Music: Aziza Brahim: Mabruk

In Nomad tradition, true thought only exists when you are walking or singing, and everything nomadic must be sung or walked to truly exist.

Being a young Sahrawi lady born in 1976 in a refugee camp in Tindouf in Algeria, Aziza Brahim has never been able to visit her country or get to know her family, who live in the occupied territory. For 36 years her people have been imprisoned in camps due to their territory being annexed by Morocco.

Aziza Brahim has laid her life and talents at the feet of her people. After being exiled to Spain and Cuba in 2000 and doing the rounds in Mauritiana, Algeria, France, Sweden, Spain and Germany, the singer took part in several musical projects. In 2005, she formed the group Gulili Mankoo. Comprising Shahrawi, Colombian, Spanish and Senegalese musicians, the group skillfully mixes Sahrawi, Cuban and jazz music with overtones of rock.

In her first album, Aziz Brahim pays homage to her Granmother, Ljadra Mint Mabrouk, who is a renowned poet amongst the Sahrawi people. Her poems conjure up thoughts of fighting for her people's independence, the trials of living in exile and heroic deaths occurring in the name of freedom. Aziz Brahim chose rock and blues music because "it's through blues that we free ourselves of feelings. It's the most suitable music style to express my people's pain."

?Mabruk,' which is an Arabic term used as a greeting, is an album produced solely by the artist herself and is an eclectic résumé of different and varied influences. Aziza's powerful and vibrant voice is intermingled with the sounds of a t'bel, a traditional percussion instrument, acoustic and electric guitars and African drumming and percussion. Whether in Spanish or colloquial Arabic, Aziza Brahim's vocals ring out across the desert.

Mabruk is available to buy now.