One of the most prominent musical personalities in Minnesota’s Somali community, Salaad Mohamed Shardi, better known as Salaad Darbi, will be honored at a concert on Saturday, Nov. 22 in Golden Valley.

Live music, dancing and family-friendly cultural activities are expected to be a big draw in the Somali community in Minnesota.

This concert is a tribute to Salaad, who will not be performing but will instead be in attendance as other artists pay homage to him by performing his classic songs.

Salaad, 75, has created a soundtrack of Somali life for more than 60 years. He started his career in 1963 at age 13 and soon emerged as one of the most prominent figures in modern Somali music. An early track, “Ila Dadaal,” is considered a classic, with its rich poetic language and powerful emotional appeal. 

Salaad has helped pass the literature, music and performance art of Somalia down through generations. 

“I am so excited to celebrate 61 years of music, art and entertainment,” he said. “Even though I still consider myself a novice in the music industry, it’s a genuine honor to witness this upcoming night and hear my songs brought to life by friends with their unique voices.”

The anniversary concert will feature Dr. Rehanna Kheshgi, an ethnomusicologist and associate professor of music at St. Olaf College in Northfield. Kheshgi, a longtime researcher of community engagement and music as a source of identity, will perform, as she has before, traditional Somali songs.

Mohamed Isse Wardere, co-founder and executive director of Hiddo Soor, the organization hosting the celebration, said Kheshgi’s stage presence demonstrates how Somali music inspires other cultures. “To the community, a non-Somali academic and musician adopting Somali tunes so realistically is a message of what art can do best — establish bridges,” he said.

Kheshgi’s appearance will highlight the event’s goal — to connect generations and communities through the power of music, Mohamed Isse said.

“Kheshgi’s captivating performance leaves many attendees in awe,” he said. “She creates a memorable experience for all.”

Honoring a legacy, looking to the future

Minnesota is home to several renowned musicians whose careers started in Somalia’s artistic revival  in the 1960s, including Salaad Derbi Mohamed, Hiba Mohamed and Ahmed Ali Igal, who will all attend the concert, but won’t be performing Saturday night. 

As elders, they still shape the culture of the diaspora through mentorship, performance and storytelling.

To younger Somali Americans who have never visited Somalia, music can serve as a strong connector to tradition, history and language. Adan Aden, 21, of Maple Grove, volunteers with Hiddo Soor. He has never been to Somalia, but recognizes Somali music as a significant part of the way he perceives his roots.

“I love listening to songs in general,” he said. “But I didn’t know Somali songs are so rich in genres. I can’t stop moving my body and dancing to it.”

Hiddo Soor, the Minnesota-based Somali arts and cultural nonprofit that is co-producing Saturday’s event, was established in 2021 by Mohamed Isse and Nimcaan Hilaac. It aims to close generation gaps in the diaspora and to draw in younger people who are in danger of losing the traditions their parents and grandparents brought with them to America.

For Mohamed Isse, the mission is very personal.

“We started Hiddo Soor to help young Somali people understand the richness of our culture, language and history,” he said. “We want to connect them with the traditions their parents and grandparents grew up with.”

Hiddo Soor has hosted concerts, cultural dinners, poetry evenings and workshops. These events are purposefully a mix of the classical and the contemporary, a tribute to the past and an acknowledgment of new forms of artistic expression by Somali American musicians, dancers and storytellers.

Nimcaan Hilaac, one of the organizers of Saturday’s event, said it is expected to attract families, elders, students, artists and community leaders. “It is not just a concert but rather a rare chance to pay tribute to a living legend who carried the tales, struggle, aspirations and pleasures of Somali people over decades of change,” Nimcaan said.

To older fans, the night is an opportunity to hear music that was part of their childhood. To younger generations, it offers an opportunity to embrace a heritage that has survived distance, displacement, and the passage of generations.

Adar Ahmed Kahin, who advocates for Somali culture and language, believes that art and literature preserve not only languages and cultures, but also safeguard religions and histories. 

“Music serves as a barometer, she said. “After any hardships, or elections divide people, there comes a time when people start holding hands and dancing together.”

61 Years of Music Honoring Salaad Mohamed Shardi (Salaad Darbi)