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martes, 28 de agosto de 2012

The Art of Sahrawi Cooking: Last programm of Robin Kahn at dOCUMENTA 13


Just letting you know that Robin will be returning to dOCUMENTA(13) in Kassel for the last two weeks of her installation The Art of Sahrawi Cooking. (see: www.robinkahn.blogspot.com for more information)

Throughout the summer the jaima (the tent sewed by La Cooperativa Unidad Nacional de Mujeres Saharauis in the 27 Febrero refugee camp) has been an active site for education and dialogue about the crisis in Western Sahara.

During the opening week she and eight Sahrawi women from the refugee camps in Tindouf, Algeria cooked couscous and made tea for hundreds of visitors each day. Throughout the rest of June and July, Robin was there to host an expanded program of talks, in particular the Symposium on Human Rights, presented by Bettina Semmer, with panels and presentations by legal scholars, journalists, doctors and activists who had visited the occupied and liberated territories of Western Sahara as well as the refugee camps. During that time and on into August there have also been formal and informal gatherings of artists participating in Documenta, exhibition staff and local residents who have shared their own cooking traditions with the public or expanded the notion of hospitality in other ways. Many of these were hosted by graduate students from GradCam in Dublin whose incredible projects and activities are documented on their blog: www.inthetent.org .

AND SO… if you have plans on going to dOCUMENTA(13) or are in Europe before September 16th (the exhibition’s last day) please come check out the jaima as there will be more to come. Besides the ongoing programs organized by GradCam, from September 2nd-September 16th, some of the featured presentations are:
-Screenings of Javier Bardem's documentary about Western Sahara "Sons of the Clouds" (first presented at the Berlin Film Festival last February)
-Nadjat Hamdi, the Polisario Representative to Vienna will arrive September 10th with her family and friends to engage the public in conversations about Western Sahara accompanied by traditional tea, dancing, henna tattooing, and song.
-Karin Scheele, a former EU Parliamentarian will make a presentation about her experiences as the President of the Saharaui Association in Germany and the head of the "Peace for Western Sahara" movement.
-Danielle Smith, the President of Sandblast.org will talk about her London based organization about Western Sahara and the arts.
-And, finally, the installation will celebrate its success with delicious food events: including a meal with D13's Worldly Companions and a place at Dan Simons' Kesseler Art Bankett on September 15, 2012.

miércoles, 1 de agosto de 2012

El Festival de Arte del Sáhara Occidental se celebrará el próximo octubre en los campamentos de refugiados saharauis como estaba previsto

COMUNICADO DE PRENSA 1 de Agosto de 2012

ARTifariti 2012 mantiene su programación tras evaluar la sumaria respuesta del Ministerio de Exteriores

Una vez evaluada la situación tras la repatriación apremiante y alarmante de los cooperantes españoles de los campamentos saharauis el pasado 29 de Julio y las aclaraciones respecto a la misma del Ministerio español de Asuntos Exteriores, los organizadores de los Encuentros Internacionales de Arte del Sahara Occidental han decidido mantener la programación prevista al no tener constancia de que la situación de seguridad en los campamentos saharauis haya variado.

En la reunión mantenida por las ONGs que trabajan desde hace años en la zona con el Ministerio de Exteriores, el mismo se escudó en los servicios secretos para no explicar las razones reales de la repatriación de los cooperantes. Asimismo no ha informado a la autoridades saharauis sobre dichos “indicios” tras la petición del delegado saharaui en España. Por su parte el Gobierno Saharaui ha confirmado que no tiene constancia de que se haya modificado el nivel de seguridad en la zona, reforzado desde los acontecimientos del pasado octubre.

La organización de estos encuentros, de la que forma parte la Asociación de Amistad con el Pueblo Saharaui de Sevilla, reitera su compromiso con la justicia social y con la situación de la población saharaui refugiada, que necesita para su supervivencia de la ayuda internacional y del testimonio, en este caso de los artistas, para visibilizar su realidad y conseguir su derecho reconocido a un futuro digno y en libertad.

ARTifariti 2012 celebrará, pues, como estaba programado, su SEXTA edición el próximo mes de Octubre en los campamentos de refugiados saharauis situados junto a la ciudad argelina de Tindouf, contando para ello con el apoyo del Ministerio de Cultura Saharaui.