Within the framework of the Middle East and North Africa Seminar Series, the seminar “Africa’s Last Colony: Decolonising Western Sahara” will feature Isabel Lourenço (Centre for American Studies, University of Porto, CIAS, University of Coimbra) and Francisco Freire (Professor of Anthropology at NOVA FCSH and Researcher at CRIA – NOVA FCSH)
Western Sahara is the epitome of neocolonial and imperialist prospects. After over 50 years of Moroccan occupation, the Sahrawis struggle every day for their survival and the survival of their traditions and customs. Incarceration, vigilance, and violence are a part of the everyday life of every Sahrawi in occupied Western Sahara, where the country’s natural resources are pillaged every day.
In the refugee camps, in Algeria, where the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) was established in 1976 and from where it has worked from then on, the people face extreme temperatures in inhospitable land. In Spain, the first colonial power, a vast number of Sahrawis live and work, calling for the right of self-determination of the people.
It is in this sense that this webinar aims at exploring the first contacts between Portugal and the region known today as Western Sahara, and ethical practices in conducting research in an occupied context.
The session will take place online, through the following link: Webinar Link