Music of Western Sahara

The inhabitants of the Western Sahara have created both traditional as well as modern music styles. Sahrawi music shares much in common with neighbouring musical traditions, such as those of Mauritania and southern Morocco, and retains aspects of pre-colonial heritage. The tbal is the basic percussion instrument, while the traditional string instrument called Tidinit, has largely been replaced by the electric guitar. Some performers are tribespeople who lived a nomadic existence before the Western Sahara War against Morocco between 1975 and 1991, which was true of the family of Mariem Hassan.