Cabdi Deeqsi Warfa (Cabdi Sinimo) was a singer, songwriter, composer, poet, and musician who pushed Somali music forward at a time when few Somalis had much exposure to the arts. Often called the Father of Somali Music, he created the melodies and song structures that became the backbone of today’s qaaci and qaraami genres
Early life
Cabdi Sinimo was born around 1920 in the village of Jaarahorato (about 25 miles northeast of Borama in today’s Awdal region, Somaliland). One of eighteen children, he was the fourth-eldest son in a large family.
The birth of Balwo
While living in Borama in 1944, he formed the Balwo troupe. Their short, melodic love songs introduced Somalis to an entirely new style of modern music and verse.
How the first Balwo came about
Cabdi Sinimo owned and drove a passenger lorry that ran between Borama and Djibouti. In 1943 the truck broke down near the Giriyaad Plains. As he worked on the engine, he hummed a tune and improvised lyrics. The result was “Balwo,”the very first song of its kind and the name that later defined both the new musical style and the troupe that performed it.
“Balwo, oh Balwo!
I do not know what troubles me;
The lorry troubles me,
Beerguba troubles me…”
— Cabdi Sinimo, Ayrotv.com
