Khalil Adbulkadir Farah Hersi (1946 - 2005), also known as Yam Yam, was a Somali poet

Poet

A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...

.

He was born and raised in Hargeisa

Hargeisa

Hargeisa is a city in the northwestern Woqooyi Galbeed region of Somalia. With a population of approximately 2 million residents, it is the second largest city in the country. Hargeisa is the capital of Somaliland, a self-declared republic that is internationally recognized as an autonomous region...

, Woogiga Galbeed, the capital of the de facto state of Somaliland

Somaliland

Somaliland is an unrecognised self-declared sovereign state that is internationally recognised as an autonomous region of Somalia. The government of Somaliland regards itself as the successor state to the British Somaliland protectorate, which was independent for a few days in 1960 as the State of...

 on September 4, 1949. He was the youngest child of 6 and the only son to his mother as his other siblings had a different mother. He attended the Somaali School of Natural Sciences and graduated from Mogadishu University

Mogadishu University

Mogadishu University is a non-governmental university in Mogadishu, Somalia. As of 2011, its in the top 30 of African universities.-History:The idea to establish a non-governmental educational institution started in June 1993, after which time it took five years to develop and open the university...

, majoring in Social Sciences and obtained a Master's degree in Biology at Harvard University

Harvard University

Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...

. He is a member of the religion of Islam

Islam

Islam . The most common are and .   : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

, which is the predominant religion in Somaliland. He is famous for his extensive study on peat bogs in the East Africa

East Africa

East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...

 region and for his many report novels.

Along with the writer Ahmed Farah Ali 'Idaja'

Ahmed Farah Ali 'Idaja'

Ahmed Farah Ali is a Somali language writer and publisher of Somali written folklore.-Background:...

, Hersi wrote the historical play Dabkuu Shiday Darwiishkii, translated as The Fire that the Dervish Lit. Primarily in verse, the play is about the Dervish State

Dervish State

The Dervish state was an early 20th century Somali Sunni Muslim state that was established by Muhammad Abdullah Hassan, a religious leader who gathered Somali soldiers from across the Horn of Africa and united them into a loyal army known as the Dervishes...

 established by Mohammed Abdullah Hassan

Mohammed Abdullah Hassan

Sayyīd Muhammad `Abd Allāh al-Hasan was a Somali religious and patriotic leader...

in the early twentieth century.

There is no one consistent English translation of his name. Alternative spellings include Cabdulqaadir or Cabdilqaadir Xirsi.

Some of his more famous poems are Gabay ammaan ah (A poem of praise), Kowda Maajo: Hambalyo 1975 (The First of May: Congratulations 1975), "Hees" (A hees poem), and Ma riyaa ma run baa (Is it a dream? Is it reality?).