Somalis are natural-born critics, yet for over six decades Axmed Naaji Sacad (Ahmed Naji Sa'ad) was almost unanimously revered. A household name in urban Somalia, the popular singer and poet has passed away at the age of 84 in London.
Venerated as an elder of the country’s cultural life, Axmed Naaji Sacad Cali Naasir was not merely a singer, composer and musician who played guitar, lute, mandolin, piano and violin, he was also a radio host, a playwright and a poet.
First known for his love songs like Garan Waaye (I Couldn’t Know), he would later become famous for patriotic songs such as Dalkeygow (Oh My Country). Poems are commonly set to music in Somalia. Naaji mostly performed a Banaadiri genre of Somali poetry – of the Benadiri people – although he also worked in other genres.
