Todheer Region, Somaliland —
The Remarkable Journey of Deaf TikTok Creator Mohamed Ordaaye from Rural Somaliland
On a dusty road stretching across the red plains of Somaliland's Togdheer region, a man runs alone under the wide African sky, Mohamed Ordaaye told HornDiplomat, describing how his daily runs became the foundation of his viral TikTok videos.
There is no stadium.
There are no cheering crowds.
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There is no music.
He cannot hear the wind moving across the open land. He cannot hear the sound of his footsteps touching the ground.
Yet millions of people around the world are beginning to see him.
His name is Mohamed Ahmed Ali Duale, known online as Mohamed Ordaaye, a deaf TikTok creator whose simple running videos from rural Somaliland have unexpectedly attracted global attention.
"I am Mohamed Ahmed Ali Duale, known as Mohamed Ordaaye," he says. "My life began in the Hawd area of the Togdheer region, in Duruqsi district, specifically the village of Yucub-Yabooh, where my family lives."
Yucub-Yabooh is a small pastoral community where life revolves around livestock and survival in a harsh environment. Electricity is limited. Internet access is inconsistent. Opportunities for global visibility are rare.
"My household consists of my mother, Aamina Kabayare, and my siblings, a brother and a sister. We live simply and work as pastoralists," he explains.
There were no studios, cameras, or media mentors in his childhood.
But in 2022, something began to change.
A phone, a road, and an idea
"I joined social media, especially TikTok, between 2022 and 2023 while I was still in my district in Yucub-Yabooh," Ordaaye says.
His idea was simple. He would run along the rural dirt roads near his village, hold his phone, record himself, and post the videos online.
"I started with small-distance running challenges and posted them regularly," he says.
There was no production team. There was no expensive equipment. Only discipline.
"At first, my account began to perform well and gain attention. But it was hacked and taken from me."
For many creators, losing a growing account might end the journey. For Ordaaye, it meant starting again.
"After losing that account, I decided to return and reopen a second account, the one I use now."
And he kept running.
Millions of views from a rural road
What began as simple videos recorded on remote dirt roads soon began to spread widely across TikTok.
Across several posts, Ordaaye's videos have generated millions of views. Some clips have surpassed 40 million views on the platform.
Thousands of comments appear under his videos from viewers around the world.
For a creator filming with basic equipment in rural Somaliland, the scale of attention is remarkable.
Yet the videos themselves remain simple. A man running, holding a phone, speaking to viewers while moving across open land.
Running through real obstacles
Behind every video lies a reality most viewers never see.
"One of the biggest challenges I face is electricity," Ordaaye says. "There is very limited power in the area because it is rural and most people are pastoralists."
Internet access can also be difficult.
"Sometimes I have to move away from where I live just to find a place with better internet in order to upload my videos."
Even recording content is not easy.
"Internet access is difficult for me personally. I use an older phone, and often I have to travel to upload content."
While many online creators talk about algorithms and sponsorships, Ordaaye often focuses on a more basic challenge. Finding a signal.
Still, none of these obstacles appear on screen.
What viewers see is consistency, movement, and determination.
Strength in silence
Ordaaye's story carries another powerful dimension.
"I am deaf, but that has never stopped me from pursuing what I love," he says.
"What matters to me is not what I cannot hear, but what I can see and what I can share."
On a platform dominated by music and sound, Ordaaye communicates visually. His expressions, movements, and persistence speak for him.
"I want people to understand that disability is not inability," he says. "I can communicate through movement, expression, and consistency."
He is not asking for sympathy. He is showing capability.
Global brands begin to notice
As Ordaaye's videos continue spreading across TikTok, global companies have begun to notice his content.
Among them is the verified account of the global sports company Nike. Screenshots circulating on TikTok show the company's account appearing among accounts interacting with content related to Ordaaye's videos.
Nike is one of the largest sports brands in the world and is known for sponsoring elite athletes and international sporting events. Engagement from such companies highlights how widely his videos are circulating on the platform.
For a runner filming himself on remote roads in Somaliland with a basic phone and limited internet access, even small interactions from global brands demonstrate the reach of his content.
A moment that reached the skies
Ordaaye's growing visibility recently reached another unexpected moment.
Among the thousands of comments on his videos was one from a verified account representing the Goodyear Blimp, part of the fleet of commercial airships operated by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company and known worldwide for aerial advertising and broadcasting major sporting events.
The account asked, "Where are you going?"
Ordaaye replied simply, "I'm coming to where you are."
The brief exchange quickly drew thousands of reactions online.
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For a creator filming on rural roads in Somaliland, the interaction symbolized how far his videos had traveled.
A TikTok trend begins
As Ordaaye's videos continued to circulate, users around the world began copying his running style.
Creators started posting duet videos showing themselves running alongside his clips on split screens. Some tagged him directly, while others recreated the same format in their own cities and environments.
What began as a simple personal routine on a rural road in Somaliland has gradually evolved into a recognizable TikTok trend.
Thousands of users have now imitated the same style of filming while running and speaking to the camera.
More than a creator
From a pastoral village in Togdheer to millions of global views, Mohamed Ordaaye represents something larger than social media popularity.
He represents possibility emerging from isolation.
He represents resilience from a region rarely highlighted in global digital culture.
And he represents the idea that ambition does not depend on perfect circumstances.
Every step he takes on that dusty road reflects determination against geographic, economic, and physical barriers.
He cannot hear the applause.
But the world is beginning to respond.
And Mohamed Ordaaye keeps running.
(Reporting by Horndiplomat News Desk)
