Xabiiba Cabdilaahi

Xabiiba Balbalaaf
Xabiiba Cabdilaahi
Xabiiba Balbalaaf ; Xabiiba Cabdilaahi
Background information
Birth name	Habiba Abdillah Waberi
Born	8 July 1961; Djibouti, French Somaliland
Origin	Djibouti
Died	23 June 2020 (aged 58); Djibouti City, Djibouti
Genres	Djiboutian music
Occupation(s)	Singer
Instrument(s)	Vocals
Years active	1982–2020

Xabiiba Balbalaaf (Somali: Xabiiba Cabdilaahi), (8 July 1961 – 23 June 2020) was a prominent Djiboutian singer.^[1]

Biography[edit]

Habiba Abdillah Waberi was born on the 8 July 1961 in Djibouti, French Somaliland. She lived with her family in Quartier 6, Djibouti City. She first performed on stage at the age of 21 with the group Gacan Macan and began her artistic career in 1982. She hailed from the Issa, Somali. It is one of the nation's recognized Somali clan groups in Djibouti. As of the 1990s, she was dominating the Djiboutian music scene. She often made use of satire, metaphor and historical allusions to convey complex themes in an understandable manner. Her songs were dotted with stories of love, journey and hope. Xabiiba was a prominent figure in traditional Djiboutian music.

On June 23, 2020, Habiba died in Peltier Hospital in Djibouti City, Djibouti.^[2]