Contemporary Artists From Around The World Abandonment warning for the Saharawi people in Artifariti 2008

An important group of artists Sahrawis, Spanish, Latin American and Algerian meeting for the second time in Tifariti, symbolic capital of Western Sahara by the Polisario Front released in the meetings organized by the Ministry of Culture of the SADR and the Association of Solidarity with the Saharawi people of Seville, ARTIFARITI 2008, to denounce the situation of neglect and abandonment experienced by the international Saharawi people and the illegal occupation of their territory by Morocco. The isolation, the plundering of natural resources, forced exile, harsh living conditions and no chance of development was the reflection of the different artistic proposals. Over 50 artists were moved to a conflict zone controlled by the army of the republic? Sahrawi Arab Democratic to participate in this intercultural experience which aims to reclaim the respect for human rights and peoples.

Sahrawis living with families and the rich exchange of experiences with local artists to promote creativity of the proposals, made with the limited material and technical means available in the territory and under extreme living conditions, the same that supports the Saharawi people from 33 years ago. Culture to promote peaceful solutions and art as a weapon of the future, as an invitation to reflection and the complaint, were the ideas shared by all the artists who have become ambassadors for the Saharawi cause. Following their approach to the problems and demands of the population, all pledged to make their case speaker and try to place it in the center of debate in the West and today for the media. The creators said they would not remain indifferent to the abuse suffered by these people, after learning first hand the inhabitants of Tifariti maimed by mines and live during encounters with women who fled into exile under the bombs of napalm and phosphorus launched by the Alawite army until the day of the signing of the ceasefire.

Isidro López Aparicio lived 24 hours of cold and wind in a hole two feet deep, Darraa dressed in the traditional costume Saharawi to report the isolation suffered by these people and then stood on a raised platform from which watered water spray to invite attendees to communication and hope. Galician artist Pamen Pereira accompanied him on this performative action from another hole / pataforma located about twenty feet away, also dressed in the MELFA, the Saharawi Woman costume. Meanwhile, Eva Lootz, he described the experience as "beautiful and hard, at once?, Posed with his installation" Light for All? the need to promote the development of the Saharawi people, through a program to promote solar energy, to improve their harsh living conditions. The National Prize for Plastic Arts, which highlighted the contribution of art to the visibility of the conflict, he insisted in his reflections on the complexity of the Saharawi cause, being brutal interests at stake in Morocco and other countries on the phosphates and other raw materials existing in the Western Sahara.

One of the drivers of the Land Art movement, Galician Fernando Casas, charged his son, Adrian Estarque photographer who developed his proposal "Blue Hole Tifariti?, A space for reflection and movement of energy created with earth pigments and Saharawi which, in a small amount, has traveled to Spain to continue its creator Galicia development of this work. The Trojan Horse Sahrawi, sculpture made from recycled materials and remains of weapons by Mexican Rolando de la Rosa and brings in his gut the various UN resolutions in favor of the Saharawi cause and the maximum of Benito Juárez: "Among individuals and among nations, respect for the rights of others is peace "will be taken against the wall. This event will be attended by the president of the SADR, Mohamed Abdelazar, residents of the Tindouf refugee camps and various media intended to make known to the world the existence of Moroccan mining invisible wall, a monument to horror than 2,700 miles long that secretes two Western Sahara.

ART VS PUMPS

In the same week in Oslo signing an international agreement to ban cluster bombs, the artists participating in this second edition of ARTIFARITI denounced with their creations, made in some cases remains of war material, the threat of artifacts explosives suffering of the Saharawi people inhabiting the liberated territories and the areas near the wall of shame planted over three million landmines. The Land Mine Action NGOs, responsible for bomb disposal work performed in the Western Sahara released, Federico Guzman invited the artist to create a work for its headquarters in Tifariti. "The wall of shame? is the name of this creation that works as a cry of denunciation of the situation and, in a didactic program as a catalog of the various types of existing pumps in the area. The main objective of this proposal involved Sevillian artist, who has declared the Saharawi people feel in love and involved with their cause "to the end?, Is that children can recognize and not mistaken for deadly toys and mutilation.

Along with Federico Guzman and his e-mule Taina, its creation ARTIFARITI 2008, traveled different members of the Collective Seville Nana Pililli-Moak-singer, Carmen Carmona, Ricardo Gil Garrido and Victoria, who have worked different proposals based processual interaction with the Saharawi community in denouncing the situation. They all stressed the intensity of the experiences they bring back home, lived in a context-as would John Alcon ARTIFARITI participant in 2007 - "where the boundary between private and public is diluted, which replaces the private is not the intimate ".

Seven creators Baich Saharan Mohamed Saleh Brahim, Larbi, Lebs Lebs, Minetu Lehbid, and Mohamed Salek, made several proposals pictorial warning for his people and in particular cultural castration intends to submit the Moroccan occupation force, which even trying to appropriate the traditional Saharawi culture by organizing festivals such as Tam Tam also counts, in this case with international complicity. Insisted on the same idea the other Saharawi artists, some staff from the first edition of ARTIFARITI as Ahmed Madi-Yeslem or Mouloud, participating in cultural workshops for creativity, artistic techniques, peace art, archeology and photography developed by Pamen Pereira, Eduardo Romaguera, Meta-Synthesis, Teresa Muniz and Paul Balbontín.

A committee of Algerian contemporary artists, led by Karin Sergoua, specially invited by the organization, made an intervention in the former home of Spanish military officer, bombed by Morocco in 1991 during the flight from hell. Various murals on the building destroyed, although individually made were a whole speak of horror, pain and also hope that the enemy will not bring death back to Tifariti released. These studies strengthen the participation of Algeria, SADR brother at meetings, having already scheduled a new presentation of ARTIFARITI in Algiers for the next spring.

Creating Space for communication and exchange

Meanwhile, the Peruvian Rosamar Corcuera, author of a ceramic sculpture tribute to the Saharawi woman, and Claudia Martinez of Argentina, whose proposal was an embroidered track map of Western Sahara, developed their creations in collaboration with groups of Saharawi Women, potters Aiun and a group of Smara, respectively. An important phase of their activities was to create opportunities for exchange of information and experiences on the hard journey traveled by Saharawi people from Moroccan occupation for over 30 years, highlighting both artists the richness of these encounters.

The silkscreen workshop of Alonso Gil, who has dressed all participants with demands for a Free Sahara, the Sahrawi silhouettes of everyday attitudes after a homecoming desired Olías Ana, installation of raindrops miracle-ceramic , in this case a Talja, the tree of the desert, ANGELES Benitez Gnomon Shadow of a hand he denounces the plundering of natural resources of Western Sahara by the Moroccan occupying, created by William Roiz, The hopeful and colorful paradise that has made Tifariti Maria Ortega, the sea has returned to Canary Meseguer Nuria Saharawi the revealing letters written by the Host Saharan Fine Art-Madrid-Tifariti Tifariti ... have left their mark on the liberated territory by the Polisario Front with the intention of promoting freedom of his people and press for compliance with international law.

Representatives Agro Land Art movement, Antonio García Ruano and Nazareth, and Protasius Agripino participated in several actions in parallel with the nomads in the area and installed, including the planting of several trees from Parque del Alamillo in Seville. This planting is part of a twinning ceremony in Seville Park, closely linked to solidarity with Western Sahara, Sahrawi liberated the town of Tifariti, which also left two Talja bound for the city of Seville.

The Chief Military Region II, Mahmoud Ahmed Brahim, who hosted the meetings, recalled, especially for Spanish artists to echo this complaint, which the Castilian being the second official language of the SADR, not supported the Instituto Cervantes, unlike Morocco where several delegations of this organism. Precisely the language of Cervantes was used by photographer Javier Navarrete Almeria, to edit a number of his newspaper lavozdelsahara.com, dated November 25, 2031. This publication of the future, on its front page announcing the election of a woman as president of the SADR in an election held in the Western Sahara released, was warmly welcomed by the inhabitants of Tifariti, sedentary and nomadic, including distributed.

In conclusion, the Sahrawis asked foreign artists do not forget them and disseminate their cause around the world, have signed a commitment that all before his return home. The caravan of artists this weekend landed at Barajas Airport, which started on 22 November, after having spent 15 days creating their works on site in Tifariti (Western Sahara) and then, living several days with Sahrawi families in the wilaya of Auserd (Saharawi refugee camps in Tindouf, Algeria). They arrived tired, exhausted, but none has escaped extra weight, the responsibility to convey the experience.

All interventions have been documented by photographer Pepe Caparros, the sculptress Alicia Martin, who this time made an audiovisual presentation on ARTIFARITI 2008, and Carlos de Gredos and Rosa Garrido, responsible for publishing the catalog. Emiliano Martin, Miguel Villa and Jorge Fernandez audiovisual material recorded for broadcast media.

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