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Only armed with music, Waayaha Cusub, a popular band made up of Somali refugee in Kenya, has defied threats and attacks from militant extremists to spread the message of peace in war-torn Somalia, as they traveled to Mogadishu to stage the Mogadishu Music Festival.
Waayaha Cusub was formed in 2004, leading by Shiine Akhyaar Ali and fellow singer Falis Abdi. The group’s energetic rap and soulful R&B have struck the youth in East Africa.
Their first major success on songs was touching on themes like love, poverty and human rights. As the conflict in their homeland was worsening, Waayaha Cusub's lyrics were touching more dangerous theme.
"Shocked shocked/Who is behind this trail of destruction?/Al-Shabaab is/They galvanize people on the street for their wicked cause/They profess to be pious but they wield machetes," Ali raps in Somali on "Yaabka al Shabaab" (Reject the Extremists), the most popular song of the group.
Al-Shabaab is a Somalia-based cell of the Al-Qaeda .This insurgent group implemented cruel punishments for un-Islamic behavior. Popular musicians were also a target; Waayaha Cusub received several threats because of having women dance on stage and in its videos,
"They were saying, 'you are doing propaganda for anti-Islam or anti-jihad, so we will finish you,'" recalls Ali.
In late 2007, militants broke into Ali's house and shot him several times but he managed to escape. And several more incidents have followed. Yet, these attacks do not deter Waayaha Cusub, remaining on the front line to promote peace.
"If we stop, I think these people will win, they will reach their aim," says Ali. "So if we continue, we are the winners because we need to tell our people that terrorism is not good, that killing people is not good, that suicide bombing is not good. So we will continue."
And Waayaha Cusub, with the support of local and international officials, is now set to put on an array of free concerts and other related artistic activities in Mogadishu, aiming to win over youth and convince them to turn away from violence.
Music workshops and open mic events with at-risk youth and former militia will kick-start the proceeding and will culminate in the main Somali Reconciliation Concert, headlined by Waayaha Cusub with featuring other Somali and international performers.
"It's always been Waayaha Cusub's way to respond to violence in the community by pulling youth away from the fray and into a venue where they give them an open mic to share their feelings, and then blow their minds with Somali hip-hop about ending the war," says Daniel J Gerstle, the event’s lead producer.
"Countering the terror groups and extremist rebels who use surprise bombings to destroy, these singers launch surprise flash mob concerts to bring back the message of love and peace," he adds.
For Ali, the time is now right to take his music back to Somalia.
"At this time, we need to start to reach the youth in Somalia to pass our message," he says. "We need to tell them that this jihad is not good, is not right, so this time I think in Somalia most people don't want the extreme ideas. I think this time it's better than before."
Waayaha Cusub是由一批在肯尼亚的索马里难民组成的流行乐队。面对极端分子的威胁和攻击，他们以音乐为武器，在饱受战争蹂躏的索马里传播和平的讯息。他们在摩加迪沙举行音乐节，试图让青年人远离战争，并且通过音乐释放个人的情感。Waayaha Cusub希望把和平的信息传递给青少年，同时希望冲突早日结束。
Waayaha Cusub was formed in 2004, leading by Shiine Akhyaar Ali and fellow singer Falis Abdi. The group’s energetic rap and soulful R&B have struck the youth in East Africa.
Their first major success on songs was touching on themes like love, poverty and human rights. As the conflict in their homeland was worsening, Waayaha Cusub's lyrics were touching more dangerous theme.
"Shocked shocked/Who is behind this trail of destruction?/Al-Shabaab is/They galvanize people on the street for their wicked cause/They profess to be pious but they wield machetes," Ali raps in Somali on "Yaabka al Shabaab" (Reject the Extremists), the most popular song of the group.
Al-Shabaab is a Somalia-based cell of the Al-Qaeda .This insurgent group implemented cruel punishments for un-Islamic behavior. Popular musicians were also a target; Waayaha Cusub received several threats because of having women dance on stage and in its videos,
"They were saying, 'you are doing propaganda for anti-Islam or anti-jihad, so we will finish you,'" recalls Ali.
In late 2007, militants broke into Ali's house and shot him several times but he managed to escape. And several more incidents have followed. Yet, these attacks do not deter Waayaha Cusub, remaining on the front line to promote peace.
"If we stop, I think these people will win, they will reach their aim," says Ali. "So if we continue, we are the winners because we need to tell our people that terrorism is not good, that killing people is not good, that suicide bombing is not good. So we will continue."
And Waayaha Cusub, with the support of local and international officials, is now set to put on an array of free concerts and other related artistic activities in Mogadishu, aiming to win over youth and convince them to turn away from violence.
Music workshops and open mic events with at-risk youth and former militia will kick-start the proceeding and will culminate in the main Somali Reconciliation Concert, headlined by Waayaha Cusub with featuring other Somali and international performers.
"It's always been Waayaha Cusub's way to respond to violence in the community by pulling youth away from the fray and into a venue where they give them an open mic to share their feelings, and then blow their minds with Somali hip-hop about ending the war," says Daniel J Gerstle, the event’s lead producer.
"Countering the terror groups and extremist rebels who use surprise bombings to destroy, these singers launch surprise flash mob concerts to bring back the message of love and peace," he adds.
For Ali, the time is now right to take his music back to Somalia.
"At this time, we need to start to reach the youth in Somalia to pass our message," he says. "We need to tell them that this jihad is not good, is not right, so this time I think in Somalia most people don't want the extreme ideas. I think this time it's better than before."
Waayaha Cusub是由一批在肯尼亚的索马里难民组成的流行乐队。面对极端分子的威胁和攻击，他们以音乐为武器，在饱受战争蹂躏的索马里传播和平的讯息。他们在摩加迪沙举行音乐节，试图让青年人远离战争，并且通过音乐释放个人的情感。Waayaha Cusub希望把和平的信息传递给青少年，同时希望冲突早日结束。