Khadra Dahir Cige

Khadra was born in 1957 in Hargeisa, the administrative center city of British Somaliland.[1]

During Khadra's school years, she was a basketball player and competed in national tournaments.[2]

Khadra debuted in 1974 at the age of 17 as a member of the dance unit Dabjecayl kari waa of the Somali music group Waaberi.[3] According to Khadra's recollections, during the decade of the 1970s Somali became more tolerant of women becoming singers and began to gain popularity.[2] Khadra became one of Somali's most famous female stars in the 1970s and 1980s.[4]

Khadra retired as a singer in 2002.[5]

After that, Khadra lived in Hargaysa, but occasionally traveled abroad to see her children.[5]

Khadra was selected as number 3 of 15 artists among the "160 Great Somalis" selected by the Somaliland news website Berbera News in February 2012.[6]

On June 25, 2022, Khadra died of pneumonia[1] or leukemia[7] at the International Hospital in Hargeisa at age 65.

Many of Khadra's songs are written by poet Hassan H. Abdullahi (Hassan Ganay).[6]

• Afka lagama sheegto adigoon jeceyl arag (No words are spoken without love) - One of her best-known songs.[3]
• Yabaal - 1975. Lyrics by Xasan-Ganey.[8]