SAHARAWI SINGER MARIAM HASAN DIES AFTER LONG ILLNESS

 

The women and the whole people from Western Sahara are crying these days because of the deth of one of the best saharawi embasssadors, the singer Mariem Hassan, who has died at the age of fifty seven in the afternoon of  last saturday, August 22nd 2015, after a long struggle against breast cancer.

The famous artista, Mariem Hasan, has buried in the cemetery of the Smara Refugee Camp. Her funeral was attended by the Saharawi Prime Minister Mr. Abd-el-Kader Taleb Omar, in addition to civil and military cadres and artists. 

She was a singer with a noble message, through which she struggled to spread the voice of the Sahrawi people who struggle for freedom and independence.

Mariem Hassan was born in 1958 in the Ued Tazua, 20 km. away from occupied Smara. In early 1976 she joined the musical group Shahid El Hafed Buyema, which. She travelled with the band to many countries, playing at cultural events, and recorded a few albums on different countries (Holland in 1980 [unreleased], France in 1989), with the help of local solidarity committees. The most known of those albums was “Polisario vencerá”, recorded in Spain in 1982.

She was the subject of a 2007 documentary film, “Mariem Hassan, la voz del Sáhara”.

She had performed at the WOMEX 2005 in Newcastle, and in several editions and locations of WOMAD festival, as WOMAD Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 2008, WOMAD Cáceres 2008, WOMAD Charlton Park 2009, WOMAD Sicily 2009, WOMADelaide 2010 and WOMAD New Zealand 2010.

In 2010, a new album was published. Shouka (The Thorn) represented a deep approach to the Haul and even the roots of Azawan music, but also with western influences.

In March 2011, she performed for three consecutive days in Caracas, Venezuela, during the "Sahrawi Cultural Week”. In late March 2012, her third solo album titled “El Aaiun Egdat” (El Aaiun on fire), inspired by the Sahrawi protests during and after the Gdeim Izik protest camp and the "Arab Spring", was published.

In October 2014, Calamar Edicion y Diseño published Hassan's official biography in the form of a graphic novel, Mariem Hassan – Soy Saharaui, written and illustrated by Italian authors Gianluca Diana, Andromalis, and Federica Marzioni.               

SAHARAWI WOMEN CONMEMORATE THE INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE ELIMINATION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

We, the Women from the Africa´s last colony: Western Sahara strongly support the urgent appeal launched by the UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka on the ocassion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women: every Novembre 25th.

Saharawi Women in the moroccan occupied cities of Western Sahara suffer daily abuses of their most basic human rights due to the repression of the moroccan occupider army which invaded and ilegally occupies our country since nearly four decades.

Historically, the saharawi beduin and nomad society doesen´t know violence against women but since the moroccan army has invaded Western Sahara, saharawi women suffer daily abuses of human rights. For this ocassion, on the conmemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Saharawi Women launch un urgent appeal to the international community and mainly the UN-Women to stop the violence against saharawi women in the occupied cities of Westen Sahara.

Mrs. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka has devoted her life to issues of human rights, equality and social justice and previously served as Deputy President of South Africa. In this message, she stresses that violence against women can and must end by addressing its root cause – gender inequality. She calls for greater mobilization to address the pandemic on many levels, from increasing access to services for survivors of violence to engaging all segments of society to shift cultural mindsets. This includes, for instance, getting men to stand up on the issue through UN Women’s #HeForShe campaign. Every year, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, we are reminded how every day women and girls experience violence in their lives. Women are beaten in their homes, harassed on the streets, bullied on the Internet. Globally, one in three women will experience physical or sexual violence at some point in her life.
The World Health Organization has declared violence against women to be a global health problem of epidemic proportions. More often than not, violence against women is committed by an intimate partner. Of all women killed in 2012, almost half died at the hands of a partner or family member. It is not an exaggeration but a fact that the overall greatest threat to women’s lives is men, and often the men they love. In some conflict situations, it may be more dangerous to be a girl or a woman than to be a soldier. Violence against women has become a real epidemic that must be stopped. Yet we know how violence against women can be eliminated. In 1995, close to 20 years ago, 189 governments came together in Beijing. They adopted a Platform for Action that spelled out key strategies for governments, civil society, the private sector, international partners and all stakeholders to end violence against women, empower women, and achieve gender equality.
Last year, the UN Commission on the Status of Women further defined what needs to be done. This includes effective prevention strategies that address the root causes of gender inequality and the lower status of women in all spheres of life. Whether it is in the economy or in the political sphere, women continue to be disadvantaged and marginalized. Instead, we need families, communities and nations where women and men are equally valued and where women can participate fully. This includes better services for women surviving violence. Hotlines, shelters, legal advice, access to justice, counselling, police protection, and health services should be readily available, without fear of stigmatization or discrimination.
This includes more accurate reporting rates, better data collection, and strengthened analyses of risk and prevalence factors. This includes greater support for women’s organizations, which are often on the frontline of the response. They advocate for policy change, they provide technical expertise to enhance the response, and they deliver services to survivors. This includes having more men and boys standing up against violence, denouncing it, and stopping it. Male leaders, including traditional and religious leaders, must show the way. They must support efforts to end impunity and ensure justice for those attacked. UN Women has launched #HeForShe, a global campaign to engage men and boys as advocates and agents of change for the achievement of gender equality and women’s rights. Close to 200,000 men have already signed up. We need men who believe in gender equality to take action now. A global review of progress and gaps in implementing the Beijing Platform for Action is underway and more than 150 governments have sent national reports. Preliminary data show that many countries have introduced laws to prohibit, criminalize, and prevent violence against women. Yet implementation and enforcement of these laws are inadequate. Reporting of violence remains low and impunity for perpetrators remains high. Not enough resources are targeted at provision of quality services and effective prevention strategies. We must call for action and help with implementation. Wherever I go, I feel a sense of urgency that suggests that this is the moment to turn the tide on violence against women and achieve gender equality. Next year, after the endpoint of the Millennium Development Goals, a new roadmap for development will be adopted by the international community. Ending violence against women and girls must have a central place in this new framework. The promises from 20 years ago are still valid today. Together we must make 2015 the year that marks the beginning of the end of gender inequality. Now is the time for action. Now is the time to end violence against women and girls everywhere in the world. 

AMINATOU HAIDAR RECEIVED BY THE CURRENT PRESIDENT OF U.N SECURITY COUNCIL, DR. JOY OGWU

President of the Collective of Saharawi Human Rights Defenders (CODESA, Mrs. Aminatou Haidar, has been received on tuesday, April 8th 2014, at the United Nations headquartes in New York by Dr. Joy Ogwu, current President of the Security Council and Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the UN.

 

The Saharawi activist of human rights notified Dr. Ogwu about the need for the international community to ensure protection for the Saharawis from the Morocco's daily systematic repression, appealing to the United Nations (UN) to speed up the implementation of its reoultions on the decolonization of Africa's last colony.

 

On relevant context, she was received at the UN Secretary General's office in New York by Mr. Ivan Šimonović, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights.

 

This meeting was an opportunity for the Saharawi rights activist to call upon the UN to shoulder its responsibilities in ending the suffering experienced by Saharawi women, as to establish a UN mechanism to monitor and protect human rights in Western Sahara.

 

While in New York, she was interviewed by some international media outlets accredited at the UN headquarters, of which an interview with France 24 TV, and the Lebanese newspaper Al-Nahar.

 

Touring the U.S. since March 24th, Aminatou Haidar aims to inform the public opinion about the gross violations of human rights committed by Moroccan occupying authorities against the innocent Saharawis.

SAHARAWI WOMEN CONMEMORATE THE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN´S DAY

The Saharawi Women as million of women all over the planet have conmemorated on March 8th the International Women’s Day not only those who are living in the occupied cities of Western Sahara but also in the Saharawi Refugee Camps and in the diaspora mainly in Europe.

 

March the 8th is the day to celebrate women’s achievements. It’s also a time to reflect on the status of women over the last one hundred years, on the progress that has been made and the rights, freedoms and dreams that remain unfulfilled for many women and girls. Through each generation, women have had more rights and opportunities than the last. Progress was only made possible thanks to generations of women who have fought for equality and change.

 

Saharawi Women conmemorate this important event organizing several events like our sisters in the occupied city of El-Aaiún whom gathered on a peaceful demonstrations demanding for a free and fair referéndum in Western Sahara and MINURSO (the UN peace-keeping misión) to monitor human rights and the implementations of United Nations´s resolutions.

 

 International Women’s Day is the day to celebrate women’s achievements. It’s also a time to reflect on the status of women over the last one hundred years, on the progress that has been made and the rights, freedoms and dreams that remain unfulfilled for many women and girls. Through each generation, women have had more rights and opportunities than the last. Progress was only made possible thanks to generations of women who have fought for equality and change.

 

Saharawi women condemn the brutal repression of the moroccan army and settlers against the peaceful people of Western Sahara and we make an urgent appeal to the international community, to the U.N., the African Unión d the Europan Parliament for the end of plundering of the saharawi natural resources and the condemnation of the great abusses of human rights.

 

 

 

 

SAHARAWI WOMEN WISH YOU A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR 2014

Saharawi women and the whole people of Western Sahara wish you Merry Chrismas and a very Happy New Year   wishing that in 2014 the saharawi people can enjoy at last a free and democratic country as the whole peoples of the world.

 

Let this New Year be the one, where all our dreams come true, so with a joyful heart, put a start to this year anew. Wishing you a happy and prosperous New Year 2014.

 

SAHARAWI WOMEN: MANDELA HAS DIED BUT HIS LEGACY WILL NEVER DIE

Saharawi Women and the whole people of the Africa´s last colony, Western Sahara, express its condence to Nelson Mandela´s family and the entire people of South-Africa for the deth of the historic leader anti-apartheid and also as the first black President of a democratic Asouth-Africa.

 

Women from Western Sahara reaffirm that Madiba will be remembered for his high example, the magnitude of his work and the firmness of his convictions in the struggle against apartheid, and for his invaluable contribution to the construction of a democratic and just South Africa.

 

Saharawi Women are very grateful for the support and solidarity that South-Africa has given to the saharawi people who still struggling for a free and soverain Western Sahara whose people cry today due to this great lost but also assure to the world that the Nelson Mandela´s legacy will remain forever in heart of each daughter and son from Western Sahara.

 

The life of Nelson Mandela is without a doubt a fascinating one. Fewer men in history have done so much in the name of equality, freedom and peace. Nearly every nation in the world is interested in the biography of Nelson Mandela. The Nelson Mandela biography is sought everywhere. This is a man who transcends all languages. His biography exists virtually everywhere and in every language. He was, and is, a powerful and peaceful man. So where does the Nelson Mandela story begin?

 

In the small village of Mvezo , in the Transkien territories of South Africa, the Nelson Mandela bio began on July 18, 1918. He was not born with the name Nelson, but with his African name Rolihlahla , which literally means –pulling the branch of a tree, or in it's colloquial sense 'troublemaker' ( It seems Rohlihlahla Nelson Mandela certainly lived up to his given name, but in the best of ways).

 

No Nelson Mandela history would be complete without knowing who his parents were. His father was Henry Mgadla Mandela. Mgadla was one of the main councillors to the acting chief of the Thembu tribe. The Mandela name itself comes from one of the royal's in the Thembu tribe on Nelson's grandfather's side. Due to his grandmother's position though, that branch of the family was unable to succeed the throne. His mother was Nonqaphi Nosekeni. She was Mgadla's third wife. (Interestingly the famous Nelson Mandela has also had three wives).

 

Rohlihlahla's father died when the boy was nine years old (from tuberculosis). The Mandela biography continues with the young Mandela coming under the guardianship of Jongintaba Dalindyebo, who was regent and an heir to the Thembu throne.

 

Rohlihlahla Mandela was the first of his father's family to receive formal schooling. It was his school teacher Miss Mdingane who gave him the English name Nelson.

 

Nelson Mandela then went on to finish his Junior Certificate from a Wesleyan school and on to college where he studied for a Bachelor of Arts. Engaging in a boycott against university policies at the Fort Hare he was essentially kicked out and the Nelson Mandela story moved on.

 

Rejecting an arranged marriage from his guardian (regent Jongintaba) Manela Rohililaha Nelson escaped to Johannesburg. He completed his degree through correspondence and eventually became involved in the ANC (African National Council). From there it seems there was no looking back.

 

Once he became involved in the ANC there was no looking back in the Nelson Mandela life. Mandela and those who were with him took many actions against the injustice of apartheid. A system where one's color discriminated so totally against the basic laws of freedom was unthinkable (just as slavery) and yet it was a reality.

 

The Nelson Mandela bio continues with him becoming the leader of the African National Councils Umkhonto weSiswe - the armed wing. They organized protests and sabotages to bring to light the inequality that was happening throughout South Africa. While Mandela had worked hard to bring about understanding and change through peaceful methods, military and government targets were bombed (always with no intention of physical harm) to get the message across.

 

In 1962 Nelson Mandela was arrested and sent to prison. Many other ANC leaders were also arrested at this time. The biography of Nelson Mandela has much to show of the work he carried out during his imprisonment. He never gave up the struggle. He wrote many books and his main place of imprisonment came to be known as a place of learning. A man of peace, the Nelson Mandela life involves nearly 27 years of imprisonment. Songs have been written, and praises sung. The call for freedom was heard around the world.

 

Under President de Klerk, Nelson Mandela was finally released from prison in 1990. He returned as the leader of the ANC and fought on for freedom. Along with deKlerk he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.

 

Nelson Mandela 1994 is elected president of South Africa; A triumph for equality and a triumph for peace. The world rejoiced in finally seeing a wrong come right. This does not mean that there is total equality and peace in South Africa yet. What it does mean is that one man who stands firm can make a difference for millions. The Nelson Mandela story is one of hope for all mankind.

ANOTHER INTERNATIONAL AWARD FOR AMINATOU HAIDAR

The Saharawi famous human rights activist, Aminatou Haidar, has been awarded with another international recognition for her great efforts and struggle for peace and justice in her country: Westen Sahara.

 

Bremen Solidarity Award for the year 2013 has been awarded by the German Province of Bremen to the Saharawis activist and President of the Collective of Saharawis Human Rights Defenders (CODESA), Ms. Aminatou Haidar.

The committee overseeing the selection of the winner explained that Aminatou Haidar has been chosen for her record of defending the Saharawis’ human rights desert, praising the great efforts being made by CODESA President in order that the Sahrawis benefit from their natural resources, as a human right cannot be separated from the political and civil rights.

"Aminatou Haidar has frequently and boldly defended the rights of the Saharawis by peaceful mean. She still struggling to find a just solution to the question of Western Sahara by the same means," added the committee.

It went on saying that the Saharawis activist has worked hard to contact witz a number of politicians, diplomats and human rights groups to push for a solution to this issue.

Ms. Aminatou Haidar had been honored by many international human rights organizations, for her struggle to defend the Saharawis people’s human rights.

It should be recalled that Bremen Solidarity Award has, since 1988, been presented to people who campaign for freedom, democracy and human rights and who fight against colonialism and racism.

Nelson Mandela of South Africa and Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar were given this award.

A SOUTH-AFRICAN WOMAN APPOINTED AS THE NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF UN WOMEN

 

The Women from the what is considered the Africa´s last colony, Western Sahara, would like to express their warmest congratulations to Mrs. Mlanbo-Ngucka, for her appointment as the new Executive Director of United Nations Women (UN Women).

 

The Women from Western Sahara felt very happy  when in early August 2013 the United Nations Secretary General’s announcement that Ms. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, former Deputy President of South Africa, was appointed as the new Executive Director of UN Women.

 

When the whole people from the Africa´s last colony, Western Sahara, and particularly the Saharawi Women knew about the official designation of the South-African leader Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka were very satisfied because it would be a great honnour for the all african women that a woman from our continent take this important place at the United Nations Orgaization.

 

Saharawi women wish you, dear south-african sister a lot of success in your new mission and not forget your sisters in Western Sahara who are still struggling por freedom and justice because of the ilegal moroccan occupation of their homeland.

THE WASHINGTON POST: SAHARAWI WOMEN PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE

The famous american newspaper The Washington Post has recently published an interesting article on the forgotten conflicto in Western Sahara. The american journalist Loveday Morris has visited the occupied Saharawi capital, Laayoune, and has written the following article in which has underlined the important role are playing the saharawi women in the struggle for freedom and justice in what is known as the Africa´s last colony: Western Sahara.

      

LAAYOUNE, Western Sahara — As dusk enveloped the salmon-pink houses of this capital city, the brightly colored robes of women stood out in a mass of protesters chanting for independence from Moroccan rule.

While other colonies in Africa threw off occupiers one by one, this rocky desert expanse on the continent’s northwestern coast remains a disputed territory controlled primarily by next-door Morocco and locked in a nearly 40-year-old forgotten struggle for the right to choose its fate. And in a Muslim-majority region where women are often marginalized from politics, women have taken an unusually prominent role in Western Sahara’s independence movement.

 

  Their involvement has spanned a guerrilla war with Morocco and, for the past two decades, a mostly peaceful protest movement. Female activists in the former Spanish colony attribute the phenomenon to a combination of the indigenous Sahrawi population’s moderate interpretation of Islam and the freedom they derived from their nomadic roots — but also, perhaps counterintuitively, to the prevalence of traditional gender roles, which they say give women the time to demonstrate.

“This is a pride for us, that this is led by women,” said Aminatou Haidar, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee and the most recognizable face of Western Sahara’s nationalist movement.
But as its duration shows, the campaign is an uphill battle that has so far been won by Morocco, which annexed most of Western Sahara after the Spanish withdrawal in 1976. Morocco argues that Western Sahara — home to abundant fishing grounds, lucrative phosphate mines and offshore oil — is an integral part of its territory and that separatists represent just a fraction of the population of about 500,000.
That is now probably the case, because Moroccan citizens — whom the Moroccan government entices to the area with tax breaks — are thought to outnumber the remaining 150,000 or so Sahrawis inside the territory by at least two to one.
The United States, like most nations, does not recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara, but calls by the Sahrawi people for a referendum on independence have made little headway. Experts attribute that to a combination of Moroccan lobbying against the proposal, lack of international will to upset one of the region’s most stable countries and arguments between Morocco and the Sahrawis’ rebel-movement-turned-government-in-exile, the Polisario Front, over who should vote.
Moroccan officials argue that an independent Western Sahara is not viable and that longtime enemy Algeria is backing the cause to stir problems.
“There is no room for a failed state in the region,” Moroccan Deputy Foreign Minister Youssef Amrani told reporters in May. “It will fall into the hands of extremists.”
Despite the independence movement’s regular protests, the victories are small. Still, it appears to have brought about a shift in Moroccan government policy, which now officially supports making Western Sahara an autonomous region within the Moroccan state.
“Even if I don’t reach that day when the Sahara is independent, I am completely convinced that the next generation is going to live the day of independence,” Haidar said.  

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/in-western-sahara-women-play-large-role-in-forgotten-struggle-for-independence/2013/07/07/f46f23ec-dd06-11e2-85de-c03ca84cb4ef_story.html

   

MINISTER KHADIDJA HAMDI IN AN IMPORTANT AFRICA´S EVENT HELD IN ABUJA - NIGERIA -

An important Saharawi Women´s delegation led by the Minister of Culture, Mrs. Khadidja Hamdi has atended the second High Level Meeting of the Global Power Women Network Africa (GPWNA) held in Abuja, Nigeria from June 24th to 25th.  The main theme of this importtant continental conclave was  accelerating the implementation of commitment for women and girls, Socio-economic development amongst other things.

After this event, The First Lady of Nigeria Ms Dame Patience Jonathan has received the saharawi women´s delegation led by Minister Hamdi who reaffirmed solidarity with the struggle of Saharawi women for freedom and independence, praising, on behalf of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the remarkable and effective presence of Saharawi women in the various feminist events organized by Nigeria in the recent years.

During a reception on honor of the Saharawi delegation that attended the Second High Level Meeting of GlobalPOWEr Women Network Africa, Mrs. Jonathan expressed her desire to further diversify, develop and deepen the relations of partnership between Nigerian and Saharawi women to serve the interests of both sides, as to reflect the aspiration of the African woman to play her full role in pushing forward the wheel of development, democracy and human rights in the continent. She, in this regard, stressed the need to maintain constant communication between women from different parts of the continent to exchange  their experience and to identify the common objectives consultatively.

From her part, Head of the Saharawi Delegation and Minister of Culture Ms Khadija Hamdi expressed the gratitude of Saharawi women, and through them the Saharawi people as a whole, to Nigeria's people and government, for their principle of support to the Saharawi people. She, in particular, praised the personal sympathy and solidarity shown by Nigeria’s First Lady with the Saharawi woman in particular and the African one in general.

The Saharawi delegation has been in Abuja since June 27, after taking part at the Second High Level Meeting of the GlobalPOWEr Women Network Africa, which had convened in Abuja. The delegation includes Ms Fatma Al-Maehdi, the Secretary General of the Saharawi Women Union, Ms Sukeina Larabas, as an Advisor to the Presidency of the Republic, Mr Abbi Bachraya Bachir, the SADR Ambassador in Nigeria, and Mr Wadad Mustapha, who is in charge of a mission in the SADR embassy in Abuja.

The Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic's Minister of Culture, Ms Khadija Hamdi has also highlighted from Abuja the leading role played by Africa in supporting the struggle of Saharawi people, in a speech delivered last Friday on the occasion of the High Level Meeting of the GlobalPOWEr Women Network Africa, in the Nigerian capital.

Ms Khadija Hamdi talked about the flagrant violations of human rights being committed by the Moroccan state against Saharawi women in the occupied territory of Western Sahara. “The completion of Africa’s sovereignty requires awareness from African women to the suffering of Saharawi women and to the importance of showing solidarity with them to achieve self-determination and national independence,” said the Minister.

Recalling the situation of women in Africa, the Saharawi official indicated that the vestiges of colonialism and apartheid remain the umbrella under which all diseases nest, including AIDS, ignorance, backwardness and violence, amongst others.

This, added Ms Hamdi, requires real participation by women in decision-making positions, hence they are closest to recognize the everyday problems of the family and the community, calling for the liberation of women and youth initiatives, especially those complementary to the governments’ efforts, and to benefit from African capabilities and competencies specialized in the fields of research and the support of sustainable development programmes.

The minister, therefore, urged to intensify sensitization campaigns in all mass media and make use of social networking websites effectively, in a way that deepens Africa’s unity and integration, economically and culturally.