Understanding the Call to Boycott The Odyssey
It's been over a month since The Odyssey premiered, and the film has continued to draw plenty of publicity.
What much of the public still doesn't know is that part of it was filmed in Dakhla, Western Sahara - territory Morocco has illegally occupied for 50 years.
By filming there, Nolan's production lends visibility and legitimacy to this brutal occupation.
The Odyssey’s production and treatment of Western Sahara is representative of the greater systemic injustices perpetrated by Morocco and the international supporters of its occupation. This issue extends beyond just film production, and reaches greater industries, like tourism, agriculture, green energy, all as branches of a central machine: one that seeks to erase and normalize the illegal occupation of Western Sahara.
In order to help new audiences understand the many facets of this issue we have created this article as a resource. We aim to break down the importance of this issue, supported by a list of journalists and references, as well as pamphlets and other materials that you can print on your own and share with your community!
Keep reading to learn more about the interconnected injustices, resources, and ways to get involved!
Its not just The Odyssey, Morocco’s strategic erasure runs deeper. By changing demographics, illegally exploiting natural resources, and falsely promoting occupied regions as Moroccan destinations for tourism, the erasure and normalization of Western Sahara’s occupation grows stronger and more accepted each year.
The Ryanair case is another prime example. By marketing Dahkla as a Moroccan destination, international understanding of the conflict is further obstructed by false narratives and misrepresentation. Injustice and oppression will not be ignored.
Why Boycott?
Nolan spent four days filming near the coastal city of Dakhla, a city in Western Sahara - a territory that has been illegally occupied by Morocco since 1975.
The production exploits Dakhla as a picturesque backdrop with "cinematic sand dunes” ignoring the fact that it is a militarised city under siege, whose indigenous Saharawi population is subjected to brutal repression by Moroccan occupation forces
FiSahara, an annual film festival held in the Saharawi refugee camps, have spoken out against Mr Nolan’s filming in Dakhla: plainly stating that it was “without the consent of the Sahrawi people.”
Morocco has created its own film festival in Dakhla as part of a broader strategy to use cultural production to "legitimise" the occupation and erase Saharawi identity. A $250 million Hollywood epic being filmed there is a propaganda gift that directly supports this attempt to normalise occupation.
Despite numerous attempts to contact members of production, we have received no response.
Further Reading
We created a reference list with dozens of articles, written and researched by journalists across diverse platforms. These are great to share with your community.
Click the image to access the sheet!
The Connected Issues
Morocco’s efforts to normalise their unlawful occupation run deep, and grow stronger with each passing legislation. It is more important than ever for us to take action and express our concern on an international scale.
Dahkla is at the center of many of these connected issues.
Dahkla is a focalzation of Morocco’s efforts to “re-brand” and market occupied Western Sahara as inherently Moroccan. Through profiting off the land through its beauty, like with tourism and film production, as well as through raw resource extraction.
RyanAir currently offers direct flights from Madrid to Dahkla, and advertise the experience as a Moroccan destination. You can help protest this action by signing our petition, aiding in the fight to combat the misrepresentation and occupation.
Our petition calls upon RyanAir to issue an apology and a recognition of Western Sahara, and ceasing the misleading language around Dahkla.
Add your Name to our Petition!
Click the image to sign your name and support accountability and resistance against the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara.
More Ways to Take Action
There are may ways for you to take action beyond the boycott!
This can look like writing to your local cinemas to inform them about Western Sahara and encourage them to take a stance by not screening the film, educating and engaging in conversations with your local community about this issue, and sharing and boosting articles and posts that bring awareness to Nolan's complicity.
Read about Sandblast’s presence and protest at the London Premiere of the film in July
Click the image to read the full story
Many members of our Sandblast Community expressed an interest in ways to continue to the momentum after the premiere in July.
In response to this, we created a pamphlet available for you to download, print, and distribute. We have two different materials to help introduce new audiences to the struggle of Saharawis and the fight for justice. The first, is a pamphlet drawing attention to the simmilarities and solidarity shared with the Palestinian struggle, and the second is tailored specifically to the conversation surrounding the Odyssey.
Click on the images below to access the full printable PDFs
