The Problem, Testimony of the Saharawi People

An unknown drama is unfolding in the Western Sahara, previously called the Spanish Sahara. In 1975, Spain withdrew from its colony without holding the referendum on self-determination required by the UN, and Morocco seized the opportunity to annex its neighbor by means of the Green March. The occupation continues to this day, and the Moroccan government keeps quiet about what goes on in the Western Sahara: the oppression of the Saharawi (literally: inhabitants of the Sahara). The Spanish makers of this film entered the country with a simple video camera and surreptitiously filmed the many abuses they came across over the course of four-and-a-half years. This forbidden material consists of testimony that has never been documented before. The Saharawi are forced to observe a Wall of Silence and are not permitted to say the words "Western Sahara" or "referendum," so they talk about The Problem. All signs of their nationality (songs, flags, demonstrations) are prohibited, and torture, rape and disappearances are commonplace. The international community continues to look the other way, and human rights campaigner Aminetou Haidar wonders whether this will only change if the peaceful resistance of the Saharawi turns into a violent struggle.