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Sahra Halgan

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Somalian singer

Sahra Halgan
BornSahra Ahmed Mohamoud
Sahra Axmed Maxamuud
(1972-04-12) 12 April 1972 (age 52)
Hargeisa, Somaliland
Occupations
  • Singer-songwriter
  • record producer
Years active2009–present
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • drums
Labels
  • Hiddo Dhawr
Musical artist

Sahra Ahmed Mohamoud (Somali: Sahra Axmed Maxamuud) is a Somali singer and cultural activist. also known as professionally Sahra Halgan as her stage name .

Biography

Halgan was born in 1972 in Hargeisa, Somalia, at the time led by Mohamed Siad Barre. At 13 years old, she began to sing. Performing on the stage and singing in public is frowned upon by her community, but she has persisted. The Somali civil war broke out in the late 1970s against Barre. Resistance movements, supported by the Ethiopian government, began to develop. The Somali National Movement (SNM), in particular, seized Burao and Hargeisa. In 1988, Barré decided to put an end to the rebellion by force and launched a heavy bombing campaign focusing on Hargeisa. Halgan, who was only 16 years old and had no previous training, worked as a nurse for the SNM.

She said, "At the front, I was finally free. The soldiers had other things to do than forbid me to sing." Barré was removed from power on 26 January 1991.

Career

Halgan then left to take refuge in Europe and recuperate, and settled in Lyon. She was granted political refugee status. She worked odd jobs in the city, getting involved in neighborhood life and returning to music. In 2009, she released her first album, Somaliland, which did not get much response. Then she worked on a second project, a trio with percussionist Aymeric Krol and guitarist Maël Salètes, who had met in Lyon. Her second album, Faransiskiyo Somaliland, was released in 2015. The music combined Tuareg rock and East African rhythms.

In 2015, she returned to live in Somalia after going back and forth between her native region and France. She founded a cultural center devoted to music and poetry in Hargeisa, her hometown and second capital of Somalia. She released a third album, Waa Dardaaran, in 2019.

References

  1. "Somaliland: Sahra Halgan, Preserving Culture and Singing for Recognition". Somaliland Sun. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  2. "SINGING FOR SOMALILAND – SAHRA HALGAN USES HER VOICE TO APPEAL TO THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY FOR SOMALILAND RECOGNITION". Somalia Online. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  3. "Somaliland: Sahra Halgan to Perform in France at PORTE DE LA CRAFFE". MENAFN. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  4. "Meet the family – an extended family of immigrants from Somaliland". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  5. ^ "Sahra Halgan sings recognition for Somaliland". Japan Times. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  6. "Somaliland's Midwife – among those leading the way are more than a few outstanding women". Aramco World. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  7. "Somaliland: One Woman's Quest to Revive Hargeisa's Music Scene". UNPO. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  8. "Musique : Sahra Halgan, la voix du Somaliland". Jeune Afrique (in French). Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  9. "A Former Refugee's Musical Remedies: Q&A With Somaliland Singer Sahra Halgan Ahead of Sep 27 DDC Gig". The Beijinger. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  10. "The star singing for Somaliland's recognition". CNN. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  11. "Sahra Halgan, political refugee status at Transmusicales". Somaliland Standard. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  12. "Somaliland's poets and singers fight to be heard". BBC. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  13. "Somaliland's singer and activist Sahra Halgan announces new album, 'Waa Dardaaran'". Pan African Music. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  14. "Sahra Halgan – 'Was Dardaaran' review by tom pryor". Roots World. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
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