Music of Somalia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Somalia has the distinction of being one of only a handful of African countries that are composed almost entirely of one ethnic group, the Somalis. Traditional bands like Waaberi Horseed have gained a small following outside the country. Others, like Maryam Mursal, have fused Somali traditional music with rock, bossa nova, hip hop, and jazz, influences. Native instruments include the batar drum. Somalia has also produced native hip hop crews like the Skyhigh Family.

1 History
2 Popular music
3 Music institutions
4 List of Somali musicians
5 References

[edit] History

The first major form of Somalia's modern music began in the mid-1930s, when Somalia was part of the British Somaliland Protectorate. This movement was the Xer-Dhaanto, an innovative, urban form of Somali folk dance and song. This period also saw the rise of the Xaaji Baal Baal Dance Troupe, which became very influential over the course of its long career.

Somali popular music began with the balwo style, which was created by musicians like Qadiija Ciye Dharaar and Cabdi Deeqsi Sinimoo. This style began in Boorama and then spread throughout the area. It was a mixture of modern poetry and Somalian dance music.

Cabdillahi Qarshe rose to fame in the early 1940s as part of the qaraami style. Many qarami songs from this era are still extremely popular today.

During the Siad Barre military domination of Somalia, music was suppressed except for a small amount of officially-sanctioned music. There were many protest songs produced during this period.

[edit] Popular music

Rapper K'Naan.

Composer and Vocalist Maryam Mursal.

wazz up my peeps

All Somali music is love orientated, but some recall how life was in Somalia before the Somali Civil War and some talk about how Somalis should come together to unite and restore the country to its former glory.

Toronto where a sizable Somali community exists replaced Mogadishu (because of the instability) as the center of the Somali Music Industry, it's also present in London, Minneapolis, and Columbus. One popular musician from the Somali diaspora is K'Naan, a young rapper from Toronto, whose songs talk about the struggles of life in Somalia during the Civil War.