''The Somali Dervish'' was an epic film directed by
Said Salah and
Amar Sneh between 1983 and 1985. It is one of the few full-length feature films to have been produced in
Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐; ar, ุงูุตูู
ุงู, aแนฃ-แนขลซmฤl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
.
With a budget of $1.8 million, the 4-hour-and-40-minute epic followed the life of
Muhammad Abdullah Hassan
Sayid Mohamed Abdullahi Hassan ( so, Sayid Maxamed Cabdulle Xasan; 1856โ1920) was a Somali religious and military leader of the Dervish movement, which led a two-decade long confrontation with various colonial empires including the British, ...
, emir of Darawiish sultan
Diiriye Guure Diiriye may refer to:
* Diriye Osman, Somali-British writer
* Abdillahi Diiriye Guled, Somali scholar
* Diiriye Guure, king of the Darawiish sultanate
*Asha Gelle Dirie, activist for Puntite and Puntland women
*Waris Dirie Waris may refer to:
...
of the revolutionary
Darawiish anti-colonialists. Seven languages were used for film dialogue:
Somali,
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
,
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
,
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
, and three regional dialects. The movie included an actual descendant of
Mohammed Abdullah Hassan
Sayid Mohamed Abdullahi Hassan ( so, Sayid Maxamed Cabdulle Xasan; 1856โ1920) was a Somali religious and military leader of the Dervish movement, which led a two-decade long confrontation with various colonial empires including the British, ...
as its star, Sheikh Osman Mohamoud Omar, and featured hundreds of actors and extras.
Once thought to be lost, the movie was found in the National Film Archive of India in late 2019.
References
External links
*
Darwiishka Soomaaliyeed
1985 films
English-language Somalian films
Somalian drama films
1985 drama films
{{Somalia-film-stub