Mariem Hassan is a singer and refugee who has been living in Catalonia, Spain since the end of 2002. She began singing traditional songs at weddings and baptisms when he was 14.

At the end of 1974, she says, “I began to learn revolutionary songs—songs against Spanish domination, and supporting the Polisario Front as the representative of Sahrawi identity. In 1978 I became part of Luali, and since then I have traveled the world revealing suffering with my music and voicing the legitimate demands of my people.” She continues: “My voice belongs to my people. It’s in their cars, in their homes, their mobile phones in their stores. My songs are about the tortured and the prisoners, the resistance on the street and in the universities.”

Photo: Lucía Domínguez

Photo: Lucía Domínguez