Somali musicians Mohammed Abbi Samantar, 52, and his wife, Kaha Mukhtar Mohammed, 24, in their mud shelter at Dagahaley Refugee Camp in Dadaab, northeastern Kenya. (Finbarr O'Reilly/Reuters)

Fleeing Somalia

Multimedia: A Somali musician's story in song and photos.

By Finbarr O'Reilly - GlobalPost
Published: June 17, 2009 06:05 ET
Updated: August 9, 2009 13:12 ET

DADAAB, Kenya — The refugee camp here is currently home to more than 270,000 Somalis who have fled the violence and chaos of their country. It is the world's largest group of refugees, according to the United Nations.

This is the story of Somali musician Mohammed Abbi Samantar, 52, and his wife, Kaha Mukhtar Mohammed, 24, who sang in their mud shelter at Dagahaley Camp in Dadaab, in northeastern Kenya. The pair are part of a musical group led by Samantar called Iftinka Bulshada, which means "Light of the Community."

They tell and sing their story in this video, which is illustrated with photos from the refugee camp and Reuters archive photos that give a pictorial history of Somalia.

 

More GlobalPost dispatches on Somalia:

Interview with a pirate

From Black Hawk Down to black hole

Somali refugees' path of hardship

How to stop the Somali pirates

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