Doing a search for the latest articles and postings on Somali music, and I came across a post from Big Planet about a BBC article, “Somali pop stars take on tradition” discussing the developing music within Somali diasporas around the world. The article focused on the emergence of music groups in a western suburb of Nairobi, Kenya, called Little Mogadishu.
“Deep in the heart of Little Mogadishu, a suburb in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, a pop group called Waayah Cusub (New Era) is causing a storm. Frustrated with the traditional norms of living within the Somali community, which to a large extent restricts open expression; this group of young men and women are now using music to break the barriers.
Most of them are in their early twenties and have been living as refugees in Kenya for more than a decade. They have stepped out of the old poetic tradition and introduced more creative and modern lyrics to the Somali music industry.
“We do not copy songs from old musicians, we come up with our own ideas and sing about what is happening by the day, something that rarely happens,” says group member Jamila Jamma.
With the emergence of music in a Somali diaspora in Kenya as well as existing musicians, Maryam Mursal in Denmark and Hibo Nuur in Minnesota, the same thing should be happening within the Twin Cities with its sizable Somali population. I’d certainly welcome comments on the topic.
[...] continue to gain coverage. Although controversial, it’s interesting how Somali youth from Kenya to Canada are using hip-hop as a means for communicating their anger over their war-torn country. [...]