“Aaj Hum Baat Karna Chahenge Pure Hindustan se” Says Somalia Deputy PM Surprises Journalist Rajdeep Sardesai by Speaking Fluent Hindi at Davos Interview

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Senior journalist Rajdeep Sardesai spoke with Somalia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Salah Ahmed Jama, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Published on January 23, 2025, the interview drew attention not only for its diplomatic substance but also for a surprising moment that delighted viewers. Deputy Prime Minister Jama spoke fluent Hindi.

Somalia has recently been in focus in the United States, particularly amid President Donald Trump’s repeated criticism of Somali immigrants, many of whom live in cities such as Minneapolis. Against this backdrop, Jama used the interview to push back against negative portrayals of his country by President Trump.

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During the interaction, Jama surprised Sardesai by choosing to speak in Hindi, without incorrect pronunciation or an unfamiliar accent, speaking much like any Indian would. “Sardesai sahab,  hume toh bhaut khushi hoti hai ki apne hume yeh mauka diya hai, ki India today main hum mehman ban gye aaj and is mauke pe hum baat karna chahenge pure hindustan se (Mr Sardesai, we are very happy that you have given us this opportunity to be guests on India Today. On this occasion, we would like to speak to the whole of India)” he said, drawing an immediate reaction from the anchor.

With complete shock Sardesai responded “Hindi main, waah!! (Wow! In Hindi).” When Sardesai asked about his strong command of the language and where he learned it, the Deputy Prime Minister said he had spent several years studying in India.

Jama said he had lived and studied in Pune, Maharashtra; Hyderabad, which was then part of Andhra Pradesh and is now Telangana; and also in Delhi. He recalled spending some of the best days of his life in India and added that Somalia and India share a long-standing historical relationship, describing the two nations as neighbours with deep cultural and educational ties.

In the interview, Jama also addressed recent remarks made by Donald Trump, who had questioned Somalia’s status as a functioning state and made disparaging comments about Somali people. At a White House briefing on January 20, 2025, Trump had said, “Somalia is not even a country. They don’t have anything that resembles a country. And if it is a country, it’s considered just about the worst in the world.”

When interviewer Rajdeep Sardesai questioned him about the comment, Jama responded firmly but calmly. Jama said Somalia’s story was often reduced to negative narratives. “We keep hearing only the bad narratives,” he said. “Hum apni kahani sunayenge aapko.” (“Let us tell our story.”)

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Referring to claims about the intelligence of Somali people, Jama said critics often allege that Somalis have a low IQ. He rejected these assertions, urging people to ask Indian professors who have taught Somali students in India about their intelligence and capabilities. He also noted that Somalia’s president had studied in India, underscoring the deep educational ties between the two countries.

The interview was widely shared online, with many viewers praising Jama’s fluency in Hindi. Somalia has been repeatedly criticised by Donald Trump, who has continued to question the country’s legitimacy. During a cabinet meeting in December 2025, Trump referred to immigrants from Somalia as “garbage.”

In his recent appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump again spoke about Somali people. Addressing an audience of foreign leaders and corporate executives, President Donald Trump referenced an alleged fraud case in Minnesota involving several Somali residents.

“Can you believe that? Somalia — they turned out to be higher-IQ than we thought,” Trump said. “I always say these are low-IQ people. How do they go into Minnesota and steal all that money?”

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