Xabiiba Balbalaaf ( so, Xabiiba Cabdilaahi), (8 July 1961 – 23 June 2020) was a prominent
Djiboutian
The Djiboutians (french: Djiboutiens) are the people inhabiting or originating from Djibouti. The country is mainly composed of two ethnic groups, the Somali and the Afar. It has many languages - though Somali and Afar are the most widely spo ...
singer.
Biography
Habiba Abdillah Waberi was born on the 8 July 1961 in
Djibouti
Djibouti, ar, جيبوتي ', french: link=no, Djibouti, so, Jabuuti officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red ...
,
French Somaliland
French Somaliland (french: Côte française des Somalis, lit= French Coast of the Somalis so, Xeebta Soomaaliyeed ee Faransiiska) was a French colony in the Horn of Africa. It existed between 1884 and 1967, at which time it became the French Ter ...
. She lived with her family in Quartier 6,
Djibouti City
Djibouti (also called Djibouti City and in many early English texts and on many early maps, Jibuti; so, Magaalada Jabuuti, french: link=no, Ville de Djibouti, ar, مدينة جيبوتي, aa, Gabuutî Magaala) is the eponymous capital of Dji ...
. She first performed on stage at the age of 21 with the group Gacan Macan and began her artistic career in 1982. She hailed from the
Issa,
Somali. It is one of the nation's recognized Somali clan groups in Djibouti. As of the 1990s, she was dominating the Djiboutian music scene. She often made use of satire, metaphor and historical allusions to convey complex themes in an understandable manner. Her songs were dotted with stories of love, journey and hope. Xabiiba was a prominent figure in traditional Djiboutian music.
On June 23, 2020, Habiba died in Peltier Hospital in
Djibouti City
Djibouti (also called Djibouti City and in many early English texts and on many early maps, Jibuti; so, Magaalada Jabuuti, french: link=no, Ville de Djibouti, ar, مدينة جيبوتي, aa, Gabuutî Magaala) is the eponymous capital of Dji ...
,
Djibouti
Djibouti, ar, جيبوتي ', french: link=no, Djibouti, so, Jabuuti officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red ...
.
La Nation
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Music
Popular songs by Xabiiba Cabdilaahi include:
*''Geesi''
*''Farsamo''
*''Bashahaygow''
See also
*Music of Djibouti
The music of Djibouti refers to the musical styles, techniques and sounds of Djibouti. The first major form of modern Djiboutian music began in the mid-1940s, when Djibouti was a part of the French Somaliland. Djiboutian music is characterized by ...
References
20th-century Djiboutian women singers
1961 births
2020 deaths
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