Award-winning human rights film “El Problema” highlights invisible plight of indigenous Saharawis of Western Sahara.

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(Free-Press-Release.com) June 16, 2011 -- `
Award-winning human rights film “El Problema” highlights invisible plight of indigenous Saharawis of Western Sahara.
UK human rights charity Sandblast announces series of events on Western Sahara

London, June 14, 2011 - Human rights violations linked to the lack of a resolution to the protracted conflict in Western Sahara have flared up again in the past few months. This has been highlighted by the recent kidnap of Saharawi writer and political prisoner, Mustapha Abdel Dayem, and the brutal dismantling of peaceful protest camps at Gdeim Izik, set up by thousands of Saharawis at the end of 2010 in Morocco-occupied Western Sahara.

El Problema, a Spanish -made documentary, powerfully draws attention to the largely unknown situation in Western Sahara, occupied illegally by Morocco for more than 35 years. Filmed partly in refugee camps in the Algerian Sahara where an estimated 155,000 Saharawis live and clandestinely inside Western Sahara, it features testimonies and documents gathered over four and a half years. The hard-hitting content of El Problema brings home the scale and severity of the human rights abuses in Africa’s last colony, which otherwise receives very little media coverage. The film will launch Refuge in Film at the Southbank’s BFI during Refugee Week on June 25th and be shown in a several other venues during the Origins festival at Rich Mix and the Arab Shubbak festival at Freeword Centre.

Sandblast Director, Danielle Smith will be joined by filmmaker Pablo Vidal for some of the screenings for Q&A. In addition Sandblast is collaborating with Blackstock Greenhouse on a two week programme focusing on Western Sahara and is organizing a first Artist Encounter on Western Sahara.


El Problema screenings in June and July
Friday, June 24th, 7pm:
Blackstock Greenhouse, Finsbury Park
Saturday, June 25th, 12pm:
BFI, Southbank - Refuge in Film Festival
Sunday, July 3rd, 12.30pm
Rich Mix- Origins Festival

Monday, July 11th, 6.30pm
Freeword Centre - Shubbak Arab Cultural Festival

The focus on Western Sahara will be launched on June 17 at Blackstock Greenhouse to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the first peaceful Saharawi uprising at Zemla under Spanish rule in Western Sahara. The film screening of ‘El Problema’ on June 24th will be followed by a discussion with MP Jeremy Corbyn and offer Saharawi food afterwards. A plastic bottle jewellery workshop for children aged 8-12 will given by Florie Salnot on July 2nd (1-4pm). Music jam to celebrate Saharawi culture is planned for July 1st.

The Artist Encounter on Western Sahara on July 3rd is being organized in conjunction with Artifariti and plans to be an inspiring and ground-breaking gathering for artists and organisations that believe the arts have a unique role to play in giving voice to the cry for human rights and freedom. To attend people must send an email to sandblastarts@yahoo.co.uk by June 24th.