Music of the desert comes to Hereford

4:46pm Friday 12th October 2007

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THANKS to a little serendipity and more than a little tenacity, a quite extraordinary event will take place in Hereford next week, an event the like of which has never been seen in the city before and which is unlikely to be seen again.

As part of a tour that sees them performing at London's Southbank Centre and the Brighton Dome, TIRIS - a remarkable group of refugee Saharawi artists - will also be appearing at Hereford's Bluecoat School, one of only two rural venues.

The serendipitous element of Tiris's unique appearance in Hereford is thanks to the seating plan at a dinner party when Sian Kerry, Arts Alive co-ordinator, found herself sitting beside Danielle Smith, founder of the London-based charity Sandblast, which embraces a broad network of artists, friends of the Saharawis, academics, activists and students who all believe in the fundamental justice of the Saharawi cause.

"It was a large dinner party and had we not been seated beside each other, I doubt we'd have had the conversation that proved the catalyst for this tour. That and the fact that we both love to talk," says Sian.

The tenacity was required to make the idea of the tour a reality - it has taken more than two years to organise the tour, due to the logistics of enabling a group of refugees to obtain passports and visas.

The 2007 Sandblast festival and tour will bring Saharawi artists from the former Spanish colony of Western Sahara to the UK for the first time.

They will present their story and share their culture at a series of events to raise awareness of a remarkable desert community and its 30-year struggle for self-determination Eight artists and musicians from the Western Sahara form the group, combining old and new talent, powerful and raw tradition and innovation. Featuring the legendary Shueta, known as the Aretha Franklin of the Sahara, singing for the cause since 1985; she's joined by rising young star Mufeed with a stunning voice and a sizzling performance style.

The four-stringed tidinit and other traditional instruments are combined with guitar, keyboards, accordion and a three-piece chorus with stunning dance sequences, topped up by 72-year-old puppeteer Belka.

Arts Alive has collaborated with Nightjar to bring this to Hereford-shire, where there will be a chance, before the performance, to experience the traditional tea-making ceremony and henna painting and see a photographic exhibition of life in the camps.

TIRIS will also bring a magnificent colourful tent made of recycled materials and art and craft objects made in the camps. During the afternoon they will be playing, singing and dancing with students at the school.

TIRIS, who performed at the Festival of the Desert in 2006, can be seen at The Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat School on Thursday, October 18, at 7.30pm. Tickets can be obtained from 0870 1122330.

For a sneak preview of the sound of TIRIS, visit www.herefordtimes.com