Sandblast: Voices and Visions from West Sahara
Website: www.sandblast-arts.org
Sandblast is an emerging organisation dedicated to promoting the Saharawi people's right to self-determination through celebration of their unique culture. Sandblast aims to address the severe lack of awareness of the situation in Western Sahara, through positive, creative projects and events, and to build links between Saharawi artists and other artists worldwide.
Sandblast aims to:
- Organise and facilitate cultural events on Western Sahara, initially focusing on the UK
- Support artistic activities in the camps by raising money for materials and equipment
- Generate a network of volunteer artists to share skills and ideas with Saharawi artists and to run workshops in the camps
- Assist Saharawi artists to share their work with a worldwide audience through exhibitions, publication of their work and attracting media attention
Planned Events:
Our first mission is the 2006 Sandblast Festival, a high-profile festival in London, followed by national and international touring, which will showcase the work of Saharawi artists in both traditional art forms such as music, dance, poetry and story-telling, and also new media including photography, film, painting and theatre. The festival will also include the work of international artists who have documented, or been inspired by, the Saharawis. Seminars, workshops and jam sessions will encourage the public to get involved, learn more about Saharawi culture and openly debate issues highlighted by their cause, such as the role of art in political struggle.