source.eu.sctimes.com

ST. CLOUD — Nearly one year to the day after he was originally scheduled to take the stage, Aar Maanta will perform at the Paramount Center for the Arts on Oct. 13.

It's the final stop on his residency in Minnesota, bringing to a close a story well over a year in the making. 

Maanta is a prominent Somali-Muslim musician who has lived and worked in London since the late 1980s, writing and singing Somali music rich with influences from reggae, rock, hip-hop and house music in addition to traditional Arabic and Indian sounds. 

Luqman Mohamed grew up hearing his grandfather's stories of the nomadic life in Somalia, of family members loading their possessions onto the backs of camels and moving frequently in search of water.

"The camel is an important symbol in my family," said Mohamed, a student at Metropolitan State University.

But like many young Somalis in Minnesota, he hadn't seen much to reflect that heritage as photos and family relics were scarce, left behind or destroyed in the journey to the United States.