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This blog is no longer active, our apologies for any inconveniences. But not to worry, we haven't disappeared, we have just moved! To read more news about Sandblast and the Western Sahara, please go to our website or to our new blog.

Salaam's Story, by Nick Jubber

  Back at the house of one of Ahmed’s friends, I was shown photos of other demonstrations – an old man with blood on his lips; a woman’s bare red back, rashed by a police baton; a youth with a red gash on his forehead from a stone thrown by a policeman. The range of ways in which people had been attacked was telling, as was the volume of the material. 

Nick making Saharawi tea

  But it was the stories they told that struck me more forcefully than the pictures, and none more so than Salaam’s.

 She had been taking part in demonstrations since she was fifteen, when her mother had to go and pick her up at the police station after she was kept in overnight.

  ‘Of course we take part in demonstrations,’ she told me, ‘we must! It is our land as much as the men’s. And a lot of the men can’t take part because they will lose their job if they are seen at the demonstrations, or maybe they are already in prison. You must understand, we are different from women in Morocco. Our status is different. We have respect in society. If you are a woman in Morocco, your husband will beat you all the time and you cannot complain, but it isn’t like that here. In Saharawi culture, if a man beats his wife it is very shameful. We will go to our family and the man must do a lot to get us back.

  ‘Once I stood in front of fifty policemen, we were demanding freedom, work, our resources, the opportunity to bury our martyrs. They shouted back at us. They said, ‘you’re mercenaries’, and the deputy police chief hit me with his baton, they knocked me over and pulled off my milfha. You know, in our society, this is a great shame. They surrounded me, dragged me away from the others and pulled me by the hair and threatened me with rape.’

  ‘Are you ever nervous before the demonstrations?’ I asked.

  ‘Never! I feel hatred against them. When fifty policemen are facing you and I am only a single woman. I don’t feel scared, I feel hatred for them. Women are more involved than ever now,’ she said, ‘that is since Gdeim Izik. It was a breakthrough, it changed the mentality for women, now a lot of women who used to sit around gossiping, they talk about the political situation.’

Saharawi girls, by Nick Jubber

Saharawi arts and culture at the V&A

Last Saturday 23rd June Sandblast, with the support of the V&A Museum and in an event linked to Refugee Week, put together 'Out of the Sand - We are Saharawi', a sensational Saharawi arts and culture day at the Sackler's Centre of the museum. The event run from midday until approximately 4.30pm, and involved music, film, talk and a jewellery making workshop.

MUSIC: EL ANDALUZ

El Andaluz at the V&A Sackler's Centre

Fantastic Algerian music group El Andaluz Band, made up of Yazid Fentazi (oud), Karim Dellali (darboucka) and special guest Redha Boudbagh (voice and Algerian and oud), kicked off the afternoon with some incredible music. Having collaborated with Saharawi musicians in several occasions in the past (they performed in the jam session at Sahara Nights and Karim has travelled to the Saharawi refugee camps), these musicians offered the audience the perfect musical set up for the day. We were all soon tapping our feet and clapping to the intricate melodies and uplifting rhythms of the classic Arabic and Andalusian music they were performing.

FILM: BEAT OF DISTANT HEARTS

Umm Deleila, Saharawi singer
featured in Beat of Distant Hearts

Danielle Smith, filmmaker, photographer, anthropologist and Sandblast Founding Director, travelled to the Saharawi refugee camps for the first time in 1991. From the very beginning her imagination was captured by the inspiring Saharawi culture and the powerful role the arts, especially the music and poetry, but also the newly developed painting style, had played during the revolution and the 16 years of war (1975-1991). She decided to film a documentary showcasing this part of the story and Beats of Distant Hearts, the Art of the Revolution in Western Sahara was born. Although filmed in 1996, it was not released until 2000. Twelve years later, the film is still relevant today as it shows how the Saharawi arts and culture continue to be the best way of reaching international audiences and raise awareness about the Saharawi situation. After the screening, there was a Q&A with the filmmaker.

JEWELLERY MAKING WORKSHOP
In 2007, French Florie Salnot, a design student from the London Metropolitan Art Media & Design was challenged by her professor to develop a design project that could benefit both a community and the environment. Inspired by a talk by Danielle Smith, she developed a unique craft technique using hot sand and plastic bottles, both available in the refugee camps, and taught it to twenty-one Saharawi women to re-discover an ancient tradition of creative expression of their cultural identity.

Danielle shows us the thin strip of plastic
she's cutting off a bottle. At the back,
Florie supervises another workshop attendant

The technique is the following: the plastic bottle is first painted and then cut into thin strips. After that, any type of pattern can be made by positioning nails into the holes of a nail board: the plastic strip is placed around the nails and the whole board is submerged into hot sand. The plastic strip reacts to the heat by shrinking to fit the nail drawing, and keeps its shape when removed. The piece of jewellery then requires a few last steps and fittings to become finished.

On Saturday, Florie gave a workshop at the V&A for the attendants of 'Out of the Sand'. In a couple of hours each of us created a small ring out of thin strips of golden plastic using small copper sticks to shape the pieces of jewellery; it was fascinating to see how an everyday plastic bottle can become something so pretty and decorative!

Sahara Nights review

The Roundhouse Studio-Theatre was filled to the brim last week for Sahara Nights on June 6. The multi-arts launch for the Studio-Live music empowerment project brought the house down with an array of film, photography, short story presentations and wonderful music to provide rich glimpses of the Saharawi world, culture and plight. 

Nigerian playwright and poet Inua Ellams,
Saharawi short stories readings, with Celtic violinist Lizzie Ogle and
Guinean kora player Mosi Conde © See Li

The launch was interlaced with fantastic first-class performances from a wide range of international artists...

Guinean kora player Mosi Conde
with photography by Ed Harriman © Tania Jackson

British-Congolese Binisa Bonner
from Ruby and the Vines © See Li

Venezuelan Luzmira Zerpa
from Family Atlantica © See Li

Hispano-Saharawi
singer and guitarist
Suilma Aali and percussionist
Nico Roca © Bela Molnar

The evening culminated with a stellar performance from Aziza Brahim. Born in the refugee camps, educated in Cuba and now based in Spain, Aziza is considered the new musical voice of the Saharawis, dedicating all her songs to the struggle. Her music is inspired by her poetess grandmother Mabruk, the only Saharawi female poet who has dedicated all her poetry to documenting the 16 years of war and to whom Aziza has dedicated her new album (released June 11).

Aziza with Spanish guitarist
Gonzalo Ordás © Bela Molnar

Aziza and Gonazalo © See Li

Aziza Brahim © Julia Ridlington

Sahara Nights was capped with the mother of all jam sessions. Virtually all the musicians of the evening joined along with a few new guests from Algeria to rocket the night into another music stratosphere that got the room dancing with abandon.

Final jam session © Julia Ridlington

What people have said:

It was a rich and diverse gathering with original and soulful music and poetry (hearing Aziza live and discovering her grandmother was incredibly emotional). Your passion and dedication for the Saharawi cause and its people was truly palpable. Meriem Aissaoui

Aziza and the Sahara Nights crowd © See Li

A fantastic evening and very informative in a sensitive way. Thomas Elliot

What an amazing evening. Congratulations on such a success, and thanks so much for letting me show part of our film. You know how important your support was to us when we started filming so I'm forever indebted to you. Saeed Taji Farouky

Programme

SAHARA-NIGHTS

Studio-Live launch

Roundhouse, June 6, 2012

7.00-10.30pm (doors open 6.30pm)

Pre-show

·       Ed Harriman, photographer – photo slideshow

·       Mosi Conde, kora

PART I

·       Suilma Aali, music duo

·       The Runner, by Saeed Taji Farouky, filmmaker –  preview clip

·       Inua Ellams, poet and playwright – Saharawi short stories reading

·       Danielle Smith, Founding Director of Sandblast – talk

·       Steve Stavrinides, Founding Director of Fairtunes – talk

·       Luzmira Zerpa and Family Atlantica, music band

BREAK (8.10pm - 8.30pm)

·       Bernat Millet, photographer – photo slideshow

·       Sandtracks, Saharawi music CD

PART II

·       Inua Ellams, poet and playwright – Saharawi short stories reading + music by Lizzie Ogle, violin, and Mosi Conde, kora

·       Ruby and the Vines, music band

·       Lkhadra Mabruk, by Noë Mendelle, filmmaker –  preview clip

·       Aziza Brahim, music band

BREAK (9.45pm - 10pm)

·       Andrew McConnell, photographer – photo slideshow

FINAL JAM SESSION

            Led by Aziza Brahim

Night compered by Dan Tsu (Lyrix Organix)

Film

These are the two filmmakers, and short a teaser from their films on Western Sahara, featuring in Sahara Nights.

Saeed Taji Farouky is a documentary photographer, filmmaker and writer who specialises in documenting issues of human rights and social justice in the Middle East and North Africa. His work has been published by The Observer, The Telegraph, The Independent, Reuters, BBC Online and The Economist Group amongst others. He is currently a TED Senior Fellow, was previously named Artist-in-Residence at the Tate Britain and The British Museum, and is Director of the award-winning documentary production company Tourist With A Typewriter.

The Runner is a film about endurance. It is the story of a champion long-distance runner whose journey transformed him from an athlete into the symbol of a national liberation movement. Salah Ameidan from Western Sahara is willing to risk his life, his career, his family and his nationality to run for a country that doesn't exist.

Noë Mendelle is particularly interested in aspects of narrative and new directions within the documentary format. Particular research themes include women, migration and stories of transgression. Since the 1980s she has produced and directed over 30 films, mainly for British and French television, widely distributed at international festivals and which have won awards. She also develops documentary networks across countries and continents: "Bridging the Gap" (Scotland); "Constructing Reality" (Europe); "Africadoc" (Portuguese and French speaking African countries). 

Lkhadra Mabruk is a short documentary on camp-based poetess Lkhadra Mabruk, Aziza Brahim’s grandmother. Mabruk was the only Saharawi female poet who documented the 16  years of Saharawi war through her poetry.

http://seyretmelik.com/ljadra-mint-mabruk-fi-la-grara-en-la-grara/35821288

More info:

Saeed Taji Farouky: www.taji.co.uk

Noë Mendelle: www.scottishdocinstitute.com/tag/noe-mendelle

Photography

This is a taster for the amazing photography you'll be seeing at Sahara Nights.

Women raising tents, Ed Harriman

Ed Harriman graduated from Amherst College in Mass., USA. He has dedicated his life to producing political and investigative documentaries and is a regular contributor to the London Book Review. Has worked closely with John Pilger on a number of films and just recently finished a film investigating massive scale US corruption linked with “rebuilding” Iraq.

View of Smara camp, Bernat Millet

Bernat Millet is a Spanish London-based photographer and visual media artist who recently won the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize (2011), having one of his pictures on Saharawi landmine victims exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery (London). His project Saharawis aims to expose the consequences of state violence by Moroccan forces as well as the ineffectual efforts of the UN and international community to resolve the situation. 

Starry night, Andrew McConnell

Andrew McConnnell is an award-winning Irish photographer who began his career as a press photographer covering the closing stages of the conflict in his homeland before transitioning to more in-depth social documentary work around the world. His images have appeared internationally in publications such as National Geographic Magazine, Newsweek, Time magazine, The New York Times, The Guardian, FT Magazine, Vanity Fair, the Sunday Times Magazine, Der Spiegel, L’espresso, and Internazionale. His collection The Last Colony is an innovative and highly personal portrayal of the Saharawi people.

More info:

Bernat Millet: www.bernatmilletphotography.com

Andrew McConnell: www.andrewmcconnell.com

Mosi Conde

One more of our great artists from Sahara Nights.

Mosi Conde is a West African artist now living in London. He specialises in voice, percussion and West African string including Kora (21 string African harp), Ngoni (4-6 string wooden lute), Balafon (wooden xylaphone) Guitar, Bolong (african bass), Western bass, kit drum, djembe, dun dun, you name it!! Mosi is a young griot from Guinea Conakry’s leading family: Sekouba ‘Diamond fingers’ Diabate is his uncle and his family are the inspiration for extended family and friends from Mory Kante to Salif Keita. Not yet 30, Mosi already has a long professional career to his name having started playing the many instruments he is master of at 4 and touring from 15. Much in demand to play with every leading African band, Mosi now introduces his own matchless crew drawing in superb fellow musicians. As a soloist Mosi Conde has played at WOMAD, for Nelson Mandela and at numerous festivals and gatherings and brings all this experience to leading Kaira Kora Africa. (Info from MySpace)

More about Mosi:

MySpace: www.myspace.com/mosiconde

Facebook: www.facebook.com/mosi.conde

Luzmira Zerpa and Family Atlantica

Sahara Nights is around the corner! Today we introduce...

Luzmira Zerpa is one of the most celebrated Venezuelan artists working in the UK today. She comes from the immensely rich lineage of Venezuelan folk music and plays traditional instruments such as the cuatro (Venezuelan four string guitar) and maracas. Her powerful voice and stage presence have enchanted audiences across Europe, in venues such as Chesky Krumlov Castle, London’s Barbican, the Royal Academy 

of Music, Purcell Room among others. She has collaborated with some of the worlds finest musicians such as Alirio Diaz and Pavel Steidl. She is the founder of music and dance group Family Atlantica.

More info:
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/luzmirazerpa

Inua Ellams

More wonderful artists performing at Sahara Nights!

Born in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria ‘1984, Inua Ellams is a Word and Graphic Artist, a writer with a style as influenced by Classic literature as it is by hip hop, by Keats as it is by MosDef. Rooted in a love for rhythm and language, he crosses 18th century romanticism & traditional story telling with contemporary diction, loose rhythm and rhyme. However, his first love was visual art; the first time he toyed with a pencil, he fell for the magic of line and form. He works extensively as a graphic designer / visual artist and also tries to mix the old with the new juxtaposing texture and pigment with flat shades of color and digitally created designs. He works in online and print. (Info from MySpace)

Inua will be reading amazing stories by Saharawi ex-political prisoner Mustafa Abdel Dayem.

More info about Inua:

MySpace: www.myspace.com/phaze05

Phaze 05: www.phaze05.com

Inua Ellams: inuaellams.com

Twitter: @InuaEllams

Lizzie Ogle

We're featuring today our great Scottish violinist performing at Sahara Nights.

Lizzie Ogle is a violinist, singer and percussionist who first visited the Saharawi refugee camps in 2007. She plays celtic-influenced alt-folk music in a band called Blue Rose Code, who has just been on a UK tour and are about to release a debut album, and she plays (and learns) a style of roots music from the north-east of Brazil called maracatu. Collaborating with Saharawi musicians in the camps remains a seminal experience for her as a musician. She also currently works as a Peaceworker for Quaker Peace and Social Witness.

This is a video of Blue Rose Code with Lizzy as violinist

More info:

Blue Rose Code: www.bluerosecode.com

Dan Tsu

Our incredible word master for Sahara Nights is our next feature:

Dan Tsu (aka ‘Killa Dan’ or ‘Tat Yin’) is an event producer, promoter, workshop leader, poet, MC and DJ – as well as Artistic Director and Founder of Lyrix Organix. Simultaneously defying pigeon-holes and common-sense, he has spent the last 16 years on microphones, turntables and stages trampling a dusty path on a voyage of musical misadventure.

A refreshing and versatile wordsmith that is carving his own niche on the Spoken Word circuit, Dan paints lyrical pictures with fire in his belly and ice on his tongue. Clever wordplay, wry humour and powerful stage presence combine to deliver an insight into the skewed mind of a twisted soul. Drawing influences from Hip Hop to Folk, he traverses political, natural and abstract landscapes in search of answers… but finds only more questions. (Info from Lyrix Organix website)

More on Dan Tsu and Lyrix Organix:

Website: www.lyrixorganix.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lyrix-Organix/78701784537

Twitter: @LyrixOrganix