Longing for Home: Tiris and "Tiris Nibreeha"

Tiris is a band that was formed by Sahwari refugees in refugee camps in Algeria. The band sings about love, loss and their struggle to return to an independent homeland in Western Sahara. They made an auspicious debut at the Festival au Desert in Mali in 2005, earning rave reviews and despite being scheduled for one performance, were brought back on the last night by popular demand. The band mixes traditional Sahwari music with other types of genres, including desert blues, flamenco, reggae and jazz. They also use modern instrumentation but include traditional instruments like tbal and tidnit. They have released one album. This song, Tiris Nibreeha (I Love Tiris), refers to the region of Western Sahara, known for its holy men, poets and musicians, that the band takes its name from, and can be found on their 2007 album Sandtracks as well as the 2008 compilation Putumayo Presents: Acoustic Arabia.

Waiting for a Return: Aziza Brahim and "Regreso"

Today's song comes from disputed territory and a woman without a country. Aziza Brahim was born in the Sahwari refugee camps in Algeria where her mother had fled from Moroccan troops occupying Western Sahara. She studied in Cuba, but was rejected for music school and returned to Algeria. In 1995 she won a contest sponsored by the Sahwari Arab Democratic Republic, then joined a Sahwari musical tour through Mauritania and Algeria. She then toured Europe with the Sahwari group Leyoad. She has since collaborated with Touareg musicians, the Spanish latin jazz band Yayabo. In 2007 she created Gulili Mankoo, comprised of Sahwari, Spanish, Colombian and Senegalese musicians and mixing African music with blues and rock. Since 2009 she has been touring with the Basque txalaparta band Oreka Tx. She has released three albums. This song, Regreso, can be found on the compilation album Freemuse & Deeyah Present Listen to the Banned. The video is live concert footage.