Word: cusub
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...Singer Brian Quincy, an Ethiopian refugee who goes by Q-Rap, says the band's unique makeup and the reality of its messages is what attracted him to Waayaha Cusub. Even though he was Ethiopian and not a Muslim, all he had to do to be welcomed into the band was prove his talent. "They started treating me like a brother," he says. "We started living together and sharing ideas. That made me love them more...
...Joining Waayaha Cusub also gave Q-Rap a sense of security. Eastleigh is a tough neighborhood, and critics don't restrict themselves to words. Singer Salma Abdul Qadir had her face slashed by unknown attackers for accidentally displaying her navel in one of the band's videos. She has been forced into hiding ever since...
...many of his bandmates, Waahaya Cusub acts like a safety net to help them cope with the unforgiving lives of refugees. For Huissen Abdi Qananuf, acting in the band's music videos was the best thing that ever happened to him, "If I were back in Somalia, I would definitely be dead or killing people. Things have changed for me now. The gangsters who would take away my shoes at the mosque don't trouble me anymore...
...Despite the odds against a band of mostly Somali refugees making its mark on Kenya, Waayaha Cusub has become a popular phenomenon way beyond Little Mogadishu. Ordinary Kenyans can now be overheard enthusing about their music, which is getting a lot of airtime on local and foreign TV and radio stations and provides an unusual twist on hip-hop whose lyrics are delivered in an eclectic mix of Swahili, English and Somali - allowing the band to reach audiences in Kenya, Somalia and the Somali diaspora. Being heard by Somalis back home is important to the band, members say, because...
...Shiine Abdullaahi Ali, the importance of Waayaha Cusub is a unifying force in a society torn by clan and religious warfare. "The reason why I'm in music is because I want all my brothers and sisters to like each other," he says. "We, the young generation, are from different clans and different places and still we like each other. We can bring about a big change. People talk of us on TV, and people see the news. Being Waayaha Cusub, we pass the message of peace through music...