Noura Mint Seymali

2025 Womex Artist Award winner Noura Mint Seymali brings a sound as vast and elemental as the Sahara itself – a hypnotic fusion of ancient Moorish tradition and electrified desert rock. Rooted in the griot lineage of poet-historians and cultural custodians, Seymali is both a commanding vocalist and a virtuoso of the ardine, a harp-like instrument unique to Mauritania and traditionally played by women. Live, her music surges from meditative, echo-drenched passages into thunderous grooves driven by electric guitar, bass and drums, creating a trance-inducing sonic storm.

Presented in collaboration with Earagail Arts Festival and Hawk's Well Theatre.

“A full blown sandstorm of hypnotic grooves, melding traditional Mauritanian instruments with an electrified psychedelic rock band.” - THE QUIETUS (UK)

“Beautifully marries hundreds of years of tradition with a defiantly modern sense of experimentation.” - FAR OUT MAGAZINE

“Mauritanian blues for the 21st century.” - THE FINANCIAL TIMES