Aziza Brahim

Fleeing from the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara, Aziza Brahim grew up in refugee camps, listening to the radio for hours on end. Through music, she was able to communicate her personal story, relating it to those of others, and her life seemed to get easier. 
Her latest album, Mawja, mirrors that feeling. “It refers to that magical moment when you turn on the radio and that song you like just starts playing,” explained the singer when the album came out. The music reflects the percussive beats of the Iberian Peninsula, the pulsating rhythms she soaked up as a student in Barcelona. Infused with blues, folk music and desert punk, the album also finds inspiration in The Clash. In addition to sorrow and tender elegies – dedicated to her late grandmother, an important poet of the Sahrawi revolution and culture – the music conveys a strong sense of hope, exploration and adventure.