History Of Music In Somaliland (part 2)

By Mohamed And Mohamoud Ahmed Shunuuf

Youth and Music
The energy of youth is a volatile force indeed and is often in danger of being misdirected or abused. Growing up with the satellite dish, mass media, electronics and internet, this generation of Somaliland youth have been exposed to more music than ever before. There is considerable potential for raising the educational and artistic standards of the youth, through music and songs; but the current standards being set by these new invasions from abroad, leave a lot to be desired. Like the rest of the world's youth, Somalis are turning increasingly to manufactured techno-music as an outlet for their energies and as an expression of their identity. As a developing country that is recovering from twenty years of brutal dictatorship and genocide, Somaliland is exposed and vulnerable to the cultural aggression and hegemony, once again, of what was known as Somalia (Italian Somalia). The musicians from Somalia (Italian Somalia) always assimilate easily the values, morals music and identity of anything foreign i.e., western, Indian, etc. They look down on their own values, morals, ethics and music. These musicians, therefore, bombard Somaliland with all kinds of consumer oriented techno-music recorded in Canada and England. The music besides being loud and weird, stifles the talent and the senses of the artists in Somaliland who believe they have to accept the new techno- music. New artists are asking their folks in the Diaspora to send them new musical instruments. These "southern pirates", as they are called in Somaliland "Oldies" or "Qaraami" in Somali, and appropriate them as their own for the sole purpose of profit. Many of Somaliland's poets, songwriters and singers who took part in the liberation movement (SNM) cannot stand to hear such musicians and singers. Faisel who speaks on behalf of many artists (old timers) says, "They mutilate and destroy the cultural and aesthetic value of your music and song, right in front of you without shame." To many Freedom Fighters, the southern musicians and singers reminds them of the time that Siyad Barre's forces were bombing, killing and looting the Northerners. They cannot stand to hear such music either. Besides they argue, these musicians' sudden interest and love of our music smacks of hypocrisy, because the same musicians and singers were singing revolutionary songs on behalf of Siyad Barre's genocidal regime.

When music becomes a consumer industry, there is always tendency to appeal to the lowest common denominator in popular taste. Cassette tapes, CD's and videotapes have played a significant role in fuelling the growth of the music industry, especially over the past couple of years. As a medium of communication, cassettes, CD's and videotapes differ from tools like radio, film and TV because they offer people the freedom to choose what they listen to in theory at least. By giving people the opportunity to record their own music, they can also offer creativity again, in theory. In reality, however, these mediums of communications are commodities to be sold and bought like any other commodity; and selling the music becomes more important than its quality or its message. The potential for individual creativity also tends to be forgotten, as more and more emphasis is placed on the new music from abroad. Incidentally, there are many new artists who are relatively unknown outside the city of Hargeisa let alone abroad; but they are recorded on cassettes that circulate in the city. They get no royalties either from their recordings. Two of the top singers are Sahra Ali (almost all of Hargeisa's youth listen to her music), and Suleikha Af-Yar who also commands quite a following of her own. Both perform in local marriage ceremonies and other functions.

Music in the Schools
Music tends to be neglected as a subject at general and higher secondary school levels. There are hardly any activity centers or clubs to encourage young people's musical development and cultural awareness. Hargeisa National Theater the only source of income and meeting place for artist's sits in ruins among the many thousands of property and houses destroyed by the brutal civil war in Somaliland during 1988. The young people therefore draw most of their inspiration from tapes and CD's from abroad since there was no functioning radio either. Another major factor that contributes to the neglect of Somaliland's music is the love/hate relationship between the Somaliland community and artists in general. For instance, anyone who was ever in love listened to Faisel Omer Mushteeg's "subcis" (A love song popularized by Faisel in Somali) one time or another, but yet, the artists including Faisel in general are known by the nickname "Musbaar" which has a negative connotation.

Oldies Recorded Again
Songs and singers from the 1950’s, 60’s, 70's and 80's are being recorded again with new melodies and arrangements; Mohamed Suliman and Hassan Adaan's new CDs are case in point. The result is that while the music may be jazzed up, the words often fail to express the feelings of today's alienated youth. The majority of songs are highly romanticized, telling of forlorn, failed or unobtainable love, and have little connection with the problems of the emerging marginalized youth of today. Very few try to present reality or offer inspiration for the future. As a good example of this type of music and song, is again found in the new CD's of Suleiman and Hassan Aadan. Besides, they don't pay respect nor royalties to the original composers and singers.

The creation of new healthy values for both the present and the future is the responsibility of the singer. Although we don't see any updating or changing of the old themes, which usually express sorrow and the tortures of love, it has not being always like that.

Serious Musicians
For instance, there are serious musicians such as Faisel Omer Mushteeg (who is probably the best among the top musicians alive today). Mohamed Ahmed Kuloc, Ahmed Ali Dararamleh, Zienab Egeh, Xudayde (undoubtfully the king of Oud), Sahra Ahmed, Khadra Daahir, Sahra Ali, Suleekha Af-Yar, Abdi Nassir Macalin Aided (master teacher of Oud, second only to Xudayde), Muuse Abdi Buuno (good Oud player), Caaqarta (the best female vocalist alive and the Diva of Somaliland!) and others. There were also more serious musicians who are no longer with us such as, the Great Abdillahi Qarshee, Ahmed Mohamed Good (shimber) who was a brilliant arranger, composer, singer and teacher. Ahmed Moogeh was chosen by the BBC Somali Service in a unanimous vote to be the best Somali singer in 1968 and last but not least, the most gifted of them all Mohamed Moogeh (see below). These musicians with the exception of Khadra Daahir, Abdi Nasser, Muuse Abdi Huuno, Sahra Ali, Suleekha Af-Yar and "Caaqarta", began their careers in the 50's and 60's. They have maintained throughout their careers, a close link with the poetic traditions of Somaliland and often worked in collaboration with respected poets and literary giants such as Hassan Gini the poet laureate of Somaliland, Hadraawi, Gaariyeh, Abdi lidaan, Abdi Qays, Ali saleebaan Bideh, Mohamed omer Huryo, Ismail Sh.Ahmed, Saxardeed Mohamed "Jabiyeh" and Barkhad Cas.

Mohamed Mogeh A Pioneering Role
Singer, composer, musician, teacher and Revolutionary, Mohamed Mogeh is acclaimed not only for the purity of his voice, said by many to be the best in all Somali speaking areas, but also for his integrity, revolutionary zeal, teaching ability and his efforts to maintain high artistic and social ideals in his music. Mohamed Mogeh believed the role of the artist is to be a pioneer, and to do this, he should devote all his work and his life to the people and humanity. Mohamed Mogeh's singing was never for self-satisfaction or personal enjoyment. Mogeh articulated the responsibility of the singer to be the creation of new, healthy values for both future and contemporary people, so that society can evolve, while at the same time grounded on the normal and social values of the generations past.

Mohamed Mogeh grew up at a time when singing was not used as a profession. "Barkhad Cas" dominated the generations of the 50's and early 60's and "Abdillahi Qarshe" was the giants whose nationalistic songs dominated the airwaves. However, neither of them worked for the "Radio Hargeysa". Abdillahi Qarshe worked for the District Commissioner (DC) in Hargeysa, and "Barkhad Cas" the poet of Somali Nationalism, refused to work for radio station Hargeysa. Mogeh's profession was not singing, it was rather teaching in schools. In the early 60's Mogeh was the lead singer in a play performed by the Somaliland Teachers Union. The play emphasized the value of education and schools. The opening song included this verse:

We are like the moon that illuminates a dark world.
We provide Education as a gift to the schools.

Mogeh at an early age of his adult life knew his role in society was to educate the masses as is clear from the song mentioned above. He could never have composed and sung his later famous patriotic/nationalistic songs without having an honest love, deep-seated feeling and a clear and visible commitment for his nation and people. His songs always had a message. It was impossible for him to have left for London, England in the late 70's, when most Somali intellectuals were moving to bigger and better pastures in the Diaspora. He joined the liberation struggle in Ethiopia. Mogeh's revolutionary songs attracted thousands of students and youth to the liberation struggle spearheaded by the Somali National Movement (SNM).

In order to fully understand Mogeh's deep commitment against military rule and his fearless stands, the following story by one of his close friends and co-singer Faisel Orner Mushsteeg is illustrative. Faisel says, "In 1970 all the civil servants were forced to go through a one year course in "Xalane" a military camp near Mogadishu. The function of the training camp was to "re-educate" the civil servants to their new environment (military dictatorship) and end "civil society". Mogeh composed a poem or "Afar_leey", a smaller version of Somali poem. I also added a few lines to the "Afar_leey". Others in the camp also added a few lines of their own. The military officers in their version of "the big brother is watching you", heard about it and immediately informed their superior officers. They in turn informed the president, Siyad Barre. Siyad Barre became furious and instantly called for a general meeting of all civil servants in the camp. He wanted to know the person who composed the poem. To the dictator's utter surprise, Mogeh raised his hand and took credit for the poem. Apparently, that was not enough for the dictator, so he asked to recite the poem. Mogeh recited the poem in its entirety, including the lines we added to his original pieces. The poem went like this:

Do you know that the food I eat does not have any nutrition?
Do you know that I take orders from an ignorant soldier?
Do you know the person I blame is you! ..

The president of Somalia went crazy and ordered the officers to immediately put him behind bars. Mogeh stayed behind bars for the duration of the training period. It took me and some friends of mine to perform a pro government play during the closing ceremony of the training, which was attended by the dictator and his ministries. At the end of the play, we went to the President and asked for a clemency of our fellow artist. He accepted our plea, but warned all of us to stay out of political songs and anti-government activities".

Mogeh's political consciousness began to grow and mature. In 1971 in a visit to Djibouti a small Somali inhibited area, which was under French colonial rule at the time, Siyad Barre accused him of fomenting trouble, and put him in prison again. When he was released, he composed a song demanding and explanation for his incarceration. He says:

"If I visited Djibouti on a holiday, an area stolen from us,
Since I did not break the law, why was I imprisoned?

Mogeh knew the difference between singing for your people and nation and singing for a regime. He recorded two songs for the two radios in Mogadishu and Hargeysa in his whole life as a singer; which spans nearly three decades of being number one. The song he recorded for Radio Hargeysa was a love song called "Mar Aan Xalayta Toos Oon", When I Woke Up Last Night". The love song that he recorded for Radio Mogadishu was a patriotic song dealing with education and schools called "Waanada Macalinka" or "The Advice of the Teacher". As we have mentioned earlier, Mogeh's musical career spanned nearly three decades of being at the top. We have compiled most of his songs in our Web page http://www. teleport.com/~mohassan and we have at least 50 top songs and we believe we still have more to dig up.

Besides being a singer, teacher and revolutionary, Mogeh was also a great stage actor, for he was the leading singer and actor in "AQOON IYO AFGARAD", the famous play written and directed by the Great Somaliland poet and playwright Hadrawai in 1972. Mogeh's deep commitment to his people's values and culture will hopefully be imitated by the young artists of today, so that his life will not be in vain. Mogeh was murdered by the enemy of Somaliland people in June 1983, fighting the good war against the military dictatorship. Mogeh has been gone for more than 17 years; the distinctive sound and his prophetic lyrics resonate with a force still seldom rivalled. Mogeh epitomizes Somaliland's culture, and his music became the anthem of a displaced generation and the power behind his voice and lyrics remains to this day. He left a daughter and two grandsons who live in Addis Abba Ethiopia. Somaliland misses its own favorite son deeply. In the summer of 1999 the Somaliland people, in recognition of Mogeh's vast contribution to music and songs of Somaliland, named a new suburban residential area as " Mohamed Mogeh". This is an acknowledgment to Mogeh's commitment to the preservation of Somaliland's culture through his music and songs. Mogeh's legend lives in all who sing and listen to Somaliland's music today.

Conclusion
Singing as a profession is a characteristic value of capitalist society. If the art of singing is supported by the state paying the singer providing education and housing for his family the artists will remain artists and not succumb to (a) businessmen who want to cheat the artist of his income (b) join the "Southern Pirates" techno music. As of now there are no guarantees given to the Somaliland singer. Thus Somaliland singers must often do gigs on marriage ceremonies, Independence Day, perform in open-air basketball stadium called "Timacadeh" and sing for businessmen from abroad and friends. These gigs don't pay much, so most of the time the singers are left between a hard rock and the deep blue sea. The musicians in Hargeisa met twice with Mr. Egal the President of Somaliland, who is known for his, anti-artistic stands. In both meetings the artists indicated their desire to at least help them rebuild the "National Theatre" on a voluntary basis. He promised both times to contact International non-governmental organizations for help, but he never kept his promise. The only hope now is for those Somaliland communities in the Diaspora to offer their help to rebuild the National Theatre. In the meantime, the local artists have to use their ingenuity to survive and that includes for some of them to sell kat or Qaad. Many people believe that a law governing copyright on publishing material and recorded music must be passed. The law will prevent as it does in Ethiopia, the recopying of music cassettes by the greedy shop owners and the parasitic petty bourgeoisie abroad, who do not pay the original artist his due. In Hargeysa, once a shop-owner is in possession of a genera license, traders may sell anything from onions to cassettes without interference from authorities. Music lovers believe a law will take care of these problems and maybe we will be spared from the Southern onslaught on our culture. Faisal says, " our society is going through a very degrading period and standards of behavior are falling in every field of endeavor. This phenomenon is an integral part of our socio-economic plight. We have to pit the power of our cultural heritage against the mindless babble that pours out of most Southern singers."

Home | Contact us | Links | Archives