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Gaarriye

1952 – 2012

Somali poet and activist

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About Gaarriye

Lived 1952 – 2012 (aged 59–60). Gaarriye was a Somali poet and activist.

Mohamed Hashi Dhamac (, 1949 – 30 September 2012) better known as Gaarriye, was a Somali poet and political activist.

Biography Gaariye was born in Hargeisa in 1949 in former British Somaliland. He finished his elementary and secondary studies in Hargeisa in the early 1970s. and for University studies he enrolled in the Somali National University College in Afgooye and took the degree in bachelor of science in 1974. Known as a sharp critic, he would start the famous Deelley poetic chain in response to repression in Somalia under Siad Barre's rule. Other famous poets such as Hadrawi would contribute to Deelley. He was a member of the Somali National Movement and following the Somali Civil War he composed one of the best known Somali poems on the theme of reconciliation, "Hagarlaawe" (The Charitable) which is translated into English by Martin Orwin. In the 1970s Gaariye independently discovered the Somali prosodic system around the same time as fellow literary scholar Abdillahi Diiriye Guled.

Gaarriye died at a hospital in Norway on 30 September 2012.

Children Hodan, Hoodo, Hiddo, Hibo

Poetry Gaariye worked closely with British linguist Martin Orwin in the later years of his life to transcribe and translate many of his best poems into English. His translated poems were published post humously alongside Hadraawi's and some other prominent contemporary Somali poets in a 2018 biography of Gaariye. Works Maxamed Xaashi Dhamac (2013). Hagarlaawe : diiwaanka maansooyinka. Hargesya : Sagalet. . Maxamed Xaashi Dhamac, Jama Musse Jama (ed.) (2012). Maxamed Xaashi Dhamac "Gaarriye" : biography and poems. Pisa : Ponte Invisibile. .

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Important facts

Born
1952, Hargeisa
Birth century
Occupation
Nationality
Education
Somali National University
Also known as
Mohamed Hashi Dhamac, Maxamed Xaashi Dhamac

People in Gaarriye's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Gaarriye's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Gaarriye?

Somali poet and activist

When was Gaarriye born?

Gaarriye was born in 1952 in Hargeisa.

When did Gaarriye die?

Gaarriye died on 30 September 2012 in Norway.

What was Gaarriye's occupation?

Gaarriye was a poet and activist.

What nationality was Gaarriye?

Gaarriye was Somali.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Gaarriye

· Wikidata: Q5515223

· DBpedia: Gaariye

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Gaarriye. https://biography.guide/gaarriye/

MLA: "Gaarriye." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/gaarriye/.

Chicago: "Gaarriye." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/gaarriye/.

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