Singer's passion for Africa

By PETER MUIRURI

Saba Anglana commands a powerful stage presence. Her stunning looks and colourful attire are unforgettable. When she rose to perform during an Amref sponsored maternal health campaign, Stand Up for African Mothers, at the Laico Regency last week, Saba lit up the entire audience with her captivating rhythms.

Last weekend, the Afropop singer and songwriter followed with a similar performance at the Alliance Francaise as part of a tour to showcase her latest album, Life Changanyisha, comprising of eleven songs recorded in Kenya and Italy.

Despite her high flying celebrity status, Saba is also a down-to-earth performer.

Born in Mogadishu, Somalia, 30 years ago to an Ethiopian mother and Italian father, Saba was only aged five when authorities disapproved of her parents’ marriage, forcing the family out of the country.

Growing up in Italy, Saba studied art at university and earned a degree in Art History at the University of Rome La Sapienza before working in the communication and publishing industry and later, as an actress for television and theatre.

But the sights and sounds of Mogadishu still rang in her mind and she wanted to be part of that life she knew only as a child.

"I recall the lights, the smells of the sea, the sense of freedom and joy my family enjoyed in Mogadishu before the civil war. Mogadishu was a beautiful city, a pearl, a nice place to live in. We were all astonished to see her as a little hell nowadays. I wish something of that past could come again on our way," says a nostalgic Saba, who longs for the day when she will visit her place of birth again. She is happy that the ongoing efforts to restore peace in the country are giving hope to millions of Somalis all over the world

"Iam frustrated by the current state of affairs in Somalia. Somalis in the Diaspora can help restore peace by avoiding separatist groupings. Peace is something that can be built up from outside, in the communities of Somali refugees all over the world," says Saba.

Most of her music continues to highlight such social, political and cultural injustices, especially those that touch on mothers and their children in hardship areas.

Love songs

According to Saba, music has the ability to build cultural bridges in a way no other forum can. For this to happen, however, African musicians should not copy the western style but diversify their products by not just writing love songs.

"Music may not change things, but can change hearts. African mothers are the hope of the continent while their children are the future. That’s why it’s important to take care of their conditions and rights, if need be, through music."

Saba’s mother worked in Mogadishu as an obstetrician.

Such maternal matters strike a cord in the heart of the musician who lost an aunt during childbirth ten years ago in Italy.

"Though I do not have children of my own, I believe each mother feels ‘more woman’ after childbirth. It is sad that in this day and age, women even in developed countries have to die while giving life," she says.

To give her music a human touch, Saba, accompanied by Fabio Barovero, an experienced author, composer and musician who recorded every sound and image of her discoveries, travelled the breadth and length of Kenya and the region, meeting with hundreds of men, women and children listening to their stories and understanding their daily toils.

She went on to translate the experiences and aspirations into music expressed in English, Kiswahili, Italian, Amharic and Somali — the link to her birthplace and the thread which continues to bind her to the East African region.

"Of course, I cannot speak all these languages, but I take the chance to learn a little bit more of them by singing and collaborating with different artists," explains Saba.

Unique voices

To drive the point home, each of Saba’s unique pieces is supported by voices of the people she met during her trip — from the street children to the well-known Kenyan acapella troupe, Kayamba Africa, and to Bismillah Gargar, a group of Somali women from Garissa as well as the Maasai children from the foothills of Mt Kilimanjaro.

Jidka-The Line, her first album marked her solo debut in 2007. It is a mix between the traditional sounds and contemporary flourishes and draws on her musical and cultural heritage as a Somali exile.

"I had to face this problem of identity very early in my life. I had to learn very quickly to define my identity. The album sets out to reconnect me with my African roots having spent most of my childhood in Italy," she narrates.

Between 2008 and 2009, Saba performed in at least 100 concerts with her international band, gracing some of the major theatres in Europe including the prestigious main stage of the Italia Love Wave Festival.

In 2009 Saba and Fabio travelled to Addis Ababa where they met and recorded music with a number of traditional and contemporary Ethiopian artistes.

In Kenya, Saba has come to love the genre of music composed by Kayamba Africa sharing the stage with Juma Odemba on a number of occasions.

"Kayamba Africa are great artists and well known in this country. I love the way they are on stage and the sweet flavour of their strong voices. It is always a joy to have them alongside me on stage. We are soon doing an album together here in Kenya."

Saba the songstress hopes to keep singing her heart and lift off the dark veil on a continent that literally gave her the life she enjoys today.