Report Received 16 June 2020, accepted 10 December 2020

doi: 10.51741/sd.2021.60.2.181-186

Hubert Höllmüller

An Austrian social work project in Western Sahara

Western Sahara is a territory in northwest Africa, bordered by Morocco, Al- geria, Mauritania, and the Atlantic Ocean. In 1963, the United Nations asked Spain as the colonial power of Western Sahara, to decolonize the territory. But Spain did not answer this call, instead it handed the colony to the neighboring countries Morocco and Mauretania. In reaction, the Sahrawi people proclaimed the Democratic Arab Republic of Western Sahara or DARS. After the invasion of Morocco in the north and of Mauretania in the south, part of the people fled to Algeria and erected several refugee camps that exist to this day. According to Dreven, Poprask in Ramšak (2019), a military conflict ensued. Mauretania retreated in 1985 and Morocco took over this area and succeeded in permanently occupying about 80% of the Western Sahara, and the DARS was left with around 20%. Morocco brought in several hundred thousand of its citizens. To cut off the 20% rest of Western Sahara, a 2700 km long wall known as “the Berm,” surrounded by millions of land mines was built. In 1991, the United Nations brokered a ceasefire agreement and established a peacekeeping mission, the MINURSO, which has been monitoring the ceasefire and the buffer zone along the Berm for 29 years, but without any mandate to monitor the human rights situation in the occupied area. A referendum should have been carried out, but it hasn’t happened. The UN finished the register of voters, but Morocco refuses to accept it. Western Sahara is to this day the largest territory on the UN’s list of Non- -Self-Governing Territories by both land area and population. The Western Saharan conflict is fundamentally a question of decolonization: an anomaly in an otherwise successful process of the decolonization of Africa. The territory is therefore often referred to as “the last African colony”. The Sahrawi refugee camps were first established in this harsh and in- hospitable desert plain during 1975 and 1976 by Sahrawi refugees fleeing from advancing Moroccan forces. The land was offered freely by the Algerian government, but it is subject to scorching temperatures, frequent sandstorms, and lack of vegetation. It is often referred to as “the Devil’s Garden.” The last official counting of the UN (in 2019) showed up a figure of 173.000 people

living permanently in the camps. , 60 (2021), 2:181–186 elo As one of the last unresolved decolonization issues on Earth, Western Saha- ra should be one of the international community’s most urgent priorities. A situation of refuge and exile, imagined to be temporary, has in this case

become a permanent status quo. This frozen conflict has an increasing Socialno d 182 Hubert Höllmüller explainswhy this Western Sahara conflict isignored inEuropean discourses: dum onlegalof Westernstatus Sahara.Friedhard Teuffel (2018), a journalist, they were successful enough to beoffered a ceasefire in 1991 and areferen natural resources and with rich fishing grounds. Intheir resistance to Morocco, misfortune ofhaving 80% of their territory, now under Moroccanof rule,full in exile strives for democratic values.the Sahrawi But peoplehave the big go to Europe. Their religionmoderate isa and theirstate independentIslam systemeducational an system.basic health anda of themdon’t Most want to refugees live intheircampsnearTindouf in Algeria.They have established practice example for refugee work inNorthern Africa: 173,600 self-organized the parliament didn’t proclaim anything. referendum referring to UNresolutions, all after but interventions diplomatic (the UNmission for the Western Sahara) intheoccupied territory and for the proposed a motionfor a resolution onhumanrights monitoring of MINURSO the Austrian Parliament, where representativesparties inMarch ofall 2018 efforts to bringtheconflicttoawareness. public’s examples One ofthelast is and economic pressurepolitical they are intervening againstany diplomatic official FrancehaveSpain and Morocco, goodtieswith soinstead ofputting countries inEuropelonial end toan put could African colony.last the the But could besolvedThe conflict easily by theEuropeanex-cothe big Union. All Charcoal drawingoftherefugee campby E.Sorgo. The conflictofWestern Sahara containssomeingredients to beagood Poprask inRamšak, 2019,p.82ff) meansof conflict resolution should beineveryone’s best interest. (Dreven, of growing instabilities,preventingin favor such anescalation ofpeaceful in Sahrawi refugee communities,especially amongtheyouth. Inaworld potential asfrustration ofagain turning violent, andhopelessnesstake root - - An Austrian social work project in Western Sahara 183 - - - for refugees on their way to Europe. This strengthens its position, despite its position, This strengthens Europe. to way on their refugees for the desert. into Sorefugees deports that this north African state reports long too for exist settlements, which in their refugee remain the Sahrawi be permanent. but should not be provisional, to with the Western Sahara, as nobody wants to start a head-to-head contest a head-to-head start to wants as nobody Sahara, with the Western has Morocco because of some 160,000 nomads. Recently with Morocco including the coasts of Western with the EU, agreement got a new fishery fishery any that decided Justice of Court European the though even Sahara, does not The EU Commission Sahara. Western exclude has to agreement is a passing country is, that Morocco crucial factor A bothered. be seem to severe, but not catastrophic. Most of them depend on food donations of Most of them depend on food but not catastrophic. severe, In the re increasing. are Diseases and diabetes program. food the world on the huts. […] Morocco mud into transformed were tents fugee camps, of the Western resources of the natural out profit hand has made its other the by is inhibited The referendum and settled it with Moroccans. Sahara wants it can do what Morocco […] vote. to be allowed would question who Based on UN resolutions, there should have been a referendum on the a referendum been have should there resolutions, on UN Based the Sa to territory bring back the could which Sahara, Western status of should the pressure where from And so far. happened But it hasn’t hrawi. is situation do. Their can is little the Sahrawi it? There organize come to Photo 1: International meeting with Hubert Höllmüller (in the middle). 1: International Photo and professors from the camps and from Carinthia visited each other. After this After each other. Carinthia visited the camps and from from and professors young where a project, funded government the Carinthian regional step, first invited by the Carinthian University of Applied Sciences (CUAS) to sign a coo to (CUAS) of Applied Sciences the Carinthian University by invited program an Erasmus applied for CUAS With this contract, agreement. peration that as the refugee the argument National Agency accepted and the Austrian in Algeria and Algeria the countries eligible is one of in the located camps are out. can be carried students In 2017/2018 an academic exchange program, In 2012, the Western Sahara Government founded the University of Tifariti, as Tifariti, of University the founded Government Sahara Western the In 2012, was Hamudi Jatari rector the and camps, refugee in located university first the 184 Hubert Höllmüller • • • the following: tor), Fatimetu SidiMohamed(Education Professor attheUniversity ofTifariti) Omar,Salamo Ali, Majidi MohamedBouzid(coordina RhagebAhmed Baba, skype, emailandWhatsApp. tookin thecamps.Duringyear, place there werevia ongoingcontacts universities in Ljubljana and Cologne, and in February 2020 the last workshop in thecampsaboutfirstresearch ideas. researchsecond tookthe and the camps principlesin in June2019 also place two studentswere selected.January thefirstseminarstarted In onscientific dents were chosen, and thesecond hearing inJanuary2019, where theother for young female academicsinthefieldofsocialsciences. University of Tifaritifor madeacall for applicants four one-year scholarships and socialissues there. Following theproposals of Sahrawi colleagues,the Sahrawi academics should develop research designs related to the camps is regarded asbeautiful, butonly asmallerpartagrees with this statement. cosmetics. Mostyoungof harmful Sahrawi women skin pale confirm that foundthere outthat is no regulationby theauthorities to avoid the selling creams.using non-medicalbleaching After100 interviews, carrying out she skinasanexpressionof pale and to ofbeauty alertwomenthe risks about of pendently. Shewanted to make young Sahrawi women questiontheideals does democracy conflictwiththevalues andcustoms oftheirsociety. diversityand cultural of political ideas; whatdo they of violence; think and the opinionsopposingtheiropinionanddiscuss them; dothey believe inthe do they respect others regardless of their sexualorientation; do they accept do they respect others regardless of their religious/nonreligious orientation; do they respect others regardless of intellectual extremism and affiliation; gned questions to assess: do they respect freedom of opinion and thinking; questionnaire for Sahrawiyouth regarding theirdemocraticvalues. He desi • • • • • • wishes andworrieswishes ofkindergarten teachers, educated inAustria, working women andmeninwheelchairs inthecampsdoingsports, ideas ofwar invalids inthePolisario center for war invalids, mute anddeafchildren inthecamps, relation ofchildren to theirfathers duringparental divorce, danger ofwhitening cosmeticsfor young Sahrawi women, political attitudesofSahrawi youth intherefugee camps, litical authorities. what makes young Sahrawis disconnect with therefugee society and po day nurseryfor children between 0and2, and living intherefugee camps, Major research topics which were discussed by Sahrawi researchers were The names of researchers:Nuna Mohamed,Raaba Khadija Mumu, Ahmed Two oftheyoungacademics were invited to Carinthiaandto thepartner The firsthearingwas organized inBoujdourJune2018, where two stu Researcher RaabaAhmed Aliworked on thisresearch topic very inde Researcher cametoOmar Salamo thefirstworkshopelaboratedan with - - - - - An Austrian social work project in Western Sahara 185 - - - - - They learnt the importance of a good day-structure and that that and day-structure a good of importance the learnt They

group discussions where they had to write down their biggest worries their biggest worries down write had to they where discussions group informed were Thus we with the children. work about their everyday was professionals, Austrian by elaborated was which that the curriculum, kinder Algerian the of curriculum the years three since that and abolished school, has primary for a curriculum is much more which garten-system, We realized very soon that the women had the need to talk and to tell us tell talk and to had the need to soon that the women very realized We with small workshop every start decided to So we worries. about their Lisa Bebek wrote in her personal protocol the following: the following: protocol in her personal Lisa Bebek wrote Austrian students Lisa Bebek and Franziska Syme who spent their Eras spent their who Syme Bebek Lisa students and Franziska Austrian Austria, were taught there that playing is the central element of any kinder any of element the central is that playing there taught were Austria, program. garten and recovery. activity balance between be a has to there and exchange among the kindergarten educators, which has not been met. which educators, among the kindergarten and exchange Algerian Ministry the from complain about the new standard educators The children where a pre-school should be run like that kindergarten of Education and and read write to should learn how but instead play to not allowed are in trained partly were who The educators strict structure. in a very calculate have affected social life in Sahrawi society? in Sahrawi social life affected have in out an action research carried Tifariti, of at the University mus semester in trained educators on the kindergarten camp focusing refugee the Sahrawi is a big need of meetings there their report: The main findings from Austria. Raaba Ahmed Ali also worked on a second research question about family about question family on a research second Ahmed Ali also worked Raaba disin family of the phenomenon facing is society Sahrawi The disintegration. goals research Her of wars. unstable situation and the state due to tegration under to disintegration, family of and dimensions the effects know to were political – social, cultural, are disintegration the causes of family stand what that changes the enormous to linked disintegration family and is religious, or Photo 2: Interviewing. Photo 186 Hubert Höllmüller Teuffel, F.(2018).Dievergessenen FlüchtlingederSaharaui. Dreven, S., Poprask, C., & Ram National Agency. program theUniversitywith of Tifariti hasbeenaccepted by theAustrian will notdisintegrate? the Sahrawihowsociety and to preventthe Sahrawiso that it refugee society the reasons for the young generation to distance itself from thestructures of toto goback to thecamps workcentralon the research question:whatare hrawi scientific community. Hopefully, opportunitiesmight popupfor them in Europe to followtheir individual dreamsand plans loss forbig –a theSa have to –bemade visible by research. Three of the researchers are actually there knows exactly whereproblems themain and howlie they – and can gee society existsthe youngthat and generation of thescientific community political structures inthereality oftherefugee campsshouldbeaddressed. social networks crossing structures.tribal Improvements ontheir social and as there are housings, roads,schools, taxis, shops andalsobureaucracy and point ofview, thelife intherefugee campsshows akindofunnormal normality project than the young researchers from the refugee camps. From asociological As representatives of anAustrian university, we learnt much more during this Sources Luckily, inJuly 2020,we gottheinformation thatanotherErasmus+ has beenshownIt inner perspectivethe critical that ontheSahrawirefu on-in-afrika-die-vergessenen-fluechtlinge-der-saharaui/23015262.html 2018. Retrieved on 14 December2020 from Drava. exile. InH.Höllmülleretal., social competences. the children andthatthestrictlearning couldinhibitthedevelopment of also were concernedthatthenow missingphysical activities couldharm to beexecuted. Thewomen really were desperate andfelt leftalone.They š Erasmus goesWestsahara ak, R. (2019). The everyday reality of Saharawi people in the https://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/migrati . (pp. 82–126). Klagenfurt/Celovec: . (pp.82–126).Klagenfurt/Celovec: Der Tagespiegel , 12September - - -