Khadija Qalanjo Explained

Khadija Qalanjo
Background:	solo_singer
Native Name:	خديجة قلنجو
Native Name Lang:	ar
Birth Place:	Borama, British Somaliland (now Somalia)
Instrument:	vocals
Genre:	Somali music
Occupation:	singer, dancer
Years Active:	1970s–1980s

Khadija Qalanjo (Somali: Khadiija Qalanjo, Arabic: خديجة قلنجو) is a popular Somali singer and folklore dancer in the 1970s and 1980s. She was the first Miss Somalia.^[1]

Qalanjo was the singer that started the modernization and enhancement of the Somali folk song tradition of balwo, introducing instrumentation where hitherto it had been performed without.

She was born in Borama in north western Somaliland.^[2]

Music

Popular songs by Qalanjo include:^[3]

• Caashaqa Sal iyo Baar
• Ragga iyo Haweenkuba
• Deesha
• Sharaf
• Hooyo
• Soohor Caashaqa – duet with Hasan Adan Samatar
• Diriyam – in 2016 a cover was made by the Ethiopian Jano Band.

References

• Book: Diiriye , Anwar Maxamed . Literature of Somali onomastics & proverbs with comparison of foreign sayings . Gobaad Communications & Press . 2006 . 0-9726615-1-4.

Notes and References

1. Diiriye, p.73
2. Web site: Ahmed. Yasmin. Somalia's lost tapes revive musical memories. BBC News. 26 August 2017.
3. Web site: Songs by Khadija Qalanjo . 24 January 2017 . 2 February 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170202021508/http://www.nomadlyrics.com/artist/k/105ad0b47923/khadija+qalanjo.html . dead .