MINNESOTA – Waxaa magaaladda Minneapolis si habsami leh uga socda qabanqaabadda munaasabad lagu maamuusayo sannad guuradii tobnaad ee ka soo wareegtay aas-aaska madxafka hiddaha iyo dhaqanka Soomaalida ee Minnesota. Munaasabadan oo sannadka la qabanayo labo maalmood oo isku xiga Sabti October 21, iyo Axad October 22, 2023 ayaa lagu qabanayaa magaaladda Burnsville ee gobolka Minnesota.

Madxafka hiddaha iyo dhaqanka Soomaalida ee Minnesota ayaa sannad walba qabta munaasab balaaran oo lagu soo bandhigo sooyalka taariikhda Soomaalida, agabka iyo ciyaaraha hiddaha iyo dhaqanka Soomaalida. Sidoo kale munaasabaddan ayaa abaal-marin lagu gudoonsiinayaa qaar kamid ah haldoorka bulshadda.

Waxaad akhbaar dheeraad ah oo ay kamid yihiin tigidhadda lagu galayo munaasabadda aad ka heli kartaa bogga madxafka hiddaha iyo dhaqanka Soomaalida ee Minnesota : http://www.somalimuseum.org/10th-anniversary.html

In his first new recording for more than a decade, singer-songwriter who fled Mogadishu as a child says he wanted the song to feel ‘like a home for those of us made homeless by conflict’.

Canadian-Somali artist K’naan, whose unofficial World Cup anthem “Wavin’ Flag” became a No. 1 hit in more than a dozen countries, has released an inspiring new single and video honouring refugees. A full album will follow later this year.

The new track, “Refugee”, draws on both personal and political elements. K’naan grew up listening to his family’s poetry in Somalia before escaping war at the age of 13 on the last commercial flight out of Mogadishu. He lived briefly in the United States before settling in Canada, where he began writing music as a way of processing his experiences.

In an InstagramLink is external post accompanying the new release, K’naan said: “In the dictionary, ‘refugee’ is synonymous with displaced person, fugitive, outcast. In Somali the word feels like drifter or homeless. I wanted to write a song that felt like a home for those of us made homeless by conflict.”

The song marks a return to recording for the singer-songwriter, who has performed in nearly 100 countries, released three albums and garnered awards including an MTV Music Video Award and three Junos (The Canadian Grammys). His work has also been recognized on The Guardian’s Best Albums to Hear Before You Die and Rolling Stone’s 200 Greatest Hip Hop Albums of All Time.

K’naan released his last album in 2012. That same year he wrote a guest essay for The New York Times explaining the trappings of success in the music industry. Since then, he has written and worked extensively in television and film. He has also recently completed a fellowship at Harvard’s Hutchins Center for African and African American Research and is developing a musical at the Public Theater in New York.

“Growing up, every time someone called me a refugee, I recoiled,” K’naan says. “And I know this is still the reality for so many people today. I wanted to flip the meaning of the word and make it something that people will wear proudly.” 

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, recently released figures showing there are currently over 110 million people forcibly displaced around the world. This includes more than 670,000 refugees from Somalia, where ongoing conflict and the worst drought in decades continue to drive people from their homes in search of safety.

Reflecting on his homeland, K’naan says that “it takes both courage and desperation to abandon your home for somewhere unfamiliar. You set aside whatever it is that once made you an individual, in order to join a kind of faceless mass. I saw my mother do it. Her strength gave me hope. It also broke my heart.”

K’naan’s powerful new song opens with the lyrics: “If I was gonna be free, I’d have to change my name. Momma don’t feel shame. Somebody call me, Refugee….”

The single “Refugee” is available on YouTube and all major streaming platforms.

Source and credit: UNHCR Staff

Photos credit: Nabil Elderkin

The Urban Alternative Project funded by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting hits digital airwaves today

ST. PAUL, Minn., June 16, 2022 – Today at noon The Current launches Carbon Sound, a new music stream, website and app dedicated to celebrating the depth, breadth and influence of Black musical expression through genres including Hip-Hop, R&B, Afrobeats, Funk and Electronica, honoring the foundational role of Black music throughout all genres of music. Carbon Sound can be found at carbonsound.fm and on Carbon Sound’s new app, which can be found in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

The project is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and has been developed in partnership with community broadcasting station KMOJ’s HD2 station 89.9 The Ice. The team behind Carbon Sound is content director Julian Green; the voice of Carbon Sound, Sanni Brown; and community engagement specialist Andre Griffin. Other stations launching in this new format include Radio Milwaukee and WJSU-FM in Jackson, Mississippi.Julian Green built and manages the music library for Carbon Sound and oversees content output. During his time at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, he was program director of Radio K and founded their online Hip-Hop stream The Vanguard. He was lead on crafting the mission and vision of Carbon Sound and guided the project in its initial stages. “The mission and the vision here are my passions. It’s showing the depth, breadth and beauty of Black musical expression and showing how it’s foundational to the whole canon of musical expression in this country,” he said.

Sanni Brown is the host of The Message, The Current’s hip-hop and R&B show airing Wednesdays. The show will now also be heard on Carbon Sound, airing Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.Brown brings more than 10 years of experience in radio at stations KMOJ-FM, KFAI-FM, and 107.1 MyTalk to the role. Outside of her work in broadcasting, Brown is a professional speaker, licensed barber and singer who performs as a solo artist and with Lady Lark. She is a graduate of Concordia University, St. Paul, winner of Brown College’s “You Wanna Be A DJ?” voice talent and self-described “certified Nerd Goddess.” “What’s most important to me is that we’re bringing something to the community—we’re public media, we’re here to give more than we get,” Brown said. “I want Carbon Sound to feel how I feel when I walk up on a barbecue I was invited to. I want it to be like that feeling of, ‘it’s safe here.’”

Andre Griffin is a graduate of Augsburg University with a passion for community outreach and education. He has worked as a Youth Mentor at Banyan Community and as a Community Outreach specialist for the Pan-Afrikan Student Union.
“My love of history and my love of my North Minneapolis community guides my work every day,” he said. “I believe in abundance, we believe in abundance, and I am so glad to be a part of bringing more abundance to the Twin Cities.” His project at Carbon Sound will be helping elevate and amplify local music and artists on the stream and airwaves, as well as being active in the community, helping provide digital and physical spaces for artists and fans to engage and connect.

Freddie Bell, general manager of KMOJ’s Center for Communication and Development (CCD) and KMOJ-FM, The People’s Station, said, “This partnership will help extend and help elevate what we’re doing on The Ice and beyond. Now listeners who are looking for a wider variety of Black music in the Twin Cities will have a destination to find all these different sources of programming.”

“I’m excited for MPR to be joining the cohort of new stations under the CPB’s project to develop a new format for public media. We’re so proud of the work this team has done to create such a powerful addition to the local music community,” said David Safar, managing director of The Current. “We’re also grateful to the funding from the CPB and thrilled to be collaborating with Freddie, his team at KMOJ and The ICE.”

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Photo credit: Awa Mally for MPR

About The CurrentThe Current is an all-music, noncommercial, member-supported station from Minnesota Public Radio®. Since it began broadcasting in 2005, the award-winning station has grown into a far-reaching community, boasting members and online listeners from around the world. From local to legendary, indie to influential, The Current plays the best new music next to the artists you already love. Part of The Current’s mission is to champion emerging artists, support civic and cultural organizations, and give a platform to important voices that shape our community and make the Twin Cities a great place to live. Learn more and listen at thecurrent.org.