Ways of being together, thinking together, moving along a particular path emerge in ways that are discernible to locale. And where specific locations matter, so do the foundational traditions that travel beyond, and are larger than those locations. Music exists at the nexus of place and tradition. When we listen to the genre misnamed “jazz,” we hear echoes of deep African traditions, signifying on the meaning of the human condition. We hear what that life is and what we would like it to be. It is not always easy listening.

Editor’s note: The Western Sahara is a territory making up a large part of the northwest coast of Africa, spanning from Mauritania to Morocco. The territory stretches east inland forming a small border with Algeria. The Western Sahara has been a disputed territory since being freed from Spanish rule in the 1970’s, after which it was quickly re-occupied by a Moroccan invasion in 1975. The Saharawi people have been fighting for independence and self-governance since. Ambassador Malainin Lakhal is Saharawi, a writer and a diplomat.