His road was a hard one: he lost many friends to violence. Like so many other immigrants, he had to make a place for himself in a world of alien customs, clothes, and language. First in New York and then in Toronto, K’NAAN faced many challenges. His mother made the difficult decision to move her family so that they could grow up in safety. When the Somali Civil War began in 1991, K’NAAN was just thirteen. His grandfather was a renowned poet who passed on his love of words to his grandson. Born in Somalia, he grew up in Mogadishu. In his first book for children, When I Get Older, Somali-Canadian poet, rapper, singer, and songwriter K’NAAN tells his own story. Its powerful words of hope have crossed generations and borders, and have made K’NAAN an international star. Publisher's Synopsis: “Wavin’Flag” has become an international anthem. Genres: Africa, Immigration and Emigration, Music, OwnVoices K’naan set these words to music and bridged the gap between himself and the other students at his school. They’ll call me freedom, just like a waving flag.” At school in Toronto, the story goes, Whenever K-‘naan did not feel well, was scared during the violence, or felt discouraged when he was picked on by schoolmates in Toronto, his grandfather would comfort him with the poetry lines: “When I get older, I will be stronger.
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