Balwo

Balwo is a style of music and poetry practiced in Somalia as well as Djibouti. Its lyrical contents often deal with love and passion. The Balwo genre was founded by Abdi Sinimo. The Balwo genre was founded by Abdi Sinimo, a Somali of the Reer Nuur subclan of the Gadabuursi. The first Heelo (Which is considered a sub genre of Balwo) was brought fourth by Abdi Sinimo as well. In 1945, while working as a lorry driver for the Djiboutian Port Authority, Abdi Sinimo was driving his truck and had experienced misfortune when around the Zeila area, thus the first Balwo was created. He called it "Balwo" (meaning misfortune in Somali), because of the remoteness of where his truck had experienced difficulty. The Balwo is a simple love lyric that has revolutionized modern Somali music. Another artist who made significant contributions to the genre was Abdullahi Qarshe, who is credited with the introduction of the kaban (oud) as an accompaniment to Somali music. In an interview with Abdullahi Qarshe, he affirmed that "modern music was in the air at the time of Abdi Sinimo, who is widely regarded as the genius who formulated and organized it into the belwo and thus took well deserved credit and honor for it." Abdi Deeqsi (Abdi Sinimo) was born in a place in the Borama area named Jarahorato, where he spent most of his youth. Unlike the overwhelming majority of Somali poets, his family were never rural nomad in the Somali bush, living in the traditional manner; Abdi Deqsi and his family was urbanized from the beginning. Early in youth, he went to Djibouti (At the time was known as French Somaliland) where he studied about vehicle mechanics as an apprentice. After returning to Borama around 1941, he was employed as a lorry driver mechanic by a wealthy merchant, by the name of Haji Hirsi. By now, Abdi had passed his thirtieth birthday and had acquired the nickname Sinimo (Cinema in Somali). Abdi was a well known orator of stories and jokes because of his passion to deliver the story, the nickname fit him extremely well.