Musicians, actors and artists
Saba Anglana
Saba Anglana (born 17 November 1970) is a Somali-Italian singer, actor and writer, born in Mogadishu. Her family was sent into exile to Italy when she was a child. She acted on Italian television in the 1990s, released the album Jidka: The Line in 2007, mixing Somali and Italian music, and in 2024 published the novel La signora meraviglia about her family.
Saba AnglanaSaba Anglana
- Lived
- 1970-11-17 to today
- Known as one of
- Musicians, actors and artists
- Places
- Muqdisho and Banaadir
- Era
- The Republic, 1960 to 1991; Rebuilding without a state, 1991 to 2012; Who holds power, 2012 to now
- Sources
- 1 sources
Who is she?
Saba Anglana is a Somali-Italian actor and singer (Wikipedia, Saba Anglana). See Somali music.
Early life
She was born in Mogadishu on 17 November 1970 (Wikipedia). Her mother's family was from Somalis living in Ethiopia (same source). Her father was a former Italian military commander who had moved to Somalia after the Second World War (same source). Wikipedia says the military government saw him as a possible spy, and the family was sent into exile in Italy while she was a child (same source).
She grew up in Italy and studied at Sapienza University in Rome (Wikipedia). She learned Somali from her mother, including the Xamar Weyne dialect of Mogadishu (same source). See Somalis in Italy.
Career
In the 1990s she acted on Italian television, including the series La Squadra, in which she played a Somali-Italian policewoman (Wikipedia). In 2007 she released her first album, Jidka: The Line, which mixes Somali music with Italian sounds (same source). In 2024 she published the novel La signora meraviglia, about her family's story and her search for her roots (same source). See also Cristina Ali Farah.
In short
A Mogadishu-born singer and actor in Italy whose music mixes Somali and Italian sounds.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Saba Anglana · en.wikipedia.org
Saba AnglanaSaba Anglana
- Lived
- 1970-11-17 to today
- Known as one of
- Musicians, actors and artists
- Places
- Muqdisho and Banaadir
- 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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Where this matters
Same era
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- 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.
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- 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.
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