The student who walked onto a Mogadishu stage in 1967 became one of the pillars of Somali music and theatre
Wararka Soomaaliya
MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota, July 31 — Renowned Somali singer, actor and composer Ahmed Ali Cigaal, one of the most influential figures in Somali performing arts for more than five decades, has died in the United States, his family confirmed on Friday.
According to relatives, Cigaal had been receiving treatment at a hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota, for the past week before passing away.
His death has prompted an outpouring of tributes from fellow artists, cultural figures and Somalis around the world, who remember him as one of the country’s greatest cultural icons.
Faahfaahinta
A student who began on stage
Records of Somali performing arts indicate Cigaal formally entered the profession in 1967, while still a student. His start was not in a recording studio but in theatre: he is remembered for early stage productions including Yixaas Dhegaduub, written by Mahmoud Sangub, which quickly made his name known.
That detail matters more than it is usually given credit for. Theatre was the training ground of Somali music. Songs of that era were rarely written to stand alone they emerged from plays, and carried a share of the story. Egal, like his contemporaries, came up in a system where an artist was simultaneously actor, singer and part of a complete social narrative.
Saamaynta
His early career was also shaped by his brother, the poet Abdiqadir Ali Egal, who was the first to write songs for him. That relationship lyricist and composer within one family was among the most productive arrangements in Somali literary arts at the time.
Waaberi and the golden years
Cigaal is most widely associated with the Waaberi troupe, the national ensemble based at the National Theatre in Mogadishu, formed when the Somali National Army band merged with the Radio Mogadishu ensemble. There he worked alongside the most celebrated voices of the era.
Wararka.so waxay kuu soo tebineysaa wararka ugu dambeeyey ee Soomaaliya iyo caalamka. Si aad ula socoto wararkii ugu dambeeyey, booqo boggayaga.
