COVID-19

The second Somali in days to die of the COVID-19 pandemic is Ahmed Ismail Hussein Hudeydi, reputed as one of the founders of modern Somali music. He died in London at the age of 92, reports noted. Known as “the King of Oud” – the instrument that he played – Hudeydi became a key figure “during the anti-colonial movement and decolonization period” in Somalia, according to Hanna Ali, director of the London-based Kayd Somali arts organization. “In short, his music embodied the sound of the long struggle to freedom and independence,” she added in a statement. He was born in the port city of Berbera in 1928, grew up in Yemen but returned to Somalia as a young adult, Ms. Ali said. Apparently, he discovered the Oud as a boy growing up in Yemen. He moved to London in the 1990s during the civil war in Somalia. Somalis took to social media platform Twitter to send their condolence to family and friends and to celebrate the memory of the late musician.