In 2013 I participated at the event "Colour of Sand - Cultural day for Western Sahara" that took place in Cankarje dom, Slovenia's main congress centre.
The organisers decided to familiarize the wider Slovenian public, the media and civil society with glimpses of daily life in Western Sahara: the art and music, the refugees, the warmth of children's eyes, the longing for freedom.
I was responsible to lead a 30 minute workshop for 45 pre-schoolers (3 groups of 15) to build a symbolic styrofoam wall. I had to grab their attention, teach them on where and how to build the wall, and at the end politely but firmly ask them to prepare the bricks for the next group of children. Needless to say, it was loads of fun :-)
The event organisers prepared many other activities for the both kids and adults, such as traditional tea drinking, an authentic Bedouin tent with Arab storytellers, an exhibition of photographs from Western Sahara and refugee camps in Algeria, a free compendium of essays on Western Saharan society, a poignant documentary film directed by Javier Bardem, a round table, and a concert from the Western Sahara band Estrella Polisaria.
Main organisers: The Department of General Sociology and the Department of Romance Studies of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Ljubljana, in cooperation with kindergardens, primary and secondary schools, students, representatives of Polisario (internationally recognized liberation organization and legal representatives of the Western Saharans), Mr. Malaina Ahmed, and with the exceptional hospitality of Cankarjev dom.
