Zombies in the Air: a creative workshop
“Zombies in the Air” is the final title given to the spoken poetry piece collaboratively written by Desert Voicebox Students with guidance from repeat Volunteer, Anastasia Olenik.
In 2024, the Desert Voicebox students in levels 3 and 4 finished their end-of-year project, an original song composition titled “Zombies in the Air” which contained both English and Arabic verses. The song, which is a poignant reflection of the children‘s inner feelings about the state of the world and their own exiled state, was produced in a creative song-writing workshop run by multi-media artist Anastasia Oleinik at the start of the year.
After intensive rehearsals over 2 weeks with camp-based Saharawi musical director Mahmud Bara, the students presented the song on May 9 at a concert in the Boujdour camp with local and national Saharawi educational authorities in attendance. Through the performance, they also showcased their amazing traditional dance, drumming, and singing skills which were honed throughout the year in their weekly Saharawi music classes with the outstanding local traditional artist Ezza Brahim.
Since bringing their verses to life, the Zombies in the Air project has been used in a variety of creative projects !
Students with Alana during the development of the piece.
The lyrics were used again in 2026 during the performance and Theatre Creative Workshop with Pauline.
Zombies in the Air
On the outside I’m normal
But on the inside I have feelings
drowned in a spider’s web,
I feel miserable, there is no light
I want to break feelings and fortune
End of the world, ready to escape
Where do we go?
Zombies in the air, heroes in prison
Tomorrow my father returns from the war
And the sun of hope will shine
I will follow my dreams
We will return to the land where we belong
We will return despite the pain.
