![]() ![]() ![]() So tricky, in fact, that one of its lead singers didn’t make it.įalis Abdi Mohamud’s face is featured at the top of the band’s posters, bathed in light. Because they are now scattered across the globe - unable to return to Kenya - bringing the musicians here was tricky. Waayaha Cusub was formed in 2002 in Kenya, where its members had moved as children to escape Somalia’s conflict. They’ve improvised with students at Augsburg College and played with middle-schoolers at the Brian Coyle Community Center, teaching them their anthems and helping the students fashion their own songs. Led by the Cedar Cultural Center, the program, called Midnimo, is also putting the musicians in the classroom. Cloud, where one of Waayaha Cusub’s original members, Dalmar Yare, now lives. ![]() As part of its monthlong stay, the group will perform in Minneapolis - at the Cedar Cultural Center on Saturday - and in outstate Minnesota, in cities with growing Somali populations and, in some cases, tensions. Waayaha Cusub, which means “new era,” gathered here as part of a program aimed at increasing understanding of Muslim culture through music. “Stay away from violence, from extremism, from drugs because Somalia’s waiting for you to lead.”Īrtist Dalmar Yare gave some pointers to eight-year-old Samir Muse. And the reason we’re here is to send them the right messages. “If you look at the youth who have joined Al-Shabab, Al-Qaida, ISIS, most of these youth are from the Western world,” said Shiine Akhyaar Ali, one of the group’s rappers and its manager, through a translator. This month, the refugee rappers and singers have brought that message to Minnesota - where there’s far less risk but still great need, its members say. In those cities, Waayaha Cusub risked bullets and bombs to perform for young people, using their lyrics to steer the kids away from extremism and toward peace. This hip-hop collective has held concerts in Nairobi’s most dangerous neighborhoods and even staged a massive music festival in Somalia’s war-torn capital, Mogadishu. A 10-year-old named Hamze grabbed a djembe drum, balanced it atop his basketball and began playing along. In a classroom in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis, members of the Somali hip-hop group Waayaha Cusub started singing.Ī few boys tumbled into the room, then grew quiet as the men harmonized in Somali, patting on drums. ![]()
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