Desert Blues: Saharan Songs of Resistance

Desert blues, or tishoumaren, is a musical fusion genre pioneered by the Tuareg, a nomadic people of the Sahara. Born of decades of Tuareg insurgency across North Africa and the Sahel, desert blues is now carried on airwaves around the world. With its insurgent roots, desert blues expresses the complex interplay between local history, cultural resistance, and musical creation. Despite its origins as an expression of Tuareg exile and conflict in post-colonial Africa, many desert blues artists today sing of their aspirations for peace and stability in the region. Interviewing both musicians in the scene and outside researchers, Glass situates desert blues within a long history of marginalised groups drawing on their cultural heritage to express resistance and nonconformity.