THE CITY CIRCLE

Two Short Films Children of the Clouds and Deserted will introduce the Saharawi experience on either side of the 2,500km long wall that divides their homeland of Western Sahara. The films will offer a glimpse of life under the 34 -year old Moroccan occupation in Western Sahara and that of the refugee majority living in desolate camps in the harsh Algerian Sahara. Guest speakers will be Saharawi political refugee and gold medalist runner Salah Amaidan, who will share his story and, Danielle Smith, founding director of human rights and arts charity Sandblast, who will talk about its mission and the charity run it is promoting in the Sahara, in 2010, in aid of the Saharawi refugees. (www.sandblast-arts.org) 

Salah Ameidan 

26 year old Salah Ameidan grew up in Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara. He has dedicated most of his sports career to running for the freedom of his people and homeland occupied by Morocco since 1975. His athletic life began at age 12 when he was recruited to Moroccos junior running team. Early in his career he displayed an exceptional ability to run and win over a wide range of distance from 1500m to 10km. By 1999 he was triple champion for Morocco for cross country racing and the second champion of Africa (500om). Salah got political asylum in 2003 after he led and 8-km race in France and waved the Saharawi flag for the last remaining 200m. He has endured all kinds of physical and emotional hardships: for his athletic and political aspirations: most recently a brutal attack by two Moroccan men in the Pyrenees while he was training with Paula Radcliffe. Alongside other exiled Saharawis, Salah has joined a UN sponsored programme to reunite Saharawi families separated by the occupation and 2,500km long land-mined Berm dividing the Western Sahara. 

Sandblast 

A London based human rights organization raising awareness about the situation in the Western Sahara and helping the Saharawi people gain a voice through the arts. The majority of the Saharawis have been refuges in the harsh Algerian dessert since 1976. Our Saharawi Artist Fund has been set up to finance projects in the camps that promote artistic and cultural development and expression and encourages collaboration between Saharawis and artists world-wide.