Hadrawi
Mohamed Ibrahim Warsame Hadrawi | |
|---|---|
 Hadrawi in 2018 | |
| Native name | |
| Born | Mohamed Ibrahim Warsame 1943 |
| Died | (aged 79) |
| Resting place | Hargeisa |
| Pen name | Hadrawi |
| Occupation |
|
| Language | Somali |
| Nationality | Somalilander |
| Alma mater | Somali National University |
| Subject | Patriotism, love, faith, mortality |
| Notable works |
|
| Notable awards | Prince Claus Award (2012) |
| Relatives | Hurre Walanwal (brother) |
Mohamed Ibrahim Warsame[a] (1943 – 18 August 2022), known by the pseudonym Hadrawi,[b] was a Somali poet, philosopher and songwriter. Having written many notable protest works, Hadrawi has been likened by some to Shakespeare,[1] and his poetry has been translated into various languages.[2][3] He is the older brother of Hurre Walanwal, another Somali poet and songwriter.[4][5]
Biography
[edit]
Hadrawi was born in Balli-Alanle near Qorilugud, situated in the Togdheer region of modern day Somaliland.[6] According to another source, he was born in Burao.[7] Hadrawi hails from the Ahmed Farah sub-division[citation needed] of the Habr Je'lo Isaaq.[8] His family consisted of one girl and eight boys. In 1953, at the age of nine, he went to live with an uncle in the Yemeni port city of Aden. There Warsame began attending a local school, where he received the nickname "Hadrawi" (Abu Hadra), a pseudonym by which he is now popularly known. In 1963, he became a primary school teacher.[9]
Return to The Somali Republic
[edit]In 1967, after graduating from high school, he returned to Somalia's capital Mogadishu [10], and began working for Radio Mogadishu. In Mogadishu, he both attended and later taught at the Lafoole University (Afgooye). He also worked for the government's Department of Information.[9]
In 1968, his first play, HADIMO, was staged at the National Theater in Mogadishu, and he appeared in it himself.[10]
In addition to love lyrics, he was a powerful commentator on the political situation and critic of the then military regime in Mogadishu (former Italian Somalia section) who allegedly oppressed the former portion of British Somaliland, for which he was imprisoned between 1973 and 1978.[2]
In 1973, Hadrawi wrote the poem Siinley and the play Tawaawac ('Lament'), both of which were critical of the military government that was then in power. For this dissent, he was subsequently arrested and imprisoned in Qansax Dheere until April 1978.[9] His work was banned in Somalia.[11]
Following his release from prison in 1978, Hadrawi became director of the arts division of the Academy of Science, Arts and Literature in Somalia.[12]
Somali National Movement
[edit]In April 1982[10], he joined the Somali National Movement, an opposition group based in Ethiopia during the rule of Siad Barre.[13] During the conflict, Hadrawi became known for poetry addressing political repression and the experiences of the Somali people.[14] He continued to resist until Somaliland was finally liberated in 1991.[10]
In 1993 (or 1991[9]), Hadrawi relocated to the United Kingdom, and lived there for five years.[10] During this period, he traveled frequently throughout Europe and North America to participate in folklore and poetry festivals.[9]
In 2001 (or 1999[9]), Hadrawi returned once more to his native Somaliland, this time settling in Hargeisa.[10] The following year, the mayor of Chicago invited him to participate in the latter city's Millennium Festival. Hadrawi later lived in Burao, and reportedly made a (hajj) pilgrimage to Mecca.[citation needed]
In the second half of 2003, he traveled throughout Somalia, preaching peace and nonviolence.[15]
Death
[edit]Hadrawi died in Hargeisa, Somaliland on 18 August 2022, at the age of 79.[16][17]
Contributions to popular music
[edit]Besides volumes of poems and dozens of plays, Hadrawi participated in numerous collaborations with popular vocal artists. His lyrical corpus includes:
- "Baladweyn" – song performed by Hasan Adan Samatar in 1974
- "Jacayl Dhiig ma Lagu Qoraa?" – sung by Magool, and later translated by Hanna Barket as "Is Love Written in Blood?" or "Do You Write Love in Blood?". Another translation of the song by the British linguist and Somali Studies doyen Martin Orwin is "Has Love Been Blood-written?".[18]
Awards
[edit]In 2012, Hadraawi was awarded the Prince Claus Award for his contributions to peace through poetry.[19]
Works
[edit]- Hooya la'anta ('Motherlessness')
- Beled Wayn
- Hablaha geeska
- Gudgude
- Siinley
- Sirta nolosha
- Tawaawac
- Aqoon iyo afgarad
- Deeley
- Hawaale warran
- Bulshooy
All the translations are by Poetry Translation Centre
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Ditmars, Hadani (30 September 1994). "Somali Shakespeare". The Independent. Archived from the original on 5 December 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
- 1 2 McConnell, Tristan (12 February 2010). "Inside Somalia: Where poetry is revered". GlobalPost. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
- ↑ "Hadraawi: The Somali Shakespeare – The Documentary Podcast". BBC World Service. 2 August 2017. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
- ↑ "Renowned Somali poet Hurre Walanwal, brother of Hadrawi, passes away at 75". www.hiiraan.com. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
- ↑ Ismaaciil, Cabdirisaaq Axmed (16 December 2023). "WAA KUMA HURRE WALANWAL? — W/Q. HADRAAWI". Bandhige- Wararka Somaliland iyo faallooyinkooda. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
- ↑ Jama, Hussein, Said (23 November 2018). Ma Innaguun Baa! (in Somali). Ponte Invisible (Redsea Cultural Foundation). ISBN 978-88-88934-58-7.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ↑ Duale, Mohamed; Baqardhe, Ibrahim Muse (24 August 2022). "Mohamed Ibrahim Warsame Hadrawi, the most influential Somali poet dies at age 79". Horn Diplomat. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
- ↑ "Taariikhda Beesha Habar Jeclo oo ah Beesha ugu balaadhan Somali gaar ahaan Beelaha dega Somaliland" [History of the Habar Jeclo Clan, the Largest Somali Clan, Especially Among the Clans Inhabiting Somaliland]. Oodweyne Media. 1 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Akhriso:- Taariikhda Abwaan Hadraawi ee Maanta geeriyooday" [Read: The History of the Poet Hadraawi Who Passed Away Today]. Radio Risaala. 18 August 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Duale, Mohamed (21 August 2022). "Nabadgelyo Macallin – HADRAAWI: The Poet and the Man". Horn Diplomat. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
- ↑ "Mohamed Ibrahim Warsame, one of Somalia's greatest poets, dies aged 79". The Guardian. 22 August 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
- ↑ "Hadraawi Biography". Poetry Translation Centre. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ Samatar, Ahmed I. (1997). Somalia: State Collapse, Multilateral Intervention, and Strategies for Political Reconstruction. Brookings Institution Press. p. 78.
- ↑ Andrzejewski, B. W. (1985). "The Literary Culture of the Somali People". African Affairs. 84 (337): 359–372.
- ↑ Hassan, Mohamed Olad (19 August 2022). "Death of 'Somali Shakespeare' Mourned Nationwide". VOA News. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
- ↑ "Great Somali poet Hadrawi passed away in Hargeisa". Somali Times. 18 August 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
- ↑ "Hadraawi: The Somali poet whose readings were like rock concerts". BBC News. 6 September 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
- ↑ Orwin, Martin (2001). "Maxamed Ibraahim Warsame 'Hadraawi'". Modern Poetry in Translation (17). London: King's College London. ISSN 0969-3572. Archived from the original on 3 June 2012. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
- ↑ "Prêmio Principal Príncipe Claus 2012 para cooperativa editorial argentina Eloísa Cartonera" [2012 Prince Claus Main Award for Argentine Publishing Cooperative Eloísa Cartonera]. PR Newswire (in Portuguese). Amsterdam. 6 September 2012. Retrieved 27 October 2012.
General references
[edit]- "Abwaan Maxamed Ibraahim Warsame Hadraawi oo geeriyooday" [Poet Mohamed Ibrahim Warsame Hadrawi who died]. VOASomali.com (in Somali). 18 August 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
Further reading
[edit]- Xasan, Maxamed Baashe X. (2004). Hal Ka Haleel: Sooyaalka Hadraawi iyo Suugaantiisa [Presence of Mind: Biography of Hadraawi and His Literature] (in Somali). London: Bashe Publications. ISBN 9780995753334. OCLC 62124821.
- Warsame, Maxamed Ibraahin; Jama, Jama Musse (2013). Maxamed Ibraahin Warsame 'Hadraawi': The Man and the Poet. Pisa, Italy: Ponte Invisibile. ISBN 9780995753334. OCLC 1077606703.
External links
[edit]| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
- 1943 births
- 2022 deaths
- Somali dramatists and playwrights
- Somali poets
- Somali-language writers
- People from Burao
- Somali Muslims
- 20th-century Somali writers
- 20th-century poets
- 21st-century poets
- Ethnic Somali people
- 21st-century Somali writers
- Somali philosophers
- 20th-century Muslims
- 21st-century Muslims
- Somali male writers
- 20th-century male writers
- 21st-century male writers