When I Get Older: The Story behind "Wavin' Flag"

Synopsis

&“Wavin&’Flag&” has become an international anthem. Its powerful words of hope have crossed generations and borders, and have made K&’NAAN an international star.In his first book for children, When I Get Older, Somali-Canadian poet, rapper, singer, and songwriter K&’NAAN tells his own story. Born in Somalia, he grew up in Mogadishu. His grandfather was a renowned poet who passed on his love of words to his grandson. When the Somali Civil War began in 1991, K&’NAAN was just thirteen. His mother made the difficult decision to move her family so that they could grow up in safety. First in New York and then in Toronto, K&’NAAN faced many challenges.Like so many other immigrants, he had to make a place for himself in a world of alien customs, clothes, and language. His road was a hard one: he lost many friends to violence. But K&’NAAN&’s love of music, and his enormous talent, became a way for him to connect with his past, with his classmates, and eventually, to millions of people around the world. Not only does K&’NAAN tell a story that will inspire and encourage young readers, but he provides a brief history of the Somalian conflict. The lyrics of &“Wavin&’ Flag&” are also included.Born Keinan Abdi Warsame, K&’NAAN first came to prominence when he performed a spoken word piece before the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in 1999. A member of the audience, the singer Youssou N&’Dour, was so impressed that he asked K&’NAAN to take part in an album and to tour with him.Since then, K&’NAAN has performed in more than 86 countries and has received many honors, including three Juno Awards and the BBC Radio 3 Award for World Music. During the Vancouver Olympics, he worked with other Canadian musicians and artists under the name Young Artists for Haiti to produce a charity version of &“Wavin&’ Flag.&” The song was adapted again to become the FIFA World Cup theme song. There are now twenty-two versions of the song, which hit #1 in nineteen countries.

Copyright:

2012

Book Details

Book Quality:

Publisher Quality

ISBN-13:

9781770493032

Related ISBNs:

9781770493025

Publisher:

Tundra

Date of Addition:

04/17/23

Copyrighted By:

K’naan and Sol Guy

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

Children's Books, Nonfiction, Biographies and Memoirs, Music

Grade Levels:

First grade, Second grade, Third grade, Fourth grade

Reading Age:

6–9

Submitted By:

Bookshare Staff

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.