Read See How Much I Love You Online
Authors: Luis Leante
See How Much I Love You (23 page)
More subtle forms of human rights abuses, such as the lack of freedom of expression, association, movement and systematic discrimination in the workplace, are a constant feature of the Saharawi experience under occupation. These ongoing restrictions are coupled with the more sinister Moroccanization
policy, which deprives Saharawis from learning their own history and language.
When the UN High Commission for Human Rights finally visited Western Sahara for the first time, in 2006, it expressed its alarming findings in a subsequent report:
‘The situation of human rights is a source of real concern, especially in the territory of Western Sahara administered by Morocco. Currently, not only is the Saharawi population denied their right to self-determination, but they are also being harshly deprived of exercising other kinds of rights…’
Many of these human rights abuses are eloquently expressed in the resistance poetry of the Generation of Saharawi Friendship, largely based in Spain. Writing in Spanish, this group of Saharawi poets have been inspired by figures such as Neruda and Lorca, and they have published numerous books as individuals and anthologies. Aauin,
Shouting What We Feel
, was published in 2006 to express their outrage at the 2005 Moroccan repressions.
by
Danielle Smith
, founding director of
Sandblast
, a London-based arts charity promoting Saharawi rights.
www.sandblast-arts.org
Sandblast works to empower the Saharawis to tell their own story, promote their own culture and earn a living through the arts. Through its Saharawi Artist Fund (SAF), Sandblast addresses
the lack of opportunities for Saharawis to develop artistically and helps them showcase their talents and gain recognition for their culture and aspirations. Through SAF we:
- run workshops
in the refugee camps to teach art and enhance income generation. - help outstanding talent
access residencies, master classes and international platforms. - provide
small bursaries for aspiring artists to pursue their creative ideas. - promote
and showcase Saharawi arts.
Founding director, Danielle Smith has been involved with the Saharawi refugee community for over twenty years. She taught English in the camps for extended periods in 1993/94 and made two documentaries, including the award-winning
Beat of Distant Hearts
, on the role of the arts in the Saharawi independence struggle. She was associate producer for
Western Sahara
:
A Forgotten War
, broadcast by BBC2 for their
Correspondent
series in 1998. Danielle Smith has spoken widely on the Western Sahara at universities, for the media, the British Parliament and the United Nations.
First published in 2009
by Marion Boyars Publishers
26 Parke Road
London SW13 9NG
www.marionboyars.co.uk
This ebook edition first published in 2012
All rights reserved
© LUIS LEANTE, 2009
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ISBN 978–07145–2320–0