Western Sahara was invaded by the Moroccan regime and occupied. The people of this country, the Saharawi, are cheerful, sassy nomads. They have suffered terrible brutality and are currently awaiting a long-promised UN referendum. The Moroccan state has built a wall bristling with gun turrets right across Western Sahara and filled the Saharawis' homeland with mines. Meanwhile..FORTY YEARS LATER hundreds of thousands of Saharawi are still waiting and living in refugee camps in the desert. 

The Saharawi people have built a stunning self-governed socialist state in the camps. We visited as part of a youth delegation last year and stayed in the home of a refugee family. I thought it was going to be depressing, but it was the most inspiring society, upholding values of gender equality, social inclusion, open-mindedness and dignity full of giggles. And they make a damn fine cup of tea.

The Sahara Marathon passes between the camps in Southern Algeria. We are raising money for Sandblast UK,

 Studio-Live promo video (2min)

Music is one of the seven reasons for reincarnation and the other six pale without it. We spent last New Year's eve in the camps. with no common language between us at the party, we sang them a song and they sang us a song. After that somehow we could talk.

So we are running (or probably crawling) to raise funds for Sandblast and we are paying all our own expenses. When their lands were invaded, by the Moroccan military machine, the Saharawi army consisted of just two camels, five men and a couple of rifles. They put up a hell of a fight though, and managed to get more than 150,000 people to safety: old, young, sick, injured and not one of them could boast a pair of Nike Sand Warriors or time to plan a training regime.

 The desert is a humbling place. The people are not whingers; they are tremendously creative and resourceful. I am not sporty, but I'm going to give it my best because a desert in the aftermath of war is a surprising place to have found my ideals refreshed.

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