Resilience and Resistance — Life in the occupied Western Sahara

Western Sahara occupied by Marocco ranks low in assessments of political and civil freedoms. Even small gatherings of Saharawis peacefully protesting in the streets against oppression are quickly and brutally dispersed. Waving the national flag is banned, and dozens of activists are jailed. Foreign media workers and human rights observers are usually expelled immediately by Morocco, the occupying power.   The two short films "Skeikima" and "3 Stolen Cameras" give insights into life in Western Sahara. In “Skeikima," young Saharawis tell how they cultivate their identity, experience repression, pursue their education despite harassment, and become activists.  In "3 Stolen Cameras," the video activist group Equipe Media struggles to avoid losing their cameras to Moroccan police while fleeing and protesting. Equipe Media documents human rights violations in the occupied territory and tries to break the information blockade.  After the screenings, Mohamed Mayara, member of Equipe Media, and Sylvia Valentin, terre des hommes switzerland, will hold a public talk. Moderation: Judith Huber, journalist SRF  The films and discussion are in English. "3 Stolen Cameras" (2017), 17 min, Equipe Media/Saharawi Voice/RåFILM, Arabic with English subtitles. "Skeikima" (2017), 14 min, Raquel Larrosa/Maria Ovejero, Hassanyia with English subtitles. Mohamed Mayara lives in occupied Western Sahara and works at Equipe Media. He fights as a journalist and human rights activist to make human rights violations by the Moroccan state visible. The co-founder of the journalist collective Equipe Media, he has often been persecuted, arrested, prevented from doing his work, and received death threats. Other members of Equipe Media are serving long prison sentences as political prisoners. Sylvia Valentin works for the development policy organization terre des hommes switzerland in Basel on the topic of Western Sahara. One of her focal points is the exploitation of resources and corporate activities in the occupied territory. In cooperation with terre des hommes switzerland.