Yearly Archives: 2014

The state of the Western Sahara

Jadaliyya  11 February 2014
By Allison L McManus

This electronic roundtable of articles describes various historical and political contours of the Western Saharan conflict. It particularly addresses the tireless stream of misinformation and distraction that is produced by state media of Algeria and, especially, Morocco.

This roundtable is most interesting for its inclusion of the voice of the Sahrawi themselves. Many Sahrawi (including those featured in this article) write and advocate quite prominently for their cause.

Read transcript >>

Music a potent weapon in the Saharawi struggle

Talking about music might sound strange for people who live in refugee camps and are deeply burdened with many other problems needing to be voiced.

But the huge role music played in the Saharawi people’s struggle for independence leaves me with no choice e but to try to talk a little about the magical role revolutionary songs are playing in my people’s daily fight for self-determination.

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Broadcast of “Broken Families” has been postponed for a week – now Sunday 9 Feb

The broadcast of “Broken Families” has been postponed for a week and is scheduled for transmission on Sunday 9th February at 22.30 GMT. It will be repeated at 09.30 Monday 10th, 03.30 Tuesday 11th and 16.30 on Wednesday 12th.

Screening will take place in UK Parliament
Brahim Dahane is coming to the UK to speak at this event.

On Sunday 9 February 22.30 GMT Al Jazeera is broadcasting a documentary about Saharawi human rights defenders starring Brahim Dahane. Entitled “Broken Families” and it is in a series called Witness. It is possible to stream it live at : http://www.aljazeera.com/watch_now/

GMT is 11 hours behind Eastern Standard Australian time.

For more info on the “Broken Families” film >>

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Western Sahara Review / Revista del Sahara Occidental 3 now published

January 2014 – Western Sahara Review / Revista del Sahara Occidental 3

Articles in this 3rd edition include:

  • The need for UN ownership of the Western Sahara dispute [written by Mathias Vaa, former Danish diplomat currently working for the non-profit diplomatic group Independent Diplomat, which advises the Polisario Front]
  • Western Sahara and Palestine – economic and legal strategies to end occupation
  • Making music for freedom [Sara McGuinness describes the work she and others along with Saharawi musicians are doing to develop and the way Saharawi music is documented and distributed within the camps and beyond]

Read Western Sahara Review – No.3 >>

Reuters: Simmering Saharan conflict stirred by offshore oil search

Mon Jan 13, 2014
By Lin Noueihed

LONDON, Jan 13 (Reuters) – Oil firms stepping up plans to drill off the coast of disputed Western Sahara could be diving into murky legal waters and risk exacerbating one of Africa’s oldest territorial disputes.
Morocco has issued exploration licenses for blocks in the Atlantic waters off Western Sahara, a desert tract that it mostly controls but that is also claimed by an Algerian-backed independence movement that deems those contracts illegal  (cont.)

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