Sandblast’s activities in the UK initially focuses on foundational awareness-raising work through cultural events, exhibitions, collaborations and workshops as well as lectures.

Between 2005 and 2007, Sandblast focused on the organization of the first ever festival in London to celebrate the arts and culture of Western Sahara. The charity  brought 20 Saharawi refugee artists to London  to showcase their talents across the performing and visual arts in a weekend-long festival that reached 3,500 audience members.

Alongside collaborations with UK-based and international artists, the festival presented the Saharawi refugee band TIRIS who did  a sell-out tour of the UK  and launched their debut album “SANDTRACKS”.  The formation of TIRIS was facilitated by Sandblast organized talent competitions in the camps throughout 2005. Their debut album was produced by Sandblast in partnership with Mohamed Hafsi and Kad Achouri. The band got extensive media coverage in the UK during their tour and the album was given a 5 star review in leading world music magazine Songlines and was selected Top of the World album. Also produced for the festival was Treinta y Uno – 31, a bilingual book of Saharawi poetry in English and Spanish in partnership with Leeds University.

In  partnership with Caravanserai productions, the  festival showcased the first British-Saharawi play, THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WALL, which involved Saharawi and British performers presenting the life poignant story of a Saharawi poet, separated from his mother as a child, at the height of the war in Western Sahara.

In the period leading up to the festival in 2007, Sandblast organized numerous cultural and art events in partnership with numerous organizations and institutions such as: SOAS, Casa Latina, the Mayor’s office, Host Gallery, Canning House, The Poetry Translation Centre, Sanctuary Day, Refuge in Films, Ethelburga Centre for Peace and Reconciliation and the V&A.