10 Most Amazing And Inspiring Refugees In History

Somalia is a country that has been engulfed in chaos, and often not even recognisable as a functional state, for many years. What government remains effective is often highly repressive and unjust, clamping down on critics while simultaneously having little ability to serve the needs of the population following years of explosive violence and suffering. 

One Soamli star who suffered because of this was Somali singer Maryam Mursal. Mursal grew up in a traditional Muslim family in Somalia but her daring attitude and talent for singing allowed her to make a living in a jazz singer. Mursal was inspired by a wide variety of styles, from traditional Somali music to the work of Ray Charles and The Beatles. 

She combined various influences including blues, jazz and soul to form the unique sound of “Somali Jazz” which swept the country's nightclubs. However when she criticised the ruling military government, later to form a Marxist one-party state, she was banned from singing for two years and would make her living driving a taxi. 

Eventually she fled to Denmark and now lives in the UK.