MOGADISHU-Abdikarim Farah Jiir Qaarey, a member of the Waberi Choir in Somalia, has recently passed away in Mogadishu.

Jiir died at Digfer Hospital in Mogadishu this morning.

President Farmajo highlighted respected roles Jiir played in the community, “Abdikarim Farah Jiir has been serving his country and his people for a long time, especially in the fields of art, literature and cultural development in Somalia, and has worked in the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, and the National Theater of which he was the current Deputy Director.”

Somalia Prime Minister, Mohamed Roble, shared his condolences in a tweet,“May God have mercy on the great composer Abdikarim Farah Qaarey Jiir who was one of the pillars of Somali art and had a unique creativity and talent, especially in the field of music.”

The composer has been in poor health for the past few days, and plans to relocate him for medical treatment have failed.

Abdikarim officially joined the arts in 1962, working for Radio Mogadishu.

He later transferred to the Ministry of Education and Literature, where he worked for some time.

Abdikarim Jiir is remembered for composing a number of popular songs sung by former Somali artists, such as Hassan Aden Samatar, Halima Khalif Magol, Abdinasir Abdulle, and many others.