Film Screening: "Life is Waiting: Referendum and Resistance in Western Sahara + Q&A"

Co-hosted by SOAS CFS and Bertha DocHouse

Director: Iara Lee

Western Sahara / Spain / United States / 2015 / 59mins

Forty years after its people were promised freedom by departing Spanish rulers, Western Sahara remains Africa’s last colony.

While a UN-brokered ceasefire put an end to armed hostilities in the territory in 1991, the Saharawi people continue to live under the Moroccan armed forces' oppressive occupation and what peace exists in the area is fragile at best. But a new young generation are deploying creative nonviolent resistance for the cause of self-determination. Risking torture and disappearance at the hands of Moroccan authorities, they're also pushing back against those who have lost patience with the international community and are ready to launch another guerrilla war.

This brilliant film chronicles the everyday violence experienced by the Saharawis and voices the aspirations of a desert people for whom colonialism has never ended.

Followed by a discussion featuring a Saharawi cultural activist hosted by Dr Lindiwe Dovey Senior Lecturer in African film and performance arts, SOAS and Joanna Allan, Chair of the Western Sahara Resource Watch.

This special event is presented in partnership with SOAS Centre for Film Studies , University of London.

Price: £9 (£7 Concessions / £5 Off Peak)

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