One of the first professional female singers in Somalia in the 1960s, Maryan Mursal was a star in her homeland while she was still in her teens. Absorbing every influence she could find, she blended Western and African sounds to pioneer the popular qaraami style, now known as “Somali Jazz.” When civil war broke out in the 1990s, she fled the country with her children, traveling on foot for seven months to Djibouti. After gaining asylum in Denmark, Mursal recorded and released her debut autobiographical album The Journey on Peter Gabriel’s Real World Records (1998), which brought her worldwide recognition. Her 10-day residency at The Cedar in the fall of 2015 included public discussions, workshops, community events, and a grand finale performance.