On 5 June we held a workshop on Saharawi poetry translation with the Stephen Spender Trust. Attendees (translators, poets, students and poetry enthusiasts based in the UK, France, Spain, Australia, Hungary and the USA) translated poetry by Zahra Hasnaoui from Spanish to English and learnt a little about the Saharawi oral tradition from Zahra Hasnaoui and Joanna Allan.
Zahra is a member of the Friendship Generation of Saharawi poets, which was founded in 2005 in Madrid. Poets of this Generation, who compose and write principally in Spanish, aim to raise awareness of the cause and sufferings of the Saharawi people internationally. They have enjoyed several critical and literary successes since their formation, including the publication of dozens of poetry and short story collections between them.
During the event, participants were asked to note one to three words they associated with Saharawi poetry, thereby forming the Word Cloud below:
Are there any plans to publish or showcase the translated poetry from the workshop?
Good question! Not as far as I know, but I will ask my colleagues at Stephen Spender Trust. There are plans to publish a wider anthology of translated Saharawi poetry though (including work by Zahra Hasnaoui), hopefully open access. I hope to have news soon. Thanks.