Sayed Khalifa

Sayed Khalifa (Arabic: سيد خليفة‎) was a Sudanese singer. Khalifa was one of the first Sudanese singers trained in formal music theory. He sang in both Arabic and Sudanese. He is best known for his songs "Ya Watani" (My Homeland) and "Izzayakum Keifinnakum" (How are you?).

Khalifa was born in 1928, in Ad Dibeiba near Khartoum Sudan. In 1947, he won a scholarship to the Arab Music Institute in Cairo where he studied music. After touring Africa for several years, Khalifa returned to a newly independent Sudan. In 1956, he released the patriotic anthem "Ya Watani". He released other songs like "Lailun Wa Khamrun Wa Shifah", "Ana Maly w Malo" and "Al Mambo Sudani". After the ascension of Omar al-Bashir's government to power in 1989, censorship made it difficult for Khalifa to continue with his career. He died on 2 July 2, 2001 from heart problems.