The two married in August 2014,[1] shortly before fall of Sana'a to the Houthi rebels, a significant turning point in the escalation of the Yemeni civil war and their lives.

[4][5][6] After graduating in 2013, Saber Bamatraf began working in the humanitarian sector with the International Committee of the Red Cross in Sana'a, while simultaneously participating in the creative industry through small-scale events.

[7][8] Following their marriage, Bamatraf drew inspiration from his wife's artworks to compose original music pieces that often explored societal issues and their personal journey.

[16][15][6] Saber Bamatraf's story and his artistic collaboration with his wife Shatha Altowai gained wider attention in the Yemeni local context,[16] and were featured in a short documentary titled Voice of the Rainbow (Arabic: صوت قزح),[14] which was selected to be screened at the Karama Human Rights Film Festival that was supposed to take place in Sana'a in October 2018.

[14][17][21] The hosting organisation of the Karama Human Rights Film Festival, Yemen Will Triumph (now known as Youth of The World Together), had previously announced that the event aimed to shed light on the suffering of Yemeni people caught in the fires of war.

The festival also sought to highlight issues affecting displaced persons, the rights and challenges faced by women and children, and the broader impacts of war on these vulnerable groups.

Yemeni activist Hind Al-Eryani condemned the ban, stating that the festival was designed to shed light on the war in Yemen and its devastating impact.

She alleged that the Houthis justified the cancellation by objecting to the film’s poster, calling it a display of “excessive openness” and claiming it violated their religious and moral values.

While sending multiple urgent applications to organisations, they expressed frustration that some of the individuals responsible for the harassment campaign against them were being recognised and welcomed with gifts at the Stockholm negotiations in December 2018, which was between the conflicting parties, the government of Yemen and the Houthi rebels.

[2] The influence of Edinburgh’s landscape is evident in the album’s track titles, which include Snowtime, inspired by the city’s winter scenery, and Walk at the Meadows, referencing a location frequented by Bamatraf and Altowai.

[3][29] In November 2021, Saber Bamatraf’s story with his wife, Shatha Altowai, was featured in BBC Radio Scotland's Sunday Morning with Connie McLaughlin.

[32] Bamatraf also appeared in the short film When the Music Stops by Declassified UK, released in March 2022, which reflected on Britain's arms trade and its impact on his life and work.

As part of the festival, he participated in The Southside Symphony concert, an ensemble that brought together musicians from diverse backgrounds, each contributing compositions inspired by the theme of migration.

[33][34] In September 2023, Bamatraf has given a keynote speech at the Res Artis conference that was held at University College London, where he addressed the challenges faced by artists at risk of persecution due to their identities or activism.

During their Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024 performance, he and Altowai collaborated with the ensemble on a multimedia piece titled Just Like Her Mum, integrating music and visual storytelling.