Poets and writers

Maxamed Daahir Afrax (Mohamed Dahir Afrah)

Maxamed Daahir Afrax is a Somali novelist, playwright, journalist and scholar. His novel Maana-faay (1981) is reported to be among the first novels written in the Latin Somali script. He founded and edited the literary journal Hal-Abuur, and has written on Somali literature, on Hadraawi's poetry and on rebuilding Somalia.

Last checked 2026-11-12 1 source Reading time: 1 min

Maxamed Daahir AfraxMohamed Dahir Afrah · Mohamed D. Afrah

Known as one of
Poets and writers
Era
The Republic, 1960 to 1991; Rebuilding without a state, 1991 to 2012; Who holds power, 2012 to now
Sources
1 sources

Who is he?

Maxamed Daahir Afrax is a Somali novelist, playwright, journalist and scholar (Wikipedia, Maxamed Daahir Afrax).

Novels and journal

His novel Maana-faay was first published in 1981 and reissued in London in 1997 (same source). Wikipedia notes it is reportedly the first novel written in the romanised Somali script (same source). Our page on Farah Awl records a similar claim for Awl, so both are listed here as Wikipedia gives them.

In 1993 he launched Hal-Abuur, a journal of Somali literature and culture (same source). The historian Lidwien Kapteijns reviewed his novels in that journal as "a window on Somali society" (same source).

Scholarship

His studies include (Wikipedia):

  • Nadaraat fi Athaqaafah As-Soomaaliyah (An introduction to Somali culture), in Arabic, published in Sharjah
  • an Arabic essay on the poetry of Hadraawi, 1987
  • "A Nation of Poets, or Art-loving People?", 1994
  • "The Mirror of Culture: Somali Dissolution Seen Through Oral Literature", in The Somali Challenge, 1994
  • Dal Dad Waayey iyo Duni Damiir Beeshay: Soomaaliya Dib ma u Dhalan Doontaa? (A land without leaders in a world without conscience: can Somalia be reborn?), revised edition 2004

In short

A novelist and critic who founded the journal Hal-Abuur and has written widely on Somali literature.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia, Maxamed Daahir Afrax · en.wikipedia.org

Maxamed Daahir AfraxMohamed Dahir Afrah · Mohamed D. Afrah

Known as one of
Poets and writers
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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