Mohammed Wardi
| Mohammed Osman Wardi محمد عثمان حسن وردي | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Mohammed Osman Hassan Salih Wardi |
| Born | 19 July 1932[1] |
| Origin | Swarda, Wadi Halfa, Sudan[1] |
| Died |
18 February 2012 (aged 79)[2] Khartoum[2] |
| Genres | Music of Sudan, Nobiin, Arabic music |
| Occupation(s) | singer-songwriter, teacher |
| Instruments | Singing, oud, tanbur, multiple instruments |
| Years active | 1957 – 2012 |
Mohammed Osman Hassan Salih Wardi (Arabic: محمد عثمان حسن وردي; born 19 July 1932 – 18 February 2012) was a Muslim Nubian Sudanese singer and songwriter.[1]
Early life
Wardi was born on 19 July 1932 in a small village called Sawarda close to Wadi Halfa Northern Sudan.[1] His mother, Batool Badri, died when he was an infant.[1] His father, Osman Hassan Wardi, died when he was nine years old.[1] He was brought up in a diverse and culturally rich background and developed an interest in poetry, literature, music and singing.[1] Wardi traveled to Shendi to complete his education, and returned to Wadi Halfa as a secondary school teacher.[1]
Music career
In 1953, Wardi went to Khartoum for the first time to attend a convention as a teaching representative for his area.[1] He moved to Khartoum and started his career as a musical performer.[1] In 1957, Omdurman Radio chose him to record and sing on national broadcast in an arena with singers such as Abdelaziz Mohamed Dauod, Hassan Atia, Ahmed Almustafa, Osman Hussaein and Ibrahim Awad.[1] Wardi recorded 17 songs in his first year.[1]
He had a collaboration with poet Ismail Hassan, resulting in more than 23 songs.
Wardi performed using a variety of instruments including the Nubian tanbur and sang in both Arabic and Nubian languages.[1] He has been described as "Africa's top singer", with fans mainly in the Horn of Africa.[1] His songs address topics such as romance, passion, Nubian folklore, heritage, revolution and patriotism with some of his political songs resulting in him being jailed.[1] After the military coup in 1989, he left Sudan to voluntary exile in Cairo and Los Angeles.[1] In 1990, Wardi played a concert for 250,000 Sudanese refugees at a refugee camp in Itang, Ethiopia.[3] He returned to Sudan in May 2002.[1]
In 2005, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Khartoum.
Death
Wardi suffered from renal failure later in his life. He eventually underwent a kidney transplant after one of his fans donated a kidney to him in 2002. He died on 18 February 2012 at 10:30 pm and was buried in Farouk Cemetery in Khartoum.[4]
Views on Darfur
In a 2006 interview with journalist Dan Morrison, Wardi stated: "There is no rape in Darfur. The Sudanese people don't rape. Maybe the African Union are doing it. But not the Sudanese people."[5]
Poets/Songwriters with whom Wardi collaborated
- Abdel-Hadi Osman Ahmed
- Sawi Abdelkafi
- Aljayli Abdelmoneim
- Omer Altayib Ad-dosh - "Banadeha"
- Mubarak Albashir
- Mohamed Muftah Alfaytori
- Ishaq Alhalanqi - "A3z Alnas"
- Ahmed Altahir
- Ibrahim Alrasheed - "Saleem Alzog"
- Abdelrahman Alrayah
- Alsir Dolaib
- Abu Amna Hamid
- Ismail Hassan - "Alhaneen ya Foadi", "Nor Al3en", "Habenak mn Qlobna", "Almostaheel",
- Salah Ahmed Ibrahim - "Altayir Almohajir"
- Mohammed Almakki Ibrahim
- Haile
- Kamal Mahessi - "Jamal Aldoniya"
- Mohammed Abu Qatati - "Almursal"
- Altijani Saeed - "Gult Arhal", " Min Gair Meiad"
- Mahjoub Sharif - "Ya Sha3ban Lahbt thwrtak", "Masajenak",
- Saadaddin Ibrahim
- Mohammed Abdalla Mohammed Babekir
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 "Mohammed Wardi Sudanese legend and musical encyclopedia". Capital. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
- 1 2 "Iconic Sudanese singer Mohammed Wardi dies". Statesman. Associated Press. 19 February 2012.
- ↑ "Sudan mourns singer Mohammed Wardi". BBC. 20 February 2012.
- ↑ "The death of Sudanese artist Mohammed Wardi". Al Jazeera (in Arabic). 21 February 2012.
- ↑ Morrison, Dan (August 2010). The Black Nile. Penguin.
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