Adduunyada
nin dhoofiyo
Ninkii
deggan dhulkii hooyo
Nin
dhergiyo nin dhawr qaday
Aan
dheef hayan
Dheddig
iyo laboodbaa
Hawli
kama dhammaatee
Qof
waliba wixii dhibay
Dhafoorkay
ku taallaa
***
(Whether
you be a migrant
Or
you stay back at home
Whether
you live in affluence
Or
you sleep on empty stomach for days
Whether
you are a male or a female
The
world never spares anyone of suffering
And
everyone’s own misery and hardship
Can
be noticed easily on one’s temples…
Widely
known as the Somali King of Melody, Maxamad Saleeban Tubeec’s unique, modulate
and soaring voice spoke prophetically of the fate that would befall the Somali
nation and with it Somali culture of which music is its crown jewel.
After
more than half a century of fame during which Tubeec has entertained,
mesmerized, and moved the passions of the Somali people with his magical and inimitable
voice in defiance of the ugly tyranny of the Somali people against his rights
as a human being and a native citizen, he is now lying in a hospital bed far
from home. He said the doctors in
Germany where has been taken for treatment confirmed to him that he needs a surgical
operation, an operation that he cannot financially afford. The painful news
came through a desperate appeal
he made through a Somali TV channel, asking Somali people and the Somali
government to assist him in meeting the hospital expenses so he can undergo this
life giving surgery.
In any world, other than this surrealistic situation of
Somalia, Tubeec would have been not only a source of national pride for his contribution
to Somalia’s music heritage but also a wealthy man from the copyright and sales
of his works. But is it no wonder that within the Somali context where there is
no copyright and no respect for intellectual property that artists, no matter
how significantly they contribute to the collective national memory of the
people, would remain on the lowest rung of the economic ladder.
As a person who grew up in the heyday of Somali music and
literature in the 1960s and 70s when music rocked people’s passions with its
magical melody, its powerful poetry, and its appeal to the ambitions and dreams
of the young Somali nation, I could never have envisioned the day when the
whole nation would collapse and Somali musical icons would suffer and die of
negligence and anonymity in their old age.
Hearing Tubeec’s pathetic condition, I travelled down memory
lane and with the help of like minded people who preserved his music on YouTube,
tried to relive the golden age of his music when he breathed the beauty of life
into the hearts and souls of people who loved his music but wouldn’t otherwise
treat him as an equal human being due to his clan. The days when his melodies
symbolized everything beautiful in life and through it we all felt to be
immortal.
It was ironic that I encountered his famous lyrics which
Somalis have through decades sang and may continue to sing even centuries to
come to ring in every New Year. As we stand at the beginning of a New Year,
2014, it is painful and somewhat apocalyptic to hear Tubeec singing the
powerful words of Hussein Aw Farah:
Waan
heesayaayee
Sannad
waliba hoodiyo
Hawl
iyo dhibaatiyo
Wuxu
hadimo leeyahay
Waa
laga helaayoo
Hadhaw
lagu xusuustaa
Kii
noo hagaagee
Noqo
loo hanweynyahay…
***
(I
am going to sing
That
every year
Brings
with it what
It
has to offer
In
affluence and in misery
And
it is remembered
In
what it gives
O
New Year
Be
one that brings us
Good
tidings
To
earn our admiration…
One couldn’t miss, however, and might even remember it
with a nostalgic feeling how Tubeec spoke to our hearts and made us live life
to the full with his song Waqti (Time) in which he admonished Time to stay away
from him and let him enjoy his youthful days.
Hawshiyo
dhibaatada
Dhallinyaro
intaan ahay
Ha
ii soo dhaweynine
Waxan
ii dhammaynayn
Sharaftayda
dhawrooo…
***
(While
I enjoy my youthful days
O
Time
Spare
me
From
your miseries and sufferings
Let
me enjoy my youthfulness to the full
Dare
you not harm my dignity...)
Well
indeed, Tubeec had a productive and beautiful youth as one of the most loved singers
of his generation and a man crowned by the Somali people as the King of Melody.
Tubeec was a born singer in every genre he under took. But there is no doubt
that he first captured the heart and minds of the Somali people all over the
Somali peninsula with his patriotic songs at the time of independence. It was
Tubeec’s lyrics that dominated the airwaves during the celebrations for Independence
anniversaries. I can recall how the feeling of the people soared with the
hearing of Tubeec’s “Dharaartaan waxyeeladay Dhaqdhaqeen” (The Day I Cleansed
Myself of Shame) which had become one of the indelible symbols of Somali
independence:
Dhaaxaan
gunimiyo
Dhibaato
mutoo
Dhomaha
la iga saaray
Dhinacyada
ee
Dharaartaan
waxyeeladii
Dhaqdhaqnee
Calanka
dhidbay
Sow
ma soo dhicin…”
***
The Day I Cleansed Myself of Shame Day
(“Many
a time, I had suffered
Ignominy
and harshness
And
have been loaded
On
both sides
Like
a beast of burden
O
hasn’t the day
Has
come
When
I cleansed myself of shame
And
I hoisted the flag…”)
I
can only imagine how much the words of this song rang bells in Tubeec’s inner
soul for while he was passionately singing about the removal of the yoke of
colonialism and oppression, he knew in the deepest parts of his heart that he
and his family were still carrying the yoke of centuries old societal heinous discrimination
and oppression that his voice couldn’t erase. But he still sang for the promise
of the day with a great degree of patriotism and optimism.
Another
of his unforgettable independence songs was “Way Ahaataye Maaanta” (Yes, today
we have done it”, a song with lyrics talking about the need for collaboration
and cohesiveness in decision making between the leaders and the people, a
message that has lost its way to the heart of the Somali people.
Hadba
kii arrin keena
Ka
kale aqbalaayaa
Ilaahii
ina siiyey
Isagaa
ku abaale
Way
ahaataye maanta
Si
wanaagsan u iida
***
YES, TODAY WE HAVE DONE IT
He,
whoever initiates an idea
And
the one who listens and supports it
O
Thanks to Almighty
Who
bestowed on us such harmony
And
unity of purpose
Yes,
today we have done it
And
we must celebrate it
With
peace and gracefulness…”
Apart
from his patriotic songs, Tubeec’s fame came from his dignified and serene
voice, coupled with the pure classical Somali music that represented the era
before Somali music was adulterated with foreign styles which is adopted
wholesale by modern singers.
Among the most famous of his plethora of love songs was “Dhool
Da’ay La Moodyeey” ( O You whose beauty resembles that of a day after rain”
Dhool
da’ay la moodeeyey
Waan
kugu dhadhabayaayey
Dharaartaynu
kullanaa
Dhulku
ila wareegeey
Dhimasho
iyo nolol
Ayaan
kala dhex joogaa
***
“O
You whose beauty resembles that of a day after rain
Since
the day I met you
The
earth seems to be spinning around me
And
I stand between death and life…”
Yet another
one of his memorable love songs is “Nayruus” (Nowruz) which he performs with
Magool, known also as the Queen of Melody, thus making them a heaven-made duet,
and arguably the best two voices of Somali music of
all time.
Weligay
kumaan nicin
Naagana
kuma ag dhigin
Ka
nixina ismaan odhan naruuroy
Ka nixina ismaan odhan
nasteexooy…
***
“I
never have ceased to love you
I
never have compared you with other women
Never
have it occurred to me to let you down
O
my gracious deliverance
Never
have it occurred to me to let you down
O my precious darling.
It was in Lagos in 1977 that Tubeec and Magool mesmerized
the African audience with their magical, authentic Somali voices. And one of
the highlights of the night was“ “MINANKAYGII
HADDAAD TIMI’ which
I recommend every reader of this piece to watch and enjoy these two artists’
stellar music and regal performance.
The precious archives of Tubeec’s music is priceless and
deserve more than a book to cover it, but to throw a couple of more lines into
the memory trove, I cannot miss to recall “Hanqaaro” (Urge)
Naftaydaa
adaa hanqaaroo
Hablihii
kale waan ka hadhayee
Anigu
kaa helay hubaalee
Adigu
mayla haysaa…
***
“O
you have caused the urge in me
And
I let go of all other women
My
admiration for you is absolute
I
wonder if have yours in return ..”
Definitely the list continues and includes Cimrigiiba Jacayl, AMAANADA ILAAHAY, Malyuun Hibo, and of
course the great song of Hooyo (mother).
This is not a eulogy as Tubeec is very much alive and I
wish him quick recovery but it is an attempt to remind the Somali people and
the Somali government that our cultural icons and music legends like Tubeec and
Cabdi Tahliil who is also ill and in need of treatment should never have
been allowed to meet this fate.
It is almost a crime that we had the music of Tubeec and
Tahliil to enjoy and took pride in the legacy they left for us and then let
them suffer and face life alone in their twilight years. Undeniably the tragedy
that befell Tubeec and other artists like him reflects the tragedy of a nation
whose country, heritage, and collective memory are all in ruins, but the Somali
governments, no matter what, are duty bound to give these artists the status
and financial pension that they rightly deserve.
Finally, I would like to urge the Somali people and
particularly the Somali government to extend their support and welfare to Tubeec
and Tahliil who unlike other artists cannot seek clan support and who despite
historical injustices always count the Somali people as a whole as their Tol.
It will only be befitting to end this peace
with Tubeec’s following heart-wrenching song:
Ma
ogtahay ayaantii
Ilmadu
kaa da’aysee
Indhahaaga
qoysaan
Inan
yahay xasuustoo
Uurkaan
ka ooyoo
Waan
kaa ashahaatee
***
“O darling, don’t you
know the day
When tears rolled down
And soaked your eyes
O darling, I do remember
it well
As I cried my heart out
And felt great empathy
for you…”