Poets and writers
Ubah Cristina Ali Farah
Ubah Cristina Ali Farah (born 1973 in Verona) is an Italian-Somali poet, novelist and playwright. Born to a Somali father and an Italian mother, she grew up in Mogadishu until the war of 1991. Her novels include Madre piccola (2007), published in English as Little Mother, and Il comandante del fiume (2014). She has written on Somali folk theatre from 1940 to 1990.
Ubah Cristina Ali FarahCristina Ali Farah · Ubax Cristina Cali Faarax
- Lived
- 1973 to today
- Known as one of
- Poets and writers
- Places
- Muqdisho and Banaadir
- Era
- The Republic, 1960 to 1991; Rebuilding without a state, 1991 to 2012; Who holds power, 2012 to now
- Sources
- 1 sources
Who is she?
Ubah Cristina Ali Farah is an Italian writer of Somali and Italian descent (Wikipedia, Cristina Ali Farah). She is a poet, novelist, playwright, librettist and oral performer (same source).
Early life
She was born in Verona in 1973, to a Somali father and an Italian mother (Wikipedia). She grew up in Mogadishu and went to an Italian school there until the civil war broke out in 1991 (same source). Her family moved to Pécs in Hungary, then back to Verona (same source). She studied literature at La Sapienza University in Rome and holds a PhD in African Studies (same source). She has lived in Brussels since 2013 (same source). See Somalis in Italy.
Her books
She has published three novels (Wikipedia):
- Madre piccola (2007), published in English as Little Mother by Indiana University Press in 2011, translated by Giovanna Bellesia.
- Il comandante del fiume (2014).
- Le stazioni della luna.
She has also published a book on the history and themes of Somali folk theatre from 1940 to 1990 (same source). She has worked as a UNDP consultant on oral history for peacebuilding in Somalia (same source). See Somali poetry.
Prizes and residencies
She has received the Lingua Madre and Vittorini prizes (Wikipedia). She took part in the University of Iowa's International Writing Program in 2017, and was a Civitella Ranieri Foundation fellow (same source). In 2020 she held a fellowship at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (same source).
In short
An Italian-Somali writer who grew up in Mogadishu and wrote the novel Madre piccola about Somalis after the war.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Cristina Ali Farah · en.wikipedia.org
Ubah Cristina Ali FarahCristina Ali Farah · Ubax Cristina Cali Faarax
- Lived
- 1973 to today
- Known as one of
- Poets and writers
- Places
- Muqdisho and Banaadir
- Era
- The Republic, 1960 to 1991; Rebuilding without a state, 1991 to 2012; Who holds power, 2012 to now
- Sources
- 1 sources
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Where this matters
Same era
- Australia18,401 people of Somali ancestry and 8,101 born in Somalia lived in Australia at the 2021 Census, more than half in Victoria. History, work, issues.
- Birmingham (Somali diaspora)About 17,000 to 21,600 Somalis live in Birmingham (Census 2021), mostly in Nechells, Newtown, Small Heath and Alum Rock. History, work, health and ties home.
- Bristol (Somali diaspora)9,167 people in Bristol identified as Somali or Somalilander in Census 2021, the city's largest minority group. Where they live, work, housing, leaders and ties home.
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada2,845 people of Somali origin lived in Calgary at the 2021 Census, plus 890 in Brooks. How they came, who serves them and what they face.
- Denmark (Somali diaspora)21,885 people of Somali origin lived in Denmark in 2026, half born there. Numbers, history, work, permit reviews, and ties home.
- DjiboutiAbout 13,900 refugees from Somalia live in Djibouti (Aug 2026): numbers since 1990, Ali Addeh, Holl-Holl, the 2017 refugee law, Arta 2000 and 2025 returns.
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