Said Salah Ahmed (Somali: Saciid Saalax Axmed, Arabic: سعيد صالح أحمد) is a Somali playwright, poet, educator and filmmaker.[1][2]
Said Salah Ahmed | |
|---|---|
| Saciid Saalax Axmed سعيد صالح أحمد | |
| Born | |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | playwright, poet, educator, filmmaker |
Life
editSaid Salah was previously a biology teacher in Somalia.[1] In 1984-1985, Ahmed directed his first feature film, The Somali Darwish (alt. The Somalia Dervishes), with Amar Sneh serving as producer.[1][3] With a budget of $1.8 million, the 4-hour-and-40-minute epic was devoted to the polity of Darawiish king Diiriye Guure, i.e. the Dervish Movement. In the film dialogue you can hear seven languages: Somali, Arabic, Italian, English, and three regional dialects. The movie included an actual descendant of Diiriye Guure's emir, Mohammed Abdullah Hassan as its star, Sheikh Osman Mohamoud Omar, and featured hundreds of actors and extras.[1]
Following the start of the civil war, Ahmed emigrated to Minnesota. He subsequently wrote the children's book The Lion's Share, which served as the basis for a Somali folklore-based play that he both penned and produced for the SteppingStone Theatre.[4] Some of his poems have been translated into English by the Poetry Translation Centre.[5]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Gray, Jerry (15 June 1985). "Exploits of Somalia's national hero becomes basis for movie". Kentucky New Era. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
- ^ "Fifth Hargeisa International Book Fair". Red Sea Cultural Foundation. 31 May 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
- ^ Armes, Roy (2008). Dictionary of African filmmakers. Indiana University Press. p. 114. ISBN 978-92-3-102082-7.
- ^ "Said Salah Ahmed". MN Original. Archived from the original on 23 April 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
- ^ "Said Salah". www.poetrytranslation.org. Retrieved 2016-04-15.