Aziza Brahim 2016.May.09 in Koln (DE)

Just returned home, before leaving I wanted to post, but as usual before travelling ran out of time. So now with a little delay here for you: Aziza Brahim recently live in Germany, from a broadcast I catched from FunkHaus Europa, a very sympathetic station, which even broadcasts special news- and information-reports for refugees in their mothertongue (may be the only one doing this in Europe at the moment!?!).

Aziza Brahim in session for Spanish Radio3

I read about Aziza first in 2009 on the now closed tamasheq.net and related re-aktion label, really liked what I heard, so kept following her. Unfortunately she didn't yet come near to where I live(d), so never seen her live in concert, but listening to this recent recording encourages to travel a greater distance for her in the future.

About Aziza Brahim (summarized from wiki)

Born in 1976 in the Sahrawi refugee camps, in the Tindouf region of Algeria where her mother had settled in late 1975, fleeing from the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara. She has never been to her country nor knows her family who remain in the occupied zone. Growing up in the severe conditions of these desert camps, Aziza discovered music was both a source of entertainment and a natural way to express and communicate her personal emotions and thoughts of resistance.
In 1987 at the age of 11 she, as many Sahrawi students at the time, received scholarships to study in Cuba. After having spent 7 years in Cuba, she was rejected to study music. She left school and returned to the refugee camps in 1995, pursuing her musical career. Since 2000 she is living in Spain.
In 1995, she won the "1st National Song Contest", in the National Culture Festival of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. She then joined the "National Sahrawi Music Group", touring Mauritania and Algeria. In 1998 she toured Europe with and the Sahrawi group Leyoad, visiting Spain, France and Germany. In 1999 she returned to the refugee camps, recording a session for the Sahrawi National Radio with Touareg musicians from Tamanrasset, Algeria. Between 2001 and 2003, she toured again in Spain, France and Germany with Leyoad. In 2005, she collaborated with the Spanish latin jazz band Yayabo. In 2007 she created the group Gulili Mankoo, composed of musicians from Western Sahara, Spain, Colombia or Senegal, mixing traditional African music with blues and rock, recording with them in 2008 her first solo work, the EP "Mi Canto".

Listen to the first track:


BRAHIM AZIZA 20160509 - Studio 672 Koln

setlist: 1.Soutak / 2.La Palabra / 3.La Cordillera Negra / 4.El Wad / 5.Buscando la Paz - Searching Peace / 6.Ya Watani / 7.Calles de Dajla - Streets of Dajla / 8.Lagi / 9.Mani

Discography

1998: VA-A Pesar de las Heridas (CD, Nube Negra) incl.2 songs
2008: Mi Canto EP (digital, Reaktion/Tamasheq) reaktionrecords at bandcamp
2011: Wilaya OST (soundtrack of spanish film about a Sahrawi refugee family)
2012: Mabruk (CD, Reaktion) reaktionrecords at bandcamp
2014: Soutak (CD, Glitterbeat) glitterbeat at bandcamp
2016: Abbar el Hamada (CD, Glitterbeat) glitterbeat at bandcamp

More media more from Aziza Brahim:

• 2013.May.16 - BBC Radio 3 World Routes Session (listen)
• 2014.Sep.26  - BBC World on 3 Session (listen)
• 2016.Apr - live Ellas Crean by INMUSICA (watch)
• 2016.Apr.25 - live session Radio 3 Spain (watch / listen / download)
• 2016.May.23 - 'El Wad' in session at Funkhaus Europa (watch clip)

Disfrutar de su Música! Come Mango Siempre Crudo!!!