SOUKEINA EL IDRISI WITH OTRER SAHARAWI HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS IN THE ALGERIAN CAPITAL

Soukeina El Idrisi is among the Saharawi Human Rights activists whom are these days in the algerian capital where an important delegation from the occupied cities of Western Sahara is visiting for the first time the capital of this neighbouring country.

The Human Rights activists were also part of the saharawi delegation, led by the Saharawi Culture Minister, Mrs. Khadidja Hamdi, that is participating in the 2nd Pan-African Cultural Festival which was inaugurated on July 4th.

The Saharawi Representatives have taken part in all the different activities such as conferences, cultural events: musical spectacules etc.

The H.R. activists have given to the international press their personnel testimonies about the flagrant violations of human rights perpetrated by the moroccan army in the occupied cities of Western Sahara and ask them to put pressure on the moroccan goverment to respect the international law and the Human Rights Declaration of Human rigjts.

History of the Pan-African Culture Festival:

On July 21st, 1969, 4,000 artists converged on Algiers for the first Pan-African Cultural Festival. Representing 31 nations from across the continent, painters, poets, photographers, musicians and intellectuals transformed the streets into a meeting place of creative culture. Energy, idealism and optimism abounded as for the next ten days the Algerian capital pulsated to the sound of music and debate long into the hot, balmy nights. It was without doubt a high point in post-independence Africa. Coming together in this way, the Algiers Festival embodied the belief that, free from imperialism at last, Africans had the capacity to shape their own history.

The idea for a Pan-African Cultural Festival originated with the Organisation of African Unity two years earlier. Algeria was chosen to host and coordinate the event because of its unique place within the decolonisation process. This was the country that had fought the longest and bloodiest war of liberation, winning independence from France in 1962 after eight years of conflict and 132 years of colonial rule. This was the country, too, whose struggle had produced the prophet of the African revolution: Frantz Fanon (1925-61).