Sal Davis

by Mohamed Said

Sal Davis is the stage name and identity of the son of an Arab aristocrat Sharif Abdallah Salim of Mombasa. The life of Salim Abdallah Salim (Sal Davis) was laid out and planned. He would be sent to England to study Law and return to Mombasa to practise Law and probably emulate his father who was a member of the law-making Legislative Council. Like in the Albert Hammond song; he gave it up for music. How did this happen?Mohamed Said the author of this Autobiography is a researcher and historian of the independence struggles in East Africa. Mohamed Said was born in Dar es Salaam, and lived an urban social life of the middle class of the 1960's and 70's filled with music of the emerging black artistes, actors and athletes. As a teenager and young man of the town, he indulged in music. The opportunity to write an autobiography of one and possibly the only international popstar with East African origins was irresistible.
"His compassion, empathy for the underdog and humanness stand in stark contrast to the hubris and egotism usually associated with famous artistes in the calibre of Sal Davis."
-Ahmed Rajab