In addition to the concert performances, Mursal participated in public discussions, workshops, and community events, as well as a live radio performance on The Current that featured an Augsburg alumni jazz band and Somali musicians from around the world.

Read: on the MPR News site.

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 and several other Minneapolis organizations hosted popular London-based Somali singer Aar Maanta in early April as part of the Midnimo series, a two-year partnership with Augsburg College to build cross-cultural awareness, knowledge, and understanding of Somali culture through music.

The Minnesota Public Radio story “” discussed the ways in which Aar Maanta’s music resonates with Minnesotans and rejuvenates the Somali music scene.

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The Cedar Cultural Center, in partnership with Augsburg College, on Sept. 15 kicks off “Midnimo: Music for Unity, Campus and Community,” a two-year project to build cross-cultural awareness, knowledge, and understanding of Somali culture through music.

Midnimo during this academic year will bring six artists or groups to Minnesota for week-long residency programs that include classroom activities and culminate with a public concert. The schedule includes:

• Sept. 15-19: Global Roots Festival. This free series includes performances that feature former Augsburg Prof. Bob Stacke and current Auggie musicians. Learn more in “” by Mary-Laurel True.
• Oct. 26-Nov. 2:  Taleex Band. This group is Minnesota’s only Somali performing artist group that has a live band. 
• Nov. 9-16: Cali Dhaanto. Known world-wide for his ability to perform and teach traditional Somali dance, Cali Dhaanto will make his first visit to Minnesota as part of the Midnimo project.
• Feb. 8-15:  Waayaha Cusub. This Somali music collective is famous for its lyrics that criticize violence and extremism. Two members of the collective are based in Minnesota while four live in Kenya.
• March 1-8, 2015: Xidigaha Geeska. This famous group will come to Minnesota directly from Somali where the artists live.
• April 5-12, 2015: Aar Maanta. Returning to The Cedar from his breathtaking 2012 performance, Aar Maanta is known as the “voice of the next generation of Somalis” and is famous for pioneering a mix of Somali music and themes with a multi-cultural band of people from Mali, Italy, Poland, and England. 

More information on each of the Midnimo performers and groups is available on The Cedar .

Midnimo is made possible through a $200,000 grant awarded to the College and the Cedar and as part of the highly competitive Building Bridges: Campus Community Engagement grant by the Association of Performing Arts Presenters funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art.

About APAP: The Association of Performing Arts Presenters, based in Washington, DC, is the national service and advocacy organization dedicated to developing and supporting a robust performing arts presenting field and the professionals who work within it. Our 1,500 members, from all 50 states and 34 countries, represent leading performing arts centers, municipal and university performance facilities, nonprofit performing arts centers, culturally specific organizations, foreign governments, as well as artist agencies, managers, touring companies, and national consulting practices that serve the field, and a growing roster of self-presenting artists. As a leader in the field, APAP works to effect change through advocacy, professional development, resource sharing and civic engagement. APAP is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization governed by a volunteer board of directors and led by President & CEO Mario Garcia Durham. In addition to presenting the annual APAP|NYC conference – the world’s leading forum and marketplace for the performing arts (January 9-13, 2015) – APAP continues to be the industry’s leading resource, knowledge and networking destination for the advancement of performing arts presenting.

About the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation: The mission of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation is to improve the quality of people’s lives through grants supporting the performing arts, environmental conservation, medical research and  child well-being, and through preservation of the cultural and environmental legacy of Doris Duke’s properties.

About the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art: The Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art is an operating foundation funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. The mission of DDFIA is to improve the quality of people’s lives through the study, understanding and appreciation of Islamic arts and cultures. Based in New York, the Building Bridges Program is a national grant making program of the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art.

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