Poets and writers
Hawa Jibril (Xaawo Jibriil)
Hawa Jibril (1920 to 2011) was a Somali poet known for the buraanbur, the women's poetic form. Born into a nomadic family on the Mudug plateau, she composed her first poem at twelve, joined the Somali Youth League, and moved to Toronto in 1993. Her poems were published in English and Somali as And Then She Said, and her life inspired the play Bridge of One Hair.
Hawa JibrilXaawo Jibriil
- Lived
- 1920 to 2011
- Known as one of
- Poets and writers
- Places
- Gaalkacyo and Mudug
- Era
- Toward independence, 1920 to 1960; The Republic, 1960 to 1991; Rebuilding without a state, 1991 to 2012
- Sources
- 1 sources
Who was she?
Hawa Jibril was a Somali poet known especially for the buraanbur, a form of poetry composed by women (Wikipedia, Hawa Jibril). She was born in 1920 into a nomadic family on the Mudug plateau, and composed her first poem at twelve, prompted by a family quarrel (same source). See Somali poetry.
Life
She became a member of the Somali Youth League (Wikipedia). 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.
Legacy
Her daughter, Faduma Ahmed Alim, compiled some of her poems in English and Somali as And Then She Said / Saa Waxay Tiri (Wikipedia). 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.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Hawa Jibril · en.wikipedia.org
Hawa JibrilXaawo Jibriil
- Lived
- 1920 to 2011
- Known as one of
- Poets and writers
- Places
- Gaalkacyo and Mudug
- Era
- Toward independence, 1920 to 1960; The Republic, 1960 to 1991; Rebuilding without a state, 1991 to 2012
- Sources
- 1 sources
Toosoo!
Calankii is made by Toosoo, which works for one united, prosperous Somalia.
Can you help with Hawa Jibril (Xaawo Jibriil)? Tell us what you can give.
I want to help with this
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.
Keep reading
- Hadraawi (Maxamed Ibraahin Warsame), 1943 to 2022: the master of Somali speechHadraawi, Somali poet (1943 to 2022): his songs and poems, five years in prison from 1973, exile, the 2004 peace march, the Prince Claus Award and his legacy.
- Nuruddin Farah: the Somali novelist who won the Neustadt PrizeNuruddin Farah, Somali novelist born in Baidoa in 1945: his novels and three trilogies, his years of exile, and his 1998 Neustadt Prize.
- Timacadde (Cabdillaahi Suldaan Maxamed)Timacadde (about 1920–1973), poet of Somali independence: his life, the flag poem of 1960 and his message of unity over clan.
- Gaarriye (Maxamed Xaashi Dhamac)Gaarriye (1949–2012): Hargeisa poet, starter of the Deelley poem chain, first to explain Somali metre, and voice of reconciliation.
- Nadifa Mohamed (Nadiifa Maxamed)Nadifa Mohamed, born 1981 in Hargeisa: author of Black Mamba Boy, The Orchard of Lost Souls and the Booker-shortlisted The Fortune Men.
- Warsan Shire (Warsan Shire)Warsan Shire, born 1988: British Somali poet, London's first Young Poet Laureate, Brunel Prize winner, and voice in Beyoncé's Lemonade.