Somali hip-hop collective Waayaha Cusub performed in Mogadishu, Somalia for the first time in the country’s first formal musical event in 25 years. (Google Images)

Phil Moore of Al Jazeera is reporting that Somalia held its first formal musical performances in more than 25 years last week. The festival, held in the capital city of Mogadishu, was organized in last-minute secrecy and featured 18 international artists from seven different countries. The al-Shabaab reign outlawed music in 2009, and the effects still linger even after their removal by the African Union in 2011. Last week’s festival featured a performance by a Somali hip-hop group formed by Shiine Ali, who was long a target for his messages against al-Shabaab.

Moore writes:

International acts from the US to Sudan supported Waayaha Cusub, a Somali hip-hop collective who formed while in exile in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. They had never before played a concert in Mogadishu. Shiine Ali, who founded the group, has spoken out strongly against al-Shabaab, which made him a target in 2007 when gunmen shot him five times and left him for dead.

Since then, his lyrics have continued to encourage Somalis to turn their back on al-Shabaab. He believes these concerts represent a major milestone in Mogadishu’s return to normality.

Read more at Al Jazeera.

This news brief was written by Kaitlin Higgins, editorial assistant for The Burton Wire.

Like The Burton Wire on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @TheBurtonWire.

Previous articleAkosua Report: The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)
Next articleSouth Africa: Malema to Appear in Court This Week
TheBurtonWire.com is the premiere online destination for people who think for themselves. This blog offers news from the African Diaspora, culture that is produced by often overlooked populations and opinion that is informed and based on fact. Tired of the onslaught of websites and talking heads that regurgitate what people want to hear, TheBurtonWire.com is a publication that elevates news and perspectives that people need to hear. TheBurtonWire.com is for individual thinkers who understand that they are part of a larger collective. What is this collective? Free thinking people that care about the world, who will not be categorized or boxed in by society or culture and are interested in issues and topics that defy stereotypes and conventional wisdom.