Somali culture, making cultural knowledge more accessible, and supporting the people and practices that sustain it.
Preserving Somali Culture
We are working to establish both a digital and physical archive of cultural artifacts and materials connected to Somali culture. This includes identifying, documenting, organizing, and preserving items that reflect the depth and diversity of Somali cultural life across regions, generations, and communities.
Documenting Intangible Heritage
Not all heritage lives in objects. Much of Somali cultural memory is carried through oral poetry, storytelling, traditions, social knowledge, and lived practice. Koor is committed to documenting oral histories, traditions, and forms of knowledge that might otherwise remain vulnerable to loss or fragmentation.
Supporting Traditional Knowledge and Industries
Traditional industries, artisanal practices, and forms of making carry deep cultural and historical value. Koor seeks to document and support these practices while creating greater recognition for the people who continue to hold and transmit them.
Protecting Endangered Culture and Heritage
Koor's work also responds to the threats facing endangered environments, customs, languages, antiquities, and cultural knowledge across the Somali-inhabited Horn. We see preservation as urgent work, shaped by displacement, environmental change, political instability, and the long-term effects of historical erasure.
Making Culture Accessible to Youth
A core part of Koor's mission is making Somali culture more accessible to young people, both in the diaspora and back home. We want youth to be able to encounter Somali heritage not as something distant or static, but as something living, complex, and relevant to their lives.
Collaborating with Cultural Workers
Koor collaborates with, promotes, and provides support to Somali artists, artisans, and cultural workers. We believe cultural preservation must include the people actively producing knowledge, sustaining practice, and carrying forward creative traditions in the present.
