Sahra Halgan Billets

Sahra Halgan is an iconic artist from Somaliland, a country in the Horn of Africa that has been independent since 1991 but is unrecognised by the international community. During the 1980s, when she is involved in the terrible war against the dictatorship, she earns the nickname "Halgan", the fighter, and her songs win the hearts of an entire people forever. Exiled to France, she starts her group in Lyon with Aymeric Krol, Maël Salètes and Régis Monte. Her third album is the fruit of a sincere search for authenticity and innovation, an unprecedented alliance between Somali song and original rock, thus enriching the most unexpected landscapes of the world music scene with her inspiration. It's called 'Hiddo Dhawr' ('Preserve Culture'), which is also the name of the cultural centre that Sahra founded in 2013 in Hargeisa.