# Hawa Jibril (Xaawo Jibriil)

> Hawa Jibril (1920-2011): Somali buraanbur poet and Youth League member, later of Toronto.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/people/hawa-jibril/
Last checked: 2026-11-12
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## Who was she?

Hawa Jibril was a Somali poet known especially for the buraanbur, a form of poetry composed by women ([Wikipedia, Hawa Jibril](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawa_Jibril)). She was born in 1920 into a nomadic family on the [Mudug](/en/regions/mudug/) plateau, and composed her first poem at twelve, prompted by a family quarrel (same source). See [Somali poetry](/en/society/somali-poetry/).

## Life

She became a member of the [Somali Youth League](/en/history/somali-youth-league/) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawa_Jibril)). In 1993 she moved to Toronto to escape the civil war; because she had no papers proving her Somali citizenship, her naturalisation was delayed (same source). She died in Toronto in 2011 (same source). See [Somalis in Toronto](/en/diaspora/toronto/).

## Legacy

Her daughter, Faduma Ahmed Alim, compiled some of her poems in English and Somali as *And Then She Said / Saa Waxay Tiri* ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawa_Jibril)). In 2007 her life and poetry were the subject of the play *Bridge of One Hair* (same source).

## In short

A buraanbur poet of the independence era whose verse was later published from Toronto.

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