Mariem Hassan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mariem Hassan
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Mariem Hassan in 2008
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| Background information | |
| Native name |
مريم منت الحسان
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| Also known as | Voice of the Sahara |
| Born | May 1958 Ued Tazua, Spanish Sahara |
| Died | 22 August 2015 (aged 57) Sahrawi refugee camps, Tindouf province, Algeria |
| Genres | Blues music, folk music, roots music |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, percussion |
| Years active | 1976–2015 |
| Labels | Nubenegra |
| Associated acts | Shahid El Uali, Leyoad, Nayim Alal |
Mariem Hassan (Arabic: مريم حسان; born May 1958 – died 22 August 2015) was a famous Sahrawi singer and songwriter. She came from Western Sahara. Mariem often sang in Hassaniyya, which is an Arabic language spoken in Western Sahara and Mauritania. Sometimes, she also sang in Spanish because Western Sahara used to be a Spanish colony.
Contents
About Mariem Hassan
Her Early Life
Mariem Hassan was born in May 1958 in a place called Ued Tazua. This was about 20 kilometers from Smara, in what was then Spanish Sahara. She was the third of ten children in her family. Her family were nomads, meaning they moved from place to place. Music and poetry were very important in her family. Many of her relatives were singers, poets, or dancers.
In 1975, things changed in Western Sahara. After events like the Green March and the Madrid Accords, the land was given to Morocco and Mauritania. Mariem and her family had to move. They first went to Meharrize and then to the Sahrawi refugee camps near Tindouf, Algeria. In the camps, Mariem worked as a nurse. Her family faced many difficulties during the Western Sahara War.
Mariem lived in the refugee camps until 2002. Then, for work and health reasons, she moved to Spain. She lived in cities like Barcelona and Sabadell with her husband and sons. Before she passed away in 2015, she returned to Western Sahara.
Her Music Career
In early 1976, Mariem Hassan joined a music group called Shahid El Hafed Buyema. This group later changed its name to Shahid El Uali. They did this after the death of El-Ouali Mustapha Sayed, who was the first president of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. Mariem traveled with the band to many countries. They performed at cultural events and big world music festivals.
In 1998, Shahid El Uali broke up. Mariem then started her solo music career. She recorded two songs for an album called Sahrauis: The Music of the Western Sahara. This album was released by a Spanish music company called Nubenegra. For her concerts in Europe, she performed with a group called Leyoad. Nayim Alal played guitar in this group. Because their live shows were so popular, they recorded an album together in 2000, which came out in 2002. It was called Mariem Hassan con Leyoad.
In 2004, Mariem contributed to another album called Medej. After this, she went on a long tour in Europe. She performed in many cities like Barcelona, Madrid, and Helsinki. Before her European tour, she found out she had breast cancer. She started getting treatment after returning to Spain and stayed there for her health.
In 2005, Mariem released her first true solo album, Deseos (which means Wishes). This album showed her unique way of performing traditional Haul music. It was a difficult time during the recording. Baba Salama, who produced the album and was a lead guitarist, passed away from leukemia before the album was released. Mariem was also dealing with her own cancer treatment. A popular song from this album is "La Tumchu anni," which is a "desert blues" song.
Mariem performed at the WOMEX festival in 2005 and at several WOMAD festivals. These included WOMAD Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in 2008, WOMAD Cáceres in 2008, and WOMADelaide in 2010.
In 2010, she released a new album called Shouka (meaning The Thorn). This album explored the deep roots of Haul and Azawan music, but it also had some Western music influences. The main song, "Shouka," was structured like a long musical piece. It included all the rhythms of traditional Sahrawi music. Some music critics compared her sound to Tuareg bands like Tinariwen.
In March 2011, Mariem performed for three days in Caracas during a "Sahrawi Cultural Week."
In late March 2012, her third solo album, El Aaiun Egdat (meaning El Aaiun on fire), was released. This album was inspired by the Sahrawi protests, including the Gdeim Izik protest camp and the "Arab Spring" events. This album showed a new musical direction for Mariem. It mixed blues and jazz sounds with traditional Haul music. Many songs had lyrics written by older Sahrawi poets who were living in exile. A European tour for the album started in Helsinki in April. In July 2012, her album El Aaiun Egdat reached number one on the World Music Charts Europe. In November, Mariem Hassan was a main performer at the "Festival du Sahel" in the Lompoul desert.
In 2013, Mariem Hassan finished a project about Sahrawi oral history called Cuéntame Abuelo – Música. She also went on a tour to promote her album El Aaiun Egdat. During this tour, she performed in places like Sweden, Portugal, Italy, Belgium, and Spain.
Mariem in Media
Mariem Hassan was the main topic of a 2007 documentary film called Mariem Hassan, la voz del Sáhara.
In 2010, Link TV made a short documentary about Mariem's music and her work for her people. It was part of a series called "Rappers, Divas and Virtuosos: New Music from the Muslim World."
In October 2014, a company published Mariem Hassan's official story as a graphic novel. It was called Mariem Hassan – Soy Saharaui. Italian authors Gianluca Diana, Andromalis, and Federica Marzioni wrote and illustrated it.
In 2017, Manuel Domínguez and Zazie Schubert-Wurr wrote a book about their experiences with Mariem Hassan during her concert tours over 18 years. The book, "The Indomitable Voice," was published in English and Spanish. A German version came out a year later. The book also included her last album, "La Voz Indómita," and a DVD.
Her Passing
Mariem Hassan passed away from bone cancer on 22 August 2015. She died in the Sahrawi refugee camps in Tindouf province, Algeria.
Famous Songs
One of her well-known songs is "Tus ojos lloran" (meaning "Your eyes weep"). She sang this song in Spanish. It talks about her personal experiences and dealing with life's challenges and sadness, like losing her father and two brothers.
Discography
Studio Albums
Collaboration Albums
- 2002 Mariem Hassan con Leyoad
- 2015 Baila, Sáhara, baila, Nubenegra, (Mariem Hassan and Vadiya Mint el Hanevi)
- 2017 La voz indómita, Nubenegra.
Solo Albums
- 2005 Deseos
- 2010 Shouka
- 2012 El Aaiun egdat
Featured In Other Albums
- 1998 A pesar de las heridas
- 2001 El hechizo de Babilonia
- 2003 Nar
- 2004 Medej
- 2007 Hugo Westerdahl – Western Sahara
- 2010 The Rough Guide To Desert Blues
See also
In Spanish: Mariem Hassan para niños
- Music of Western Sahara
- Najm Allal
- Aziza Brahim
- Spanish language#Africa
