Endless Exile is but a fragmented glimpse of moments and scenes in the lives of the Saharawi refugees. Displaced for nearly five decades to harsh desert camps, in SW Algeria, due to the war that broke out in their homeland of Western Sahara, in 1975, they depend on humanitarian aid to survive and have few prospects to develop and flourish.
The photos represent the work of Danielle Smith, who has been going to the refugee camps for the past 31 years and Quintina Valero, a documentary photographer. Despite the endlessness of their exiled state and the lack of progress in resolving the conflict in Western Sahara, the Saharawis still believe in a better future for themselves and their homeland and continue struggling to achieve it. Their largely unknown story is one that gives hope and strength.
This exhibition attempts to shed a little light on the Saharawis and their plight. It is also a testament to their human spirit and an indictment of the international community's failure to grant them their fundamental right to self-determination.
Endless Exile was on display at ActOne Cinema in the lead up to our fundraising event of June 6 2022.
