Refugees as Agents of Social Change: A Perspective from Western Sahara
The following was written by African Students For Liberty Local Coordinator Zeiny Ali Taleb.
Located between the Atlantic Ocean, Morocco, and Mauritania lies what many call “Africa’s last colony.” While the U.N. technically considers it a “non-self-governing-territory in the process of decolonization,” Western Sahara has been occupied by Morocco since 1975 when they marched several hundred thousand settlers into the territory. The Moroccan presence in Western Sahara triggered a sixteen-year war between Morocco and the Polisario, the leaders of the independence movement. Morocco also erected a 1,677 mile long sand berm and surrounded it with some seven million land-mines, which divide the territory.
The violence and conflict have forced more than 100,000 Sahrawis to seek refuge across the border in Algeria. Thousands of refugees remain living in camps near Tindouf, Algeria and it is in one of these camps where I was born and raised.free-western-sahara
From the beginning, life as a refugee has been difficult. Like many of my fellow Sahrawis, I have lived my entire life in exile. I am torn between two countries: Algeria and Western Sahara.
Though I was born and raised in Algeria, my work is dedicated to Western Sahara and its people, who are marginalized and robbed of basic rights. The Sahrawi are also torn and struggle to balance the complex relationship between common identity, individual identity, and personal ambition. We are self-reliant and individualistic in certain ways, but we are also willing to sacrifice some of our individual identity for the sake of the community.
My life in the refugee camps reflects the daily struggle that every young Sahrawi in my situation is trying to cope with. We are frustrated and disappointed at the silence of the international community. It’s really hard to just sit and study without thinking about my people who are suffering and dying. It’s really hard to try to help my people while also trying to build my future as an individual.
Many young Sahrawi are not interested in studying anymore because they prefer to go to military school and prepare to fight against the Moroccans. I think that day-by-day, the Sahrawi will be more convinced and more concerned about what’s happening in the occupied territory, but I don’t know. All I know is that I want to be a voice for my people and...
Working toward this end, I founded a volunteer group with twelve other young people called YFYD to help other young people integrate into the society and build their capacities. As young volunteers, we thought that there was more we could do than simply help refugees survive. We could help them thrive. Refugee camps shouldn’t be viewed as temporary population centers where people languish waiting for the war to end. Rather, we should view refugee camps as centers of excellence where refugees can overcome their trauma and prepare for the day that they can return home as agents of positive social change and transformation.
Now, I’m in the United States, where I first came for a fellows exchange program. I decided to stay in the U.S. after the program ended to seek a better education. Life has always been challenging since I left my country, but my will and ambition only makes me stronger. My cause has helped me find the strength to keep going, the will to carry on, and the knowledge to transform every situation into a learning experience. I am happy to be working toward a brighter future for both my people andmyself.
Source: Student for Liberty
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