Al Khadra was born circa 1934 in Tiris.[2] Her family were Bedouin and her childhood was spent moving through the region so her family could find grazing for their animals.[2] She learnt poetry from a young age by listening to others perform.[2]
The first poetry she learnt celebrated female beauty, but after the movement for self-determination from Spain started in the 1970s, her poetry changed to become socially conscious and celebrate the military achievements of the Polisario.[3] Al Khadra is one of several poets, whose work has become a vital part of cultural resistance for the Sahrawi people.[4][5] She is the only female Sahrawi poet to have documented the Western Sahara War from 1976 to 1991.[6] Subjects of her poems include the Moroccan Western Sahara Wall, also known as the Berm; the Polisario's first tank; the refutation of "Moroccanisation" of her homeland; and providing fuel for "revolution".[4]
In 1975, she was forced to move to the Tindoufrefugee camps by the Moroccan army.[3] In 2012 she was living in the El Aaiún refugee camp.[7]
Al Khadra's granddaughter is the singer Aziza Brahim, who has performed poetry by her grandmother worldwide.[9] The album Mabruk is dedicated to Al Khadra and records her work with backing by electric guitars and drums.[6]
In 2012, Al Khadra was the subject of a documentary film entitled Al Khadra: Poet of the Desert, screened at the Africa in Motion Film Festival that year.[10]
