Somali national anthems: Qolobaa Calankeed and Soomaaliyeey Toosoo

Three anthems in three eras

• 1960 to 2000: an instrumental anthem with no official words, by the Italian composer Giuseppe Blanc.
• 2000 to 2012: "Soomaaliyeey Toosoo".
• 2012 to now: "Qolobaa Calankeed".

Sources: National anthem of Somalia (1960–2000), Wikipedia; Soomaaliyeey toosoo, Wikipedia; Qolobaa Calankeed, Wikipedia.

Qolobaa Calankeed (since 2012)

What it means: "Qolobaa calankeed" means "every nation has its own flag". The song honours the star flag.

Who made it: The music and words are credited to Abdullahi Qarshe, the musician often called the father of modern Somali music (CIA World Factbook 2007, p. 778, cited by Wikipedia). Some sources credit the words to the poet Hussein Aw-Farah Dubbad. It is dated to 1959.

When it became the anthem: On 1 August 2012, with the Provisional Constitution. Article 6 of that constitution says, in its own words: "Somalia has a national anthem which is 'Qolobaa Calankeed'" (Provisional Constitution of Somalia, 2012, art. 6(3)). The 1960 Constitution named the flag and emblem but no anthem (Constitution of the Somali Republic, 1960, art. 1).

Opening line: "Qolobaa calankeed, waa ceynoo" ("Every nation has its own flag, of its kind").

Full text: published by the Somali Embassy in Belgium (archived copy, via Wikipedia's source list).

Soomaaliyeey Toosoo (2000–2012)

What it means: "Somalis, wake up". Its opening calls on Somalis to rise and lean on one another.

Who made it: The words are most often credited to Ali Mire Awale and Yusuf Haji Adam, though the credit is contested. Wikipedia dates it to 1947, citing Axmed Cali Abokor's study The Camel in Somali Oral Tradition (Soomaaliyeey toosoo, Wikipedia).

Its life: It was sung at independence on 1 July 1960. Children sang it at school in the mornings. The Transitional National Government made it the official anthem in July 2000, 40 years after independence (nationalanthems.info). It was replaced in August 2012, but it is still often sung as the anthem in practice (Wikipedia).

Opening line: "Soomaaliyeey toosoo, toosoo isku tiirsada ee" ("Somalis, wake up; wake up and lean on one another").

The 1960 to 2000 anthem

At independence Somalia used an instrumental anthem written by the Italian composer Giuseppe Blanc. It had no official words (National Anthems of the World archive; Wikipedia).

Why it matters

"Toosoo" is a call that every Somali already knows by heart. It was written in the years of the Somali Youth League, when Somalis of every clan worked together for independence. It is the call this site carries forward. See Toosoo: the call and the flag.