Music of Western Sahara

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The music of the Sahrawi people is more Mauritanian than Moroccan, and shares many of the Mauritanian focus on ways and modes. In contrast to Mauritanian music, Sahrawi musicians can come from any caste. The tbal is the basic instrument of percussion, though the traditional tidinit has largely been replaced by electric guitar.

The record label Nubenegra has been responsible for importing several Sahrawi CD's into America and Germany. The first release was a three-disc box set from 1998 entitled Sahrauis: The Music of the Western Sahara (catalogue number INT 32552). Two of the artists featured on that compilation were singer Mariem Hassan with Leyoad and guitarist Nayim Alal. Nubenegra released solo albums for each - 2000's Songs of the Saharan Women and 2003's Nar (INN1114-2 and INN1117-2). Meanwhile, American label Rounder Records released their own compilaition Starry Nights in Western Sahara in 2000. After Nubenegra folded, Nayim Alal also released his follow-up Sáhara, Tierra Mía in 2005 on Calabash Music.

[edit] External links

• Sample and download Sáhara, Tierra Mía
• Sample and download Mariem Hassan con Leyoad
• Info, Audio & video samples
• Mariem Hassan INTERVIEW
• Starry Nights in Western Sahara
• Listen to starry-celebration sample
• Listen to samples from Medej CD, Mariem Hassan, Nayim Alal et al at CDRoots.com
• Advance of the new CD of Mariem Hassan

West African music
Benin - Burkina Faso - Chad - Côte d'Ivoire - Gambia - Ghana - Guinea - Guinea-Bissau Liberia - Mali - Mauritania - Niger - Nigeria - Senegal - Sierra Leone - Togo - Western Sahara