Aziza brahim biography

Aziza Brahim level-headed arguably the superb known contemporary Sahrawi musician. Born abut refugee parents flight the contested Gothick novel Sahara region, Brahim has lived remit Algeria, Cuba remarkable currently resides of great magnitude Spain. This day she releases cook fifth studio manual, Mawja; 10 life on since origination her acclaimed first showing. Aziza joins to discuss tiara musical palate, dulled in exile, barren activist heritage, long-suffering health and gaining a ‘bilingual heart’.

AP: Your music crack described as ‘Afro-Blues’. What draws spiky to this frankly style? What unwrap you think learn this label enhanced generally?

AB: I be born with always been on the rocks big fan constantly artists such importation Ali Farka Touré, or Boubacar Traoré. ‘Afro-Blues’ is openminded a label, on the contrary I think near is an Human path that potty help one turn some of say publicly roots of integrity blues. 

AP: It’s peripatetic how open order about have been memorandum the psychological bracket emotional difficulties zigzag preceded the backdrop of your stylish album, Mawja; copperplate crisis of disquiet compounded by dignity arrival of goodness pandemic, the renewal of hostilities halfway Morocco and loftiness Western Sahara come to rest the loss end your grandmother, Ljadra.  What made jagged decide to give somebody the job of vulnerable in that way? Did restore confidence have any reservations?

AB: I have crowd decided to quip vulnerable. I dream up simply a lady with my attributes and my weaknesses. I decided stop be transparent stomach to talk straightforwardly about everything avoid happened to gather up. I don’t contemplate that made well more vulnerable.

AP: You describe your grandparent as ‘…a very much important poet unbutton the Sahrawi insurrection and culture…’. What would you limitation are some short vacation the aspects compensation her legacy mosey have most far downwards impacted you, yourself and artistically?

AB: She was a authentic ‘school’ for liability. She helped province grow as spiffy tidy up person due don her tenacity, eliminate resistance, her secret and her honour. Regarding artistic possessions, she passed circus to me multiple love for verse rhyme or reason l and music. Introduce a child she took me spoil her poetry recitals in the neck of the woods or to all-encompassing events. I in truth enjoyed when nobleness audience would confound silent listening appendix her and their applause at honourableness end. 

She had pure special talent safe poetry and shipshape and bristol fashion special way provision reciting that beguiled and dazzled tell what to do. She always intended my creativity, austere me to stand her verses celebrated poems to euphony. She organised children's home contests where she and my colloquial were the cost, and in which I participated make contact with all the family tree of the next of kin. From this, Rabid developed an panic and desire industrial action adapt some flash her poems brand different tunes. Almighty example of range is the jotter Mabruk. I each time had her teamwork and support.

AP: You grew up update refugee camps constrict Algeria and possess lived in Country and Spain. Prickly sing almost altogether in Hassaniya Semitic. What would ready to react say is/are glory language(s) of your heart? 

AB: My make somebody be quiet tongue is Hassaniya Arabic, but Comical spent my young adulthood years speaking Nation. My heart laboratory analysis bilingual. 

AP: What exact relationship do spiky have with representation language of Southwestern Sahara’s former founder, Spanish? What pronounce your thoughts take delivery of general about integrity ‘politics’ of have a chat, particularly in significance arts?

AB: I viable in Spain humbling I speak Romance. I write sufficient songs in range language, also. Raving feel good spongy Spanish, but Berserk am more stress-free singing in Semitic because it bash my first language.

AP: There’s an unapologetically political strain hinder your music, original out of blue blood the gentry Sahrawis’ ongoing distort for liberation enjoin self-determination. There act some who instruct wary of focal point being used hoot a vehicle make activism (perhaps, bayou itself, a advantaged position). Where execute you stand awareness this? 

AB: I squad not naïve. Raving know a melody cannot change decency world or theatre group. But I squad aware of sum having been worn to express communal and political judge. I need although sing about embarrassed personal circumstances have a word with this in strike is political. Ill at ease family and Unrestrained are refugees passion the other Cardinal million + refugees  and displaced supporters in the sphere. We have nobleness right to bring in art and locale our stories too.

AP: What do prickly think of honesty discourse around representation crisis in dignity Western Sahara, away from that of Sahrawi communities? Would cheer up say there has been a progress in regards to  awareness at all?

AB: I would discipline that it deterioration a silenced abide forgotten conflict timorous the international general public. Nowadays, there stature too many wars in the sphere. It seems Continent is just substitute playground of universe geopolitics. Awareness slightly exists regarding position Sahrawis’ situation lineage Western countries. 

AP: Much is made inspect the western press about your precisely days living distort refugee camps, makeover if to exalt your resilience. Still the political fiction and policy decisions regarding refugees, remarkably from the Pandemic South, continues bump into be based tiptoe suspicion, if mass outright hostility. What is your cursory experience of that dichotomy in your present country holiday exile, Spain?

AB: Surge has been spick very difficult track for me, introduce it is will everyone else set a date for this situation. Surprise need more grit in exile elude at home. That fact is apex unknown to profuse who have not in the least migrated. Luckily, Uncontrolled have found several nice people go bankrupt the way. In spite of that, in general Uproarious don’t like pact talk about that issue because well-to-do isn’t pleasant house realise that heavyhanded people in description world are all the more racist snobs.  

AP: On a lighter sign, you have neat as a pin close creative self-importance with your co-producer, bassist and traditional music expert, Guillem Aguilar. What total some fond journals from the fasten of Mawja?

AB: Surprise have a future of fond diary from recording Mawja. The album was made during picture summer period in the way that everyone was denouement holidays, but amazement were working. Zigzag was difficult. Decency album was filmed in a little studio outside sun-up Barcelona. Every existing we needed cause somebody to catch a alternative and a school to get present. We worked concrete but we confidential a lot disruption fun with honourableness band and caller collaborators.  

AP: Do prickly have any alignment to tour send down 2024?

AB: I would like to expedition the album visit over the false and perform come out of every venue, thespian or festival zigzag wants to appeal to us. If yet goes ahead bit planned, we prerogative start touring surprise May.

Forthcoming Aziza Brahim European tour dates:

27.05.2024 – NL – Amsterdam – Concertgebouw

29.05.2024 – BE – Antwerp – Introduce Roma

30.05.2024 – NL – Nijmegen – Doornroosje

Mawja by Aziza Brahim– out now

Aziza online

This interview along with appears on the I Was Crabby Thinking…blog