An invitation to show South African films about solidarity at the FiSahara Film Festival 2011 in Dhakla, a refugee camp in Algeria, prompted Milly Moabi of Dinepe Productions and Bheki Sibiya of Sobabili Films to make a two-part documentary about the on-going conflict in the Western Sahara region.
“This conflict is centred on Morocco’s illegal occupation of the Western Sahara and their violation of the Sahrawi people’s human right to self-determination,’ explains Moabi. “The Sahrawi are misplaced refugees living in Tindouf in the Algerian desert, having run away from the violence in the so-called “occupied territories’.
“After the Spanish colonisers left and Morocco took over the Western Sahara, the Sahrawi formed the Polisario Front liberation movement and have been trying to negotiate through the UN Security Council to claim back the region.’
Moabi notes that this violation of human rights by Morocco for the last 30 years is similar to the oppressions of apartheid and colonisation. “Morocco has enforced a media blackout surrounding the conflict and erected a barrier wall on the scale of the wall of China.’
Mayibuye I’ Western Sahara (Let it Return- Western Sahara) Part 1 is scheduled for completion this month. The style of Part 1 is factual – a mix of interviews, archives and “explosive footage’ of the conflict. Narrated by Radio 2000 talk show host and voiceover artist Thabiso Tema, the documentary aims to be informative and to spread solidarity for change in the Western Sahara.
The filmmakers plan to return to the conflict zone to shoot Part 2 in the near future.
Prior to the first shoot in May 2011, Moabi joined the Free Western Sahara network for research purposes. During the shoot the team went to refugee camps, schools, hospitals, humanitarian organisations and visited the “war museum’.
The crew interviewed Sahrawi refugees, soldiers, UN representatives, peacekeepers, ambassadors and humanitarian aid workers.
“When we stayed in the refugee camps and experienced the hardship of the lives of the Sahrawi, I was inspired by their peaceful resilience. I was also inspired by the words of solidarity shared by former South African leaders Thabo Mbeki, Oliver Tambo and Nelson Mandela for the Sahrawi’s freedom.
“It was difficult living in the refugee camps but you have to put yourself in their shoes. Coming from a sordid past in South Africa ourselves it was traumatic having to hear about and see the same atrocities we experienced during apartheid,’ comments Moabi.
The film crew was hosted by the local Arts Ministry and explored the theme of culture in conflict.
“It is admirable how the Sahrawis have not lost their heritage. The adults and children sing freedom songs as a way to deal with the conflict,’ says Moabi.
Following the first shoot the producers managed to get some financial support from the Department of Arts & Culture.
In the meantime they are trying to negotiate licensing deals with broadcasters such as SABC Africa, CNBC Africa and Aljazeera Africa etc.
“Being a member of the Documentary Filmmakers Association (DFA) has been helpful in identifying the international film markets such as HotDocs that we can utilise to pitch to international broadcasters,’ concludes Moabi.
screen africa magazine – october 2012
