Did you know that there are people who have lived for 40 years in refugee camps in the North of Africa? Well, that is not abnormal. We did not either... The people we are talking about are the Sahrawi people of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. They are a mix of Bedouins, Berbers and black Africans who have always lived in a region called Western Sahara. Take a look at the map, and you will notice it right below Morocco, but separated by a striped line, which should make you think right now 'what is that'? A group of students from generation 2014-16 will head in January to the refugee camps of the Sahrawi people, located in the South of Algeria, where they will look at the possibilities to create a tourism product. During the introduction week of the students in Girona, the EMTM coordinator prof. Jaume Guia came to us with a potential project on tourism in the refugee camps of a community called the Sahrawi. Tourism in refugee camps? That's what I also thought; is tourism even possible or ethical? Are these not kind of the situations we want to avoid; having tourists strolling around in refugee camps, making pictures and so creating a damaging environment for the host. Before, we go into this discussion we need to take some steps back to better understand the situation. First of all, of course we are not talking about conventional tourism or here Sand-Sand-Sand tourism, and we are also not talking about the refugee camp of which most of us have an image, created through the refugee crisis in Europe. A quick overview; West Sahara, refugee camps and SADR The West Sahara is an area located in North Africa, bordering with Morocco, Mauritania, Algeria and the Atlantic Ocean. It was the Southern province of Spain during the colonialism, but was not regarded important by the colonial power. The Sahrawi inhabitants were mostly left undisturbed, and Spain did not make efforts to bring settlers to colony for a long time until it discovered the richness in phosphates of the West Sahara. In a short time, the Sahrawi who lived a nomadic existence became sedentary. During the 50' and 60' when many countries were 'decolonized', the UN proclaimed for the Sahrawi people the right of self-determination. However, both Morocco and Mauritania had intentions to annexe the region and after the Madrid Tripartite Accords. In 1975, the administrative control exchanged from Spain to Morocco from day-over-night. Morocco organized the Green Marche and invaded, against the UN standpoint, the region. The Sahrawi people fled to the neighboring country, Algeria, and have lived since than in refugee camps situated in the Hamada (a region in the Sahara, known for its extreme climatic conditions). After this, Morocco built a 2700 km-long sand wall to protect the occupied territory and has not accepted to carry out the referendum promised to the Sahrawi people for voting on independence. Instead, Morocco has carried propaganda against the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, violates human rights of Sahrawi people in the occupied territory and injected settlers in the West Sahara area as a strategy to make the Sahrawi people a minority in their own country, if a referendum would be held. Today, about 150.000 Sahrawi live in the refugee camps. Other Sahrawi live either under Moroccan occupation or abroad. Life in refugee camps is inhumane, but in the case of the Sahrawi, the camps are designed and run a way, which makes the life of the Sahrawi refugees incomparable to other refugee camps.
The refugees are spread out over six camps that are managed in a way incomparable to other refugee camps. They are one of the best organized in the world with the necessary education, health and hygiene. There are hospitals, schools, stores, a centre for disabled, a radio station, art and craft centers, a women union, museums, libraries, a ministry, taxis, buses, electricity, internet, etc. This is not only due to the efforts of international aid and volunteer organizations, but even more due to the driving mentality of POLISARIO, a national independence movement created in 1973. Since the creation of the refugee camps POLISARIO has prepared the Sahrawi people for independence, that when the day would come, they would be able to manage their own democratic state. The management of the camps is incredible, but even more the culture in the camps is extra ordinary. According to SADR, The Sahrawi have managed to develop a sense of national identity, with a culture based on old traditions combined with values of a modern state, such as equality and democracy, and and equal position for women in the camp. This last point should be emphasized. Women have since the beginning largely been responsible for the design and management of the camps, as men were fighting at the front. Women have kept that position and are today active in all spheres of the camps; socially, domestically and politically. There are female ministers, unions, workshops, etc. It is possible to say that the camps are based on a matriarchal society. All of this would not be possible if there wasn't an actual government in place. The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic is the proclaimed government, by POLISARIO (1976), and is recognized by around 80 countries worldwide. The government has 54 parliament members with 18 ministries. If it would rule over its proclaimed territory it would be the first fully-democratic country in North Africa. It sounds all amazing, but the Sahrawi are still refugees after all these years, living on insufficient rationing, holding the keys of their old houses. A part of the Sahrawi critics the peaceful resistance and the way the camps are becoming cities as life is becoming too normal, creating a status-quo. Life is becoming too normal, but you could see it more as a limbo that keeps generations of Sahrawi in a place with no real future. Tourism With this more holistic understanding we can have a discussion about if tourism would be possible in and around the camps or if it's even desired. This is exactly what we will research during the 10 days we spend in the region. In November we had our first meeting with Brahim, a Sahrawi representative who lives currently in Spain, but grew up in the camps. He asked us if it would be possible to develop a product that would let the visitor experience the camps and also other attractive elements, such as the archaeological sites, the nomadic lifestyle (still present in the free zone) and the nature. It would not be the first time that the Sahrawi would come in contact with international visitors. On the contrary, the Sahrawi community has during its 40 years in exile been in constant contact with volunteers and development workers. Furthermore, an annual international marathon is organized to focus the attention on the refugees and a film and art festival takes place each year. Because of these events and visitors, and the exchange of cultures, the Sahrawi refugee community has grown with more open and liberal values. But never there has been a visitor in the role of being a tourist, and probably this will also not be possible in the future, granted that every move you make is watched by the army and no such thing exists as a tourism-visa. More likely, the developed product would be offered to people who already go to the refugee camps with another aim, such as volunteering, or artists taking part in the art festival or runners taking part in the SaharaMarathon. BUT one thing is certain; the WHY of it all. Why do we create this and Why would the Sahrawi community want this? The answer is: international ambassadors. Through letting people experience the life of the refugees, combined with other possible experience, we want to get the message out of the Sahrawi community in exile and because, five minutes ago you did not know of the existence of these people. So, maybe, just maybe, we can do something with tourism that is not about money. (A small note, to keep things in perspective: we are talking about refugees. This is a serious situation, with human rights violated and a youth who is growing more frustrated each day. There are talks about going back to war, since nothing happened during 40 years, so maybe tourism - or as we know it- should not have a place in such an environment. We should therefore be careful using the term). If you are interested in this project and want to make a donation, you can do so on our crowdfunding page: https://www.youcaring.com/university-of-girona-research-group-485838#.Vmr_mwp_Gpl.facebook You can also follow us on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Sahrawi-Refugee-Camp-awareness-project-979881728734855/
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
January 2017
Categories
|