13 Facts About Khalil Farah

Khalil Farah was a Sudanese singer, composer and poet, who wrote his lyrics both in Sudanese colloquial as well as in Modern Standard Arabic.

Khalil Farah is considered as one of the most prominent pioneers of the early 20th century renewal in singing and poetry in Sudan.

Khalil Farah's songs have become symbols of national pride, freedom and political independence.

Khalil Farah expressed his patriotic sentiments in romantic verses, such as his Azza fi Hawak, where Sudan is likened to a beloved woman.

Khalil Farah was born and grew up in the Nubian village of Dabrousa on Sai island in northern Sudan, in the region of Wadi Halfa, in 1894.

Khalil Farah's father was Sheikh Farah Badri, and his mother was Zahra Sheikh Mohammed.

Khalil Farah began his education in the koranic school, called khalwa in Sudan, of Sheikh Ahmed Hashem on the island of Sai, and received his first formal education at the government school in Dongola.

Khalil Farah's father worked in trade and moved frequently between Wadi Halfa and Dongola, often accompanied by his son Khalil.

In 1923, Khalil Farah married Salama Agha Ibrahim, the widow of his brother Badri, on Sai island.

Khalil Farah attended the technical workshop for mechanical training at the Gordon Memorial College.

Khalil Farah joined literary forums and the Sudanese Writers Union.

Khalil Farah was buried there in the Ahmed Sharafi cemetery.

Khalil Farah is the first poet presented in the 2019 anthology Modern Sudanese Poetry.