Magool ( so, Xaliimo Khaliif Cumar, (May 2, 1948 – March 19, 2004), born Halima Khaliif Omar, was a
Somali singer.
Early years
Magool was born in the city of
Dhuusamareeb
Dusmareb ( so, Dhuusamareeb, ar, سمريب, it, Dusa Mareb) is the capital of Galmudug state in central Somalia. The city also serves as the administrative capital of the Galguduud province.
Historically, the city was known as Daar Dheer or sim ...
the capital of the
Galgaduud
Galguduud ( so, Galgaduud, ar, جلجدود, it, Galgudud or ''Ghelgudud'') is an administrative region (''Administrative divisions of Somalia, gobol'') of Galmudug state in central Somalia. Its administrative capital is Dusmareb. The largest t ...
region in central
Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
to
Cayr
Ayr ( so, Cayr or Ceyr), Muhammad Madarkicis Hiraab is a Somali clan, part of the larger Habar Gidir Hawiye clan.
Clan tree
Ali Jimale Ahmed outlines the Hawiye clan genealogical tree in ''The Invention of Somalia'':
* Samaale
** Irir
*** Hawiy ...
,
Hawiye
The Hawiye ( so, Hawiye, ar, بنو هوية, it, Hauija) is the largest Somali clan family. Members of this clan traditionally inhabit central and southern Somalia, Somaliland, Ethiopia ( Somali, Harar, Oromia and Afar regions) and the Nor ...
parents. She had five siblings.
In 1959, while living at the house of a cousin of hers named Mohamed Hashi, she joined a small
Mogadishu
Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port ...
-based band. Within that year, she moved to
Hargeysa
Hargeisa (; so, Hargeysa, ar, هرجيسا) is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Somaliland. It is located in the Maroodi Jeex region of the Horn of Africa. It succeeded Burco as the capital of the British Somaliland Protectorat ...
, where she accompanied the latter city's version of the Mogadishu-based
Waaberi
Waaberi ( so, Waaberi), was a Somali musical supergroup.
History
The troupe was established by members of the Radio Artists Association. It was supported by the Somali government as part of the National Theatre of Somalia, and made tours thro ...
ensemble of musicians. It was at this point that fellow musician and songwriter Yusuf Haji Adan dubbed her ''Magool'' (meaning "flower"), a nickname by which she would come to be popularly known.
In the mid-1960s, Magool returned to Mogadishu. She then married a young general named Mohamed Nur Galaal. The marriage did not last but her popularity continued to rise.
Peak
In the 1970s, Magool sang famous patriotic songs while Somalia was at
war with Ethiopia over the
Somali Region
The Somali Region ( so, Deegaanka Soomaalida, am, ሱማሌ ክልል, Sumalē Kilil, ar, المنطقة الصومالية), also known as Soomaali Galbeed (''Western Somalia'') and officially the Somali Regional State, is a regional state ...
.
By the late 1970s, while she still interpreted love tunes, Magool also began singing
Islamic
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the mai ...
songs that criticized Somalia's then ruling military government. A self-imposed exile followed, which would last until 1987. Her concert of that year marking her return to the nation's capital, titled "Mogadishu and Magool", is to date the most successful concert in Somali history, with more than 160,000 people reportedly turning out in the city's stadium.
Magool's unique performances, ability to memorize entire albums' worth of material in a matter of hours, and her deep, emotive voice would eventually earn her the title of ''Hooyadii Fanka'', or "Mother of Artistry."
Later years
On March 19, 2004, Magool died in a hospital in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
of breast cancer. She did not leave any children but her nephew is the famous Somali-Canadian rapper/singer
K'naan
Keinan Abdi Warsame (born 1 February 1978) ( so, Keynaan Cabdi Warsame, ar, كَينَان عَبدِ وَرسَمَ ''Kaynān ʿAbdi Warsama''), better known by his stage name K'naan (), is a Somali-Canadian musician. He rose to prominence ...
.
See also
*
Waaberi
Waaberi ( so, Waaberi), was a Somali musical supergroup.
History
The troupe was established by members of the Radio Artists Association. It was supported by the Somali government as part of the National Theatre of Somalia, and made tours thro ...
References
Magool songs'A brave man doesn't need weapons'
Robin Denselow, ''The Guardian''. Friday May 25, 2007
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20th-century Somalian women singers
Somalian Muslims
1948 births
2004 deaths
People from Dusmareb
Deaths from cancer in the Netherlands
Deaths from breast cancer