Throughout the more than 30-year-long struggle for independence, the Saharawis have expressed their struggle through the arts. But the arts have done more than simply express. They have also been instruments of resistance and change, not least in helping to build the new social and political vision of the Saharawi state-in-exile, known as the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic. It is the arts which best convey the experiences, aspirations and identity of these people; they embody the Saharawi longing for recognition.

Sandblast seeks to provide a platform to showcase and promote all forms of creative output generated by Saharawis as well as that of other artists, worldwide, who have become engaged with Western Sahara.

In this section, expressions by Saharawi artists will be referred to as INSIDE and those of artists from elsewhere as OUTSIDE. These terms are simply meant to draw attention to the relationship of the artist to the situation in Western Sahara and possibly to how this influences perspective. The artistic visions found here are not necessarily inclusive, and do not represent a specific political view. Rather the growing body of work attempts to reflect a broad range of styles, beliefs and insights. We hope they will succeed in conveying the spirit and complexity of the Saharawi condition.