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London,
04/11/2007 (SPS) The British capital, London, holds since Friday
evening Saharawi cultural festival organised by the British
organisation, "Sandblast".
First of its kind, the festival includes musical concerts,
exhibitions, conference son human rights, debates on literature
and poetry, workshops on dance, pupeetery etc.
The organisation is organising the event in "Rich Mix Cultural
Foundation", situated inthe East London, to hold all the
activities, including the opening night that was marcked by the
presence of many personalities.
In this respect, the President of "Sandblast", Mrs. Danielle
Smith, affirmed that the strong participation to theopeningnight
reflects the importance of the efforts deployed by the member of
theorganiation in mobilising and generating more support to the
Saharwi people within the majority of the British society.
This festival, is, according to Mrs. Smih, "an occasion to
introduce the culture of the Saharawi people, who suffers from
occupation and opression, but is still attached to its peaceful
struggle to ge its legitimate rights to freedom".
The objective of the festival is to introduce the culture and
literature of the Saharawi people, to raise awareness of the
British public opinion about the legal and political situation
in addition to the situation of the human rights situation in
Western Sahara, Mrs. Smith stressed.
The famous British film director, Mrs. Ken Loach, stressed that
he participates to the opening night of SANDBLAST “to express my
solidarity and support to the Saharawi people’s right to
self-determination and freedom".
"It is the duty of all those who believe in justice and human
rights to support this peaceful people, victim of the injustice
of a brutal power helped by parties that serve their own
interests rather than helping in the respect of the
international and to the detriment of the principles of peoples’
right to live free and in dignity", he estimated.
The Somalian artist, Mariam Morsal, performed two songs in
solidarity with the Saharawi people during the opening night.
On her side, Mrs. Alison Shiperd, the President of the British
Trade Unions’ Council (TUC) declared that her organisation,
"which is the most important trade union in the UK has always
supported he Saharawi people in its right to freedom and
independence and has always adopted many recommendations for
this end".
The first scene of the play "the wall", directed by Giles
Foreman and interpreted by British and Saharawi actors were
presented to this occasion. The scene denounces the Moroccan
wall of shame that divides Western Sahara.
The Saharawi human rights activist and ex-political prisoner,
Aminetou Haidar, talked about the resistance in the occupied
party of Western Sahara, especially on the "human rights
questions who are closely linked to the Saharawi people’s right
to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination and
the edification of their national State".
The Algerian ex-political Olympic champion, Hassiba Boulmerka,
affirmed that "culture, as sports, has always been a way of
reconciliation between peoples and cultures", adding that "this
event will permit the introduction of the Saharawi cause" to the
British public opinion.
"I seize this opportunity, she added, to express on the name of
the Saharawi delegation and national Committee of solidarity,
the steady position of support to the Saharawi people’s right to
self-determination and independence through a free and justice
referendum within the framework of the international legality".
A big audience composed of imminent intellectuals, journalists,
diplomats, artists, activists, citizens from many nationalities
attended the Festival.
The Saharawi delegation was represented by an important
delegation chaired by Mrs. Khadidja Hamdi and composed b the
Saharawi human rights activist, Aminetou Haidar and Dr. Sidi
M'hamed Omar, POLISARIO Front’s Representative to the UK and
Ireland.
The Festival was preceded by many cultural activities animated
by the Saharawi musical band, TIRIS, in many British cities, in
a tour that enabled the introduction of the different aspects of
the Saharawi arts, history and political situation. (SPS)
010/090/700 0409017 NOV 07 SPS
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