Musicians, actors and artists
Khadija Qalanjo (Khadiija Qalanjo)
Khadija Qalanjo (born Khadija Mohamud Yusuf in Borama in 1950, died August 2025) was a Somali singer and folk dancer, a leading member of the national Waaberi band and the first Miss Somalia. She brought instruments into the dhaanto and Sayliciga song forms, which had mostly been sung without them. Her songs were among the first broadcast when Somali National Television began in 1983.
Khadija QalanjoKhadiija Qalanjo · Khadija Mohamud Yusuf
- Lived
- 1950-05-11 to 2025-08
- Known as one of
- Musicians, actors and artists
- Era
- The Republic, 1960 to 1991; Rebuilding without a state, 1991 to 2012; Who holds power, 2012 to now
- Sources
- 3 sources
Who was she?
Khadija Qalanjo was a Somali singer and folklore dancer, popular in the 1970s and 1980s (Wikipedia, Khadija Qalanjo). She was the first Miss Somalia (same source). Her full name was Khadija Mohamud Yusuf (Goobjoog News, 30 August 2025). Kaab TV called her "a legendary singer, cultural pioneer" (Kaab TV, 1 September 2025).
Early life
She was born in Borama, in the Awdal region, in 1950 (Wikipedia). Wikipedia gives her birth date as 11 May 1950 (same source). Her family is Samaroon (Gadabuursi), of the Jibril Younis branch (same source). Kaab TV also places her birth in Borama, around 1950 (Kaab TV).
Waaberi and the national stage
She rose to fame in the 1970s and 1980s as a singer and dancer (same source). She was a leading member of the Waaberi band, the national music ensemble (Goobjoog News). Waaberi grew into a cultural symbol across the Horn of Africa (same source). Somali National Television began broadcasting in October 1983 (same source). Her songs were among the first it put on air (same source). See Somali music and media in Somalia.
Her music
At the time, many Somali songs were sung without instruments (Kaab TV). She brought modern instruments into the traditional dhaanto and Sayliciga forms (same source). Kaab TV praised her "powerful voice and stage presence" (same source).
Her best known songs include "Caashaqa Sal iyo Baar", "Ragga iyo Haweenkuba", "Sharaf" and "Hooyo" (Wikipedia). She sang the duet "Soo Hor Caashaqa" with Hasan Adan Samatar (same source). In 2016 the Ethiopian group Jano Band recorded a cover of her song "Diriyam" (same source).
Death and tributes
She died at the end of August 2025, aged 75 (Goobjoog News). Reports differ on the day and place. Wikipedia gives 30 August (Wikipedia). Kaab TV gives Friday, 29 August (Kaab TV). Goobjoog reports that she died in Hargeisa (Goobjoog News). Kaab TV reports that she was buried in Borama at the Sog-Sogley cemetery (Kaab TV).
Somalia's Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism paid tribute to her (Goobjoog News). It called her death "a great loss to the Somali nation" (same source). Grief was shared in Somalia and among Somalis abroad (same source).
In short
A singer and dancer from Awdal, a Waaberi band member and the first Miss Somalia. Kaab TV described her as a role model for Somali women in a field long led by men (Kaab TV).
Sources
- Wikipedia, Khadija Qalanjo · en.wikipedia.org
- Goobjoog News, 30 August 2025 · en.goobjoog.com
- Kaab TV, 1 September 2025 · en.kaabtv.com
Khadija QalanjoKhadiija Qalanjo · Khadija Mohamud Yusuf
- Lived
- 1950-05-11 to 2025-08
- Known as one of
- Musicians, actors and artists
- Era
- The Republic, 1960 to 1991; Rebuilding without a state, 1991 to 2012; Who holds power, 2012 to now
- Sources
- 3 sources
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Where this matters
- Muqdisho (Mogadishu) and BanaadirMogadishu (Muqdisho) is Somalia's capital and makes up the Banadir region, with about 2.97 million people in 20 districts.
- Hargeysa (Hargeisa) and Woqooyi GalbeedWoqooyi Galbeed is the north-western region that holds Hargeisa (Hargeysa) and the port of Berbera, with about 1 to 1.45 million people.
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