Featured Poets

Image by Bartek Sabela

Poets, their work and their biographies

The recordings that feature below were made between November 2022 and February 2023. Those carried out in Mauritania and Spain were made by Joanna Allan (Northumbria University).  Those carried out in Algeria (to be uploaded soon) were made together by Joanna Allan and Moiti Mohamed Azrouk. The recordings were made with the generous support of the AHRC and the British Library, and are held as a Special Collection in the British Library’s sound archive. They will also soon feature in Tifariti University’s  new archive. Translations into English of all poems will be available in the coming months. 

Bashir Ali Abd-el-Rahman

Bashir Ali Abd-el-Rahman is known by Saharawis as ‘The Poet of the Revolution,” due to the anti-colonial poems he performed following the 1970 Zemla Uprising of Saharawis against Spanish occupation and his ongoing politically-committed work.  He was born in 1947 in the mountains of Lefreirina. As a boy, when a poet visited his family’s camp, he would hide behind the tent in order to listen to the recitals, and memorise their verses. Abd-el-Rahman regularly performs at national events. 

Listen to Bashir Ali recite some poetry and talk about his life and work (in Hassaniya, recorded 24 February 2023, Smara camp, Saharawi state-in-exile) and read the transcript in English. 

 

Zaim Allal

Zaim Allal is one of Western Sahara’s legendary national poets. He was born in 1957 in Hawza village, Western Sahara (‘Spanish Sahara’ at that time), into a family of nomad-poets and he learnt his craft from his father. Allal joined the POLISARIO Front in 1975, when he moved to the camps in Algeria, and became a soldier. Today, he is Director of Musical Arts and Popular Traditions in the Saharawi Ministry of Culture. 

  • Listen to Zaim reciting his poem The Carrier Raven (in Hassaniya, recorded 22 February 2023, Aaiún camp, Saharawi state-in-exile in Algeria).
  • Listen to Zaim reciting his poem Nostalgia (in Hassaniya, recorded 22 February 2023, Aaiún camp, Saharawi state-in-exile in Algeria).
  • Listen to Zaim reciting his poem Elegy  (in Hassaniya, recorded 22 February 2023, Aaiún camp, Saharawi state-in-exile in Algeria).
  • Listen to Zaim discussing a poetic technique he uses in his poem ‘Nostalgia’ (in Hassaniya, recorded 22 February 2023, Aaiún camp, Saharawi state-in-exile in Algeria). 
  • Listen to Zaim briefly discussing his biography and works (in Hassaniya, recorded 22 February 2023, Aaiún camp, Saharawi state-in-exile in Algeria) and read the transcript in English.

Hamza Lakhal

Image by Patrycja Dzwonkowska

Hamza Lakhal was born in El Aaiún, capital of Western Sahara, in 1983. His recent poetry was written primarily in 2020 upon the outbreak of war. Much of it engages with the failed UN diplomatic process. Lakhal’s first (2013) book-length collection, A Destiny in Windblown Poetry, is available for purchase from its publisher L’Harmattan. He writes in Modern Standard Arabic.

  • Listen to Hamza reciting his poem The Free World in Arabic (recorded 11/11/22, Nouakchott). 
  • Listen to Hamza reciting his poem MINURSO in Arabic (recorded 11/11/22, Nouakchott).
  • Listen to Hamza reciting his poem Outcry! in Arabic (recorded 11/11/22, Nouakchott).
  • Listen to an Interview with Hamza Lakhal in English about his life and influences (recorded 14/11/22, Nouakchott):

Limam Boisha

Limam Boisha is a Saharawi born in northeast Mauritania in the early 1970s. As well as featuring in several anthologies of Friendship Generation poetry and short stories, Boisha has published collections of his own, including The Verses of the Wood (Puentepalo: 2004) and Rites of the Tent (Bubisher: 2012). His latest collection, The Rain Already Fell, will be published by Kalandraka in 2023. Boisha writes in Spanish.

Bahia Mahmoud Awah

Anthropologist and poet Bahia Mahmoud Awah was born on a spring day in Tiris (Western Sahara) in 1960. He is part of the Friendship Generation of Saharawi writers and works in Hassaniya and Spanish. Mahmoud Awah has published several collections of poetry and short story volumes, as well as books on the cultural heritage of Western Sahara (most recently Tiris: Literary Routes, [Última Línea, 2016]) and memoirs. For more information on his numerous book-length works, visit  Mahmoud Awah’s personal webpage. 

Zahra el Hasnaoui Ahmed

Born in 1963  in El Aaiun, Western Sahara, Zahra el Hasnaoui Ahmed is a founding member of the Friendship Generation. Her poetry and short stories are published in several anthologies in Spain, the UK and the USA, as well as in her single-authored poetry collection The Silence of the Clouds (Extravertida Editorial, 2017).

Larosi Haidar

Dr Larosi Haidar was born in 1962 in El Aaiún, Western Sahara (or Spanish Sahara as it was known then). As well as contributing his poetry and short stories to anthologies of the Friendship Generation, Haidar has published a book-length translation of Saharawi folktales (Ediciones Idea, 2013) and, as an academic, has published very widely on translating the Saharawi oral tradition, short stories, folktales and proverbs in leading journals in his field of translation and interpretation.

  • Listen to Larosi reading his poem Friendship (in Spanish, recorded 4/1/23, Granada)
  • Listen to Larosi reciting his poem  Don’t Laugh (in Spanish, recorded 4/1/23, Granada).
  • Listen to Larosi reciting his poem Defector (in Spanish, recorded 4/1/23, Granada).
  • Listen to Larosi discuss his life and works (in Spanish, recorded 4/1/23, Granada). Read a transcription of this discussion in English.

Malainin Lakhal

Ambassador Malainin Lakhal was born in 1971 in El Aaiún, Western Sahara. A leader of the 1999 Intifada in favour of Saharawi human rights, Ambassador Lakhal was twice forcibly disappeared by Moroccan authorities. His first poetry collection, Epic March (2013), as well as a volume of his analyses of the Western Sahara conflict titled Prelude to the End of the Moroccan Occupation (2018), are both available on the page of their publisher L’Harmattan. 

  • Listen to Malainin reading his poem We give colour to this space (in Arabic, recorded 26/2/23, Boujdour camp, Saharawi state-in-exile in Algeria).
  • Listen to Malainin reading his poem I remember Leila (in Arabic, recorded 26/2/23, Boujdour camp, Saharawi state-in-exile in Algeria).
  • Listen to Malainin reading his poem A short encounter on a strange beach (in Arabic, recorded 26/2/23, Boujdour camp, Saharawi state-in-exile in Algeria).
  • Listen to Malainin briefly discussing his life and poetic influences (in English, recorded 26/2/23, Boujdour camp, Saharawi state-in-exile in Algeria).

Khadijattu A'layyat Asuelm

Born in occupied Western Sahara in 1973, Khadijattu A’layyat Asuelm was forced to flee (due to Moroccan state violence in retribution for her nationalist poetry) on foot to the Saharawi refugee camps in 1999. She is one of the Saharawi Republic’s revolutionary poets, regularly performing at national events. She writes in Hassaniya.

  • Listen to Khadijattu reciting her poem Martyr (in Hassaniya, recorded 23 February 2023, Boujdour camp, Saharawi state-in-exile in Algeria).
  • Listen to Khadijattu reciting her poem Sultana Khaya (in Hassaniya, recorded 23 February 2023, Boujdour camp, Saharawi state-in-exile in Algeria).
  • Listen to Khadijattu reciting her poem Gdeim Izik (in Hassaniya, recorded 23 February 2023, Boujdour camp, Saharawi state-in-exile in Algeria).
  • Listen to Khadijattu reciting her poem No to Autonomy (in Hassaniya, recorded 23 February 2023, Boujdour camp, Saharawi state-in-exile in Algeria).
  • Listen to Khadijattu performing at a festival in Boujdour camp (23 February 2023) in preparation for the national anniversary of the declaration of the Saharawi Republic (declared 27 February 1976).  
  • Listen to Khadijattu discussing her life and work  as well as reciting more poetry (in Hassaniya, recorded 23 February 2023) and read the transcript in English.
 

Abdelrahman Ali Sa’d Bouh

Abdelrahman Ali Sa’d Bouh was born in Aaiún camp, Algeria in 1997. He spent his childhood in the camps, but moved to Algiers to attend high school. Ali Sa’d Bouh returned to the camps to care for his elderly grandmother in 2013, which coincided with his initiation in poetry. He now regularly performs his works at national events in the camps.

  • Listen to Abdelrahman reciting his poem Through National Unity  (in Hassaniya, recorded 23 February 2023, Aaiún camp, Saharawi state-in-exile in Algeria).
  • Listen to Abdelrahman reciting his poem No Peace with the Occupation (in Hassaniya, recorded 23 February 2023, Aaiún camp, Saharawi state-in-exile in Algeria).
  • Listen to Abdelrahman reciting his poem With the Liberation Army (in Hassaniya, recorded 23 February 2023, Aaiún camp, Saharawi state-in-exile in Algeria).
  • Listen to Abdelrahman reading his short story in verse A Joyful Week (in Hassaniya, recorded 23 February 2023, Aaiún camp, Saharawi state-in-exile in Algeria).
  • Listen to Abdelrahman briefly discussing his life and works

    (in Hassaniya, recorded 23 February 2023, Aaiún camp, Saharawi state-in-exile in Algeria) and read the transcript in English.

 

Maddi Lehbib

Maddi Lehbib, born in 1967, is a Saharawi singer and resident of the Saharawi refugee camps.  As a child, he sung for family and friends, then honed his craft until he was ready to perform for large audiences. Now, he performs regularly at national events and on Saharawi television and radio. Although Lehbib identifies primarily as a singer, he also pens poetry, plays and monologues.

Mohammed Ghali Daha

Mohammed Ghali Daha was born in 1970, El Aaiún, Western Sahara (‘Spanish Sahara’ at the time). Upon the Moroccan invasion, he fled to the Saharawi refugee camps in Algeria, but completed his primary education in Libya. After serving in the Saharawi army until 1991, Ghali completed his university studies. His principal interest is theatre, and he incorporates poetry into his plays. 

  • Listen to Ghali reciting the short story in verse The Desert Logbook (in Hassaniya, recorded 25 February 2023, Boujdour camp, Saharawi state-in-exile).
  • Listen to Ghali reciting the poem Takeiber Mountain (in Hassaniya, recorded 25 February 2023, Boujdour camp, Saharawi state-in-exile).
  • Listen to Ghali reciting the poem We Had Already Decided (in Hassaniya, recorded 25 February 2023, Boujdour camp, Saharawi state-in-exile).
  • Listen to Ghali talking about his life and work (in Hassaniya, recorded 25 February 2023, Boujdour camp, Saharawi state-in-exile) and read the transcript in English.

Mohammed Lamin Mohammed Elmehdi

Mohammed Lamin Mohammed Elmehdi was born in 1959 in El Aaiún. His father taught him Arabic grammar in the desert, after which Elmehdi attended a Spanish school. It was as a school student that Elmehdi became a poetry enthusiast – specifically, he loved to listen to Bashir Ali (see below) recite his works in the streets of El Aaiún. At the time of the Moroccan invasion, he joined the Saharawi Liberation Army. His first operation was in Nouakchott, alongside the late founder of the Polisario El Wali Mustapha Said. Mauritanian forces captured and imprisoned Elmehdi, and he composed his first verses of poetry behind bars. 

  • Listen to Elmehdi recite his poem The Republic (in Hassaniya, recorded 24 February 2023, Smara camp, Saharawi state-in-exile).
  • Listen to Elmehdi recite his poem The Army (in Hassaniya, recorded 24 February 2023, Smara camp, Saharawi state-in-exile).
  • Listen to Elmehdi recite his poem National Unity (in Hassaniya, recorded 24 February 2023, Smara camp, Saharawi state-in-exile).
  • Listen to Elmehdi talk about his life and work (in Hassaniya, recorded 24 February 2023, Smara camp, Saharawi state-in-exile) and read the transcript in English.