Somali women honoured with compilation

Titled Sweet As Broken Dates: Lost Somali Tapes from the Horn of Africa, the compilation pays tribute to Somali women and will be released in August.

Songs on the album were voiced by Somali women in the 1970s and 1980s. "By virtue of their pre-eminence," said Vik Sohonie, founder of Ostinato Records, "over half our compilation were recorded by female vocalists. Their voices, from soaring, to sweet, to haunting, are reflective of the diversity of the Somali repertoire."

Sohonie said there was a need to acknowledge the Somali women who produced great music despite being considered a minority at the time. “Somali women are key to the Horn of Africa’s present and future, and were clearly the protagonists of its past,” he said. “Their confidence, passion and sheer resilience in the face of stifling attitudes are an example of persistent, empowered feminism we don’t often see, but it’s been there and it’s here to stay."

The songs featured in the compilation were taken from the Hargeisa radio archive, which was squirrelled away to avoid damage during the civil war. A former journalist in Hargeisa said the records were dispersed to neighboring countries like Djibouti and Ethiopia, and buried deep underground to withstand even the most powerful airstrikes launched by Somali dictator Siad Barre.

Sohonie believes that the compilation, which is available for pre-order, will help change perceptions of Somalia and renew interest in its rich musical heritage. His other compilations include Somali Sounds from Mogadishu to Djibouti and Synthesize Soul: Astro-Atlantic Hypnotica from the Cape Verde Islands 1973-1988.

The forthcoming 15-track compilation features musicians Khadra Dahir, Maryan Naasir, Maryan Mursal, Sahra Dawo, Sara Axmed and Magool, among others.

Order and listen to Sweet As Broken Dates: Lost Somali Tapes from the Horn of Africa here.