Mariem Hassan - Haiyu

I'm mostly an arm chair traveller and during the holiday period I spent most of my time in Mali, hooked on a blog by a Swedish woman, Sophie keita, [link]. It documents her experience of living in Djenne, & opening & running a hotel there [link]. I don't think this is an easy decision, the hotel is made of mud like most of the building in this historic town and needs constant attention. There is also a different culture to adapt to and some personal challenges she has to face... maybe you should just read the blog ! Despite the difficulties, my overwhelming impression is of someone living in a romantic & free spirited way... and when I'm feeling romantic & free spirited I plan trips to exotic places and now Djenne is on my list somewhere between Bhutan & the Galapagos Islands! All this to say that my wake up song this week is an artist mentioned on her blog, Mariem Hassan. A new discovery for me, she is a singer from Western Sahara. I've chosen the song 'Haiyu', I think it is a protest song that calls for the separation of Sahara from Morocco and the establishment of an independent country... and it's a wonderful & funky piece of music, I hope you enjoy it as much as me, lotsoflove tanita