The Beat of distant hearts

Through various Saharawi artists, poets and singers, this documentary tells the tragic story of the Saharawi nomads who were forced into exile from their homeland, the former Spanish colony of Western Sahara in North-West Africa, by the Moroccan invasion in 1975. For 15 years an armed struggle raged between the occupying Moroccans and the Polisario Front, the national liberation movement of the Saharawis, until 1991 when a ceasefire took place, monitored by the United Nations. Over 170,000 refugee Saharawis live in camps established in the harsh barren desert of Southwestern Algeria. In 1992 the United Nations attempted to sponsor a referendum for the Saharawis to vote for their future in Western Sahara - asking whether the Saharawis wished to remain a part of Morocco or rule themselves. However obstacles and disputes prevented the referendum and subsequent attempts have similarly been thwarted. Eventually it was decided to delay the vote until July 2000. The artists in this story tell of their own personal experiences, their day-to-day life and the effect the conflict has had on their families, and how the ongoing struggle for independence has kept alive their culture and influenced their works. In turn, it has been through their works that they have been able to educate, express and motivate their people to maintain the fight for independence. Director Danielle Smith lived as a member of a large extended family in the Saharawi refugee camps in southwest Algeria and taught English at the Women’s Vocational Centre. Through this experience she gained a close understanding of the culture and society. NB: The color in the film appears faded and washed out and the quality of the lighting to be overexposed. However this tonal condition lends itself to giving the film an air of surrealism.