Invitation

Our much anticipated Run the Sahara 2012 launch event is happening this Saturday:-

ONLY 5 DAYS LEFT!
 
Sandblast invites you to a multi-media event
celebrating the launch of
 
Run the Sahara 2012

in support of music empowerment initiative Studio-Live

Saturday October 1^st
3pm –5.50pm
Riverside Studios
Hammersmith, London W6 9RL

RSVP by: Sept 29, 2011 to team@sandblast-arts.org

Featuring: a screening of the award-winning documentary 'El Problema,' readings by acclaimed playwright and poet Inua Ellams; a sneak preview of The Runner, the upcoming documentary about world-class Saharawi athlete Salah Ameidan; former Run the Sahara participants share their personal experiences and of course there will be the opportunity to sign up on the day to register for Run the Sahara 2012!

The entire event will take place in the Cinema venue with a short break for refreshments. We will carry on with the registration for Run the Sahara in the bar downstairs until 6.30pm.

Spread the word! We look forward to seeing you,
Sandblast Team

Benefit Concert & Launch for Western Sahara

Sandblast warmly invites you to 

this very special fundraiser 

at London Aquarium. 

This multimedia benefit will feature live music, screenings of short films, interactive seminars, art installations, photography exhibitions and a raffle.  

Caravanserai Production and Acting Studio, Sandbast and YLSR (Youth Leadership and Social Responsibility) launch Sahara Arts Oasis and raise funds for the Saharawi Actor and Director Programme. 

Sandblast will also promote its Studio-Live project and Running the Sahara 2011 campaign. 

Find out more >>>

 

Source: http://www.sandblast-arts.org/get-involved/go-to-events

Sandblast at New Voices Festival

Sandblast warmly invites you 

to celebrate with us the cultural richness of East London's community 

- a community with many roots.

On Saturday, July 10th, we will all come together to mark our differences as well as our sameness. Our origins may be in Poland, Turkey, Brazil or Ghana, but we have all come together in London to form a new community, to discover NEW VOICES.

With music, arts, theatre, and entertainment, Praxis Community Projects, the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and the Museum of Childhood celebrate these new communities and what they bring to the table to make East London the melting pot of culture and identity that it is known for.

"SARAVAH SOUL explodes out of the cross-cultural melting-pot of London’s music scene with their own special blend of Afro-Brazilian funk. Female Hip Hop and poetic duo POETIC PILGRIMAGE fuse African roots with London beats.
Live Klezmer music fusing wild, soulful eastern European melodies, alongside intense Burundi drummers, street dancers, choirs, carnival troupes and music from Africa, Latin America, Asia and Europe.
Children’s area with crafts and activities led by the Museum of Childhood. Theatre performances by arts group Kazzum and Chilean theatre group Los Comediantes."*

The Sandblast team will have a stall of information and Saharawi artefacts, like jewellery and tea pots, and we will be available for a chat about our newest project, Studio-Live, as well as the 2011 campaign of our annual fundraiser Running the Sahara.

Why don't you come and say hello?

We will have a stall at the Museum Gardens and Museum of Childhood on Cambridge Heath Road (London E2 9PA).

If you are not sure how to get there, but you don't want to miss us, give us a call at 0783 8463310.

*Extract from press release submitted to organisations exhibiting on the day.

Event: "The Wall of Shame"

"The Wall of Shame": the story of a forgotten refugee nation

Top athlete Salah Amaidane visits the UK this month. On the occasion of his visit, Sandblast hosts an evening in Brighton to give everyone the opportunity to meet Salah and learn about his experiences as a political refugee living apart from his family and his people in order to raise awareness for his people's plight.

The short films "Children of the Clouds" and "Deserted" will be showcased as documentaries that capture the Saharawi experience both in the refugee camps and in the occpuied territories, on both sides of the Wall.

Guest speakers: Saharawi political refugee and global medalist runner Salah Amaidane and charity director Danielle Smith.

Date: October 8th
Time: 7.30pm - 10pm

Location: Latest MusicBar, 14-17 Manchester Street, Brighton
Price: Free (£3 suggested donation)

Are you on Facebook? Join the event.

Aziza Brahim in concert

AZIZA BRAHIM at The 7th London African Music Festival

When: Saturday 12th September | Queen Elizabeth Hall | 7.30pm |
Where: Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX

Born in a refugee camp in Algeria , she grew up in Cuba and now resides in Spain . She embodies the new voice of the Saharawis in their fight for independence. Her songs evoke the sorrows of exile and the longing for freedom. She combines all these global influences to create spine tingling music. Aziza is leading a cracking band that drops Latin rhythms alongside desert blues without missing a beat.

Cathrin's perspective: Not knowing what exactly to expect (true, I could have checked her MySpace page or YouTube for that matter), I was more than pleasantly surprised when Aziza introduced her first song in Spanish to us. Her voice is unique and strong; her appearance gentle and authoritative at the same time. Since my Spanish skills are close to none, I was glad to hear one of the lead guitarists to (very charmingly) translate not only Aziza's words but also the meaning she tried to make understood. Spanish accoustic guitars matched with various North African drums entertained us for one and a half hours, setting the mood to celebrate the Sahrawi cultural identity, the fears and pains of the refugees, and the hope of the Sahrawis to eventually return to their Motherland.


For more information: www.myspace.com/azizabrahim

If you missed it, this is Aziza Brahim with Hijo de las Nubes (Source: YouTube)