Photos; Saharawis, how they maintained the didnidad in the hell

10 Nov 2010

paco-nadal - 10 Nov 2010 - URL Permanente

Saharauis: cómo mantener la dignidad en el infierno

Hace unos años tuve la oportunidad de visitar los campos de refugiados saharauis en Tinduf. Acompañaba a una ONG asturiana formada por profesores para escribir un reportaje sobre las actividades que estaban llevando a cabo en varias escuelas de los campamentos. Era una de esas mini-ONG, con más voluntad que medios, cuya totalidad de afiliados cabía en un taxi. Habían conseguido que un ayuntamiento de una de las principales ciudades asturianas les donara un autobús urbano, viejo y descatalogado, y con él, viajando por carretera, pretendíamos llegar hasta Tinduf para entregarlo a las autoridades saharauis.

http://lacomunidad.elpais.com/paco-nadal/2010/11/10/saharauis-como-mantener-dignidad-el-infierno 

A few years ago I had the opportunity to visit the Saharawi refugee camps in Tindouf. Asturian accompanying NGO formed by teachers to write a report on the activities being undertaken in several schools in the camps. Was one of those mini-NGO, with more will than means, all of whose members fit into a taxi. They had managed to get a council of one of the main cities of Asturias will donate a bus, old and discontinued, and with him, traveling by road, we wanted to get to Tindouf to be delivered to the Saharawi authorities.
But the bus was so, so old that spent more oil than diesel and broke every 100 miles (I have asked many times by the hypocrisy of the government to donate scrap or smoke, then unusable for the intended purpose, but it helps solidarity help gain listings in the annual reports and wash and their consciences, but that's another story.)
The case is definitely the vehicle died at an intermediate point of the Algerian desert and we had to shelter two days with an army garrison in that country until a couple of Polisario Land Rover came to meet us and them, but without solidarity support, come to Tindouf, where members of the NGO would develop a cooperation program in schools for a month.
The first feeling you get assaulted by the horror camps. The horror of thinking that human beings are forced to live for 35 years in a stony desert calcined. The hamada, the most hard, bleak and barren Sahara Desert. A hell where no one wants to spend more than 24 hours.
Then another word will replace the previous one: dignity. The dignity of a people to organize themselves in such circumstances.
Although not a happy Arcadia and social inequalities exist and internal problems, the Sahrawi have managed to install chicken farms, medical services, a food distribution of international aid, hospitals, schools, ophthalmologists, small grocery stores and snuff and public transport into a wasteland where nothing more than an inch up from the scorched earth. An example of survival in absolute nothingness.
Morocco is a great country. But unfortunately in the hands of an absolute monarchy and medieval. I know that unfortunately the realpolitik in their favor. But how much we are forced to swallow poison so as not to irritate a dictatorship, however neighbor and strategic to our interests to be?
These pictures belong to that report.