ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti tˈuː, æz pˈɑːɹt ʌvðə sˈoʊʃəl sˈaɪəns ɹᵻsˈɜːtʃ kˈaʊnsəl tˈiːmz ɹˌiːɐsˈɛsmənt ʌvðə "tˈiːtʃɪŋ ænd stˈʌdi ʌvðə hjuːmˈænᵻɾiz ɪn ˈæfɹɪkə," hiː wɛnt tə səmˈɑːliə æz ɐ kənsˈʌltənt ænd ɪntˈɜːpɹɪɾɚ fɚðɪ ˌeɪbˌiːsˈiː nˈuːz pɹˈoʊɡɹæm nˈaɪtlaɪn wɪððɪ ɐmˈɛɹɪkən dʒˈɜːnəlˌɪst tˈɛd kəpˈɛl.
In 1992, as part of the Social Science Research Council team's reassessment of the "Teaching and Study of the Humanities in Africa," he went to Somalia as a consultant and interpreter for the ABC news program Nightline with the American journalist Ted Koppel.