Mohammed Wardi

Mohammed Osman Wardi
محمد عثمان حسن وردي
Background information
Birth name Mohammed Osman Hassan Salih Wardi
Born (1932-07-19)19 July 1932[1]
Origin Swarda, Wadi Halfa, Sudan[1]
Died 18 February 2012(2012-02-18) (aged 79)[2]
Khartoum[2]
Genres Music of Sudan, Nobiin, Arabic music
Occupation(s) singer-songwriter, teacher
Instruments Singing, oud, tanbur, multiple instruments
Years active 1957 2012

Mohammed Osman Hassan Salih Wardi (Arabic: محمد عثمان حسن وردي) (born 19 July 1932 18 February 2012) was a Muslim Nubian Sudanese singer and songwriter.[1]

Early life

Wardi was born on 19 July 1932 in a small village called Sawarda close to Wadi Halfa Northern Sudan.[1] His mother, Batool Badri, died when he was an infant.[1] His father, Osman Hassan Wardi, died when he was nine years old.[1] He was brought up in a diverse and culturally rich background and developed an interest in poetry, literature, music and singing.[1] Wardi traveled to Shendi to complete his education, and returned to Wadi Halfa as a secondary school teacher.[1]

Music career

In 1953, Wardi went to Khartoum for the first time to attend a convention as a teaching representative for his area.[1] He moved to Khartoum and started his career as a musical performer.[1] In 1957, Omdurman Radio chose him to record and sing on national broadcast in an arena with singers such as Abdelaziz Mohamed Dauod, Hassan Atia, Ahmed Almustafa, Osman Hussaein and Ibrahim Awad.[1] Wardi recorded 17 songs in his first year.[1]

He had a collaboration with poet Ismail Hassan, resulting in more than 23 songs.

Wardi performed using a variety of instruments including the Nubian tanbur and sang in both Arabic and Nubian languages.[1] He has been described as "Africa's top singer", with fans mainly in the Horn of Africa.[1] His songs address topics such as romance, passion, Nubian folklore, heritage, revolution and patriotism with some of his political songs resulting in him being jailed.[1] After the military coup in 1989, he left Sudan to voluntary exile in Cairo and Los Angeles.[1] In 1990, Wardi played a concert for 250,000 Sudanese refugees at a refugee camp in Itang, Ethiopia.[3] He returned to Sudan in May 2002.[1]

In 2005, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Khartoum.

Death

Wardi suffered from renal failure later in his life. He eventually underwent a kidney transplant after one of his fans donated a kidney to him in 2002. He died on 18 February 2012 at 10:30 pm and was buried in Farouk Cemetery in Khartoum.[4]

Views on Darfur

In a 2006 interview with journalist Dan Morrison, Wardi stated: "There is no rape in Darfur. The Sudanese people don't rape. Maybe the African Union are doing it. But not the Sudanese people."[5]

Poets/Songwriters with whom Wardi collaborated

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 "Mohammed Wardi Sudanese legend and musical encyclopedia". Capital. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
  2. 1 2 "Iconic Sudanese singer Mohammed Wardi dies". Statesman. Associated Press. 19 February 2012.
  3. "Sudan mourns singer Mohammed Wardi". BBC. 20 February 2012.
  4. "The death of Sudanese artist Mohammed Wardi". Al Jazeera (in Arabic). 21 February 2012.
  5. Morrison, Dan (August 2010). The Black Nile. Penguin.
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