Poets and writers
Farah Awl (Faarax Cawl)
Farah Mohamed Jama Awl (1937 to 1991) was a Somali writer from Las Khorey. Trained as an engineer in London, he became the first Somali novelist to write in the Latin script adopted for Somali in 1972. His novels include Garbaduubkii gumeysiga (1978) and Aqoondarro waa u nacab jacayl. He was killed with three of his children in Beledweyne in 1991.
Farah AwlFaarax Cawl · Farah Mohamed Jama Awl
- Lived
- 1937 to 1991
- Known as one of
- Poets and writers
- Era
- Toward independence, 1920 to 1960; The Republic, 1960 to 1991
- Sources
- 1 sources
Who was he?
Farah Mohamed Jama Awl, usually credited as Farah Awl, was a Somali writer born in 1937 in Las Khorey in north-eastern Somalia (Wikipedia, Farah Awl). His surname Cawl, meaning "gazelle", was the nickname of his great-grandfather, a sultan of the Warsangali (same source). See Sanaag.
From 1959 to 1962 he studied aeronautical and automobile engineering in London on a scholarship (same source). He then returned to Somalia and worked with the police and the National Transport Agency in Mogadishu (same source).
Writing
He was the first Somali novelist to write in the Latin script after it was made official for Somali in 1972 (Wikipedia). His work is known for its descriptions of Somalia's landscape and wildlife and for including traditional Somali poetry (same source). His books include (same source):
- Aqoondarro waa u nacab jacayl (Ignorance is the enemy of love), listed by Wikipedia under both 1974 and 1982
- Garbaduubkii gumeysiga (The shackles of colonialism), 1978
- Dhibbanaha aan dhalan (The unborn victim), 1989
Death
He was killed in 1991, with three of his children, during the fighting in Beledweyne in Hiiraan (Wikipedia). Wikipedia states that he was reportedly targeted because of his clan family (same source). His wife and one son survived him (same source). See Hiiraan.
In short
An engineer turned novelist who pioneered the Somali-language novel in the Latin script and was killed in Beledweyne in 1991.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Farah Awl · en.wikipedia.org
Farah AwlFaarax Cawl · Farah Mohamed Jama Awl
- Lived
- 1937 to 1991
- Known as one of
- Poets and writers
- Era
- Toward independence, 1920 to 1960; The Republic, 1960 to 1991
- 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.
- 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.
- Ethiopia (Somali refugees and the Somali Region)About 368,000 refugees from Somalia live in Ethiopia (Oct 2026): numbers since 1988, Dollo Ado, Jijiga, Addis Ababa's Bole Michael, the law and aid cuts.
- Finland (Somali diaspora)28,167 Somali speakers lived in Finland at the end of 2025, more than half in Helsinki. Numbers, history, work, leaders and ties home.
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