Project Gallery

As part of an event highlighting the work of Sandblast (http://www.sandblast-arts.org), a human rights/arts charity, Offscreen ran a one day art workshop. Children contributed to a large geometric artwork as well as designing and printing their own Western Saharan music album cover.

In 1975, many indigenous Saharawis fled their homeland into exile following Morocco’s illegal annexation, which sparked a 16-year war. Today 200,000 Saharawi refugees still live in camps in the harsh desert in SW Algeria, dependent on aid. Tens of thousands more in Western Sahara, endure systematic human rights abuses.

The festival aimed to showcase the rich culture of the Saharawi people and to raise awareness and support for their plight. Largely ignored and forgotten by the western powers and its media, the Saharawis were promised a UN organised self-determination referendum in 1992, but are still waiting for it to take place 15 years later.

The festival also seeked to stress the prominent role of Saharawi women in the arts and struggle and challenge prevailing stereotypes and understanding of the Muslim world. Aminattou Haidar, an Amnesty International adopted ex- prisoner of conscience and leading human rights activist and Khadija Hamdi, the President's wife and MP in the Saharawi parliament, was present along with other Saharawi human rights activists, journalists, writers and poets.

The Sandblast Festival will brought 20 Saharawi artists based in the refugee camps and from Spain to the UK for the first time, to present their story through the performing and visual arts.