Hawa Jibril (1920–2011) was a Somali poet, known especially for her work in the ''

buraanbur Buraanbur is a poetic form within traditional Somali poetry. It is usually composed by women. This traditional Somali art form is often recited with drums and paired with a dance. It is commonly performed at weddings and other gatherings. Overvie ...

'' genre.

Biography

Jibril was born into a nomadic family on the

Mudug Mudug ( so, Mudug; it, Mudugh) is an administrative region ('' gobol'') in north-central Somalia. The population of Mudug is 131,455 as of 2005. Overview Physiographically, Mudug is bordered to the west by Ethiopia,Országismertető - Szomália ...

plateau. She composed her first poem at the age of twelve, inspired by a family fight. Later she became a member of the

Somali Youth League The Somali Youth League (SYL) ( so, Ururka Dhalinyarada Soomaaliyeed رابطة الشباب الصومالي, it, Lega dei Giovani Somali or ''Lega Somala della Gioventù''), initially known as the Somali Youth Club (SYC), was the first politi ...

. In 1993, she emigrated to

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, where she died, to escape the

Somali Civil War The Somali Civil War ( so, Dagaalkii Sokeeye ee Soomaaliya; ar, الحرب الأهلية الصومالية ) is an ongoing civil war that is taking place in Somalia. It grew out of resistance to the Military dictatorship, military junta wh ...

; she had no papers proving Somali citizenship, and so was delayed in being naturalized. Some of her poems were later compiled and published in English and Somali by her daughter, Faduma Ahmed Alim, under the title ''And Then She Said, Saa Waxay Tiri''. In 2007, her life and poetry were the subject of a play, ''Bridge of One Hair''.

References

1920 births 2011 deaths Somalian women writers Somalian poets Somalian women poets 20th-century women writers 20th-century poets Somalian emigrants to Canada People from Mudug 20th-century Somalian women writers 20th-century Somalian writers 21st-century Somalian women writers 21st-century Somalian writers Somali-language writers {{Somalia-writer-stub