The Sydney Morning Herald recently interviewed RCN alumna and Western Sahara activist Tecber Ahmed Salah.
The article begins,
When you’re from Western Sahara, small talk can be tough. There is no warming up with the weather, or polite chit-chat about your flight.
It’s straight to the heavy stuff, says Tecber Ahmed Saleh.
She is a national of a country most people don’t know exists, and which was partially annexed by its northern neighbour, Morocco, in 1975.
When Saleh meets new people, she frequently finds herself launching straight into explanations about her very identity. “We just assume everybody knows about us. We are supported by international law,” she tells me. “But whenever I am outside, when I present myself as Western Saharawi, I get, ‘What is that country? Where is it?’ Then you end up, instead of talking about yourself, you are talking about the history, the background, the geography … you are suddenly in a conflict area.”
Follow this link to read the full article.
