WOMAD

Mariem Hassan

From Western Sahara

Mariem Hassan is regarded the most representative voice of the music of Western Sahara. With two electric guitars (substitute of the rustic tidinit) and two tebals, ground-drums played by women, she has been able to synthesize the spirit of the haul and, without losing any freshness, to drive her music into the 21st century.

Her concerts are powerful. The public can discover a solid and decided artist singing about her wishes and the needs of her people. Mariem sings in hassania, the language of that corner in the desert which is her homeland. Her intense voice leads us through mysterious paths on which struggle and tragedy shake hands with tenderness and intimate feelings.

Different dances, performed by the percussionists, enrich a repertoire based on traditional and spiritual songs as well as modern ones. The group has been able to develop a sound where there is space for blues, reggae and echoes of other current music.
In the seventies, early on in her music career, Mariem joined forces with "Matir el Uali Mustafa Sayed" (better known as "El Uali"). With this group she toured many countries to take part in cultural events of high political impact. From this supported base, Mariem Hassan has sung for more than thirty years.

She had recorded and participated in different collective CDS. DESEOS (Nubenegra, 2005) is her first solo album. A documentary film: MARIEM HASSAN, The Voice of the Sahara (55'), was released in 2008 at the FISAHARA festival.

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Mariem Hassan

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