Gran Canaria (Canary Islands), 9 October 2026 (SPS) – A cultural and intellectual forum dedicated to promoting Sahrawi culture and highlighting its distinctive features, as well as the history of the Sahrawi people’s struggle for freedom and independence, was held on 7 October at the headquarters of the Gran Canaria Island Council in Las Palmas.
The forum featured several cultural and intellectual activities, including a lecture by Juan Carlos Gimeno, a professor at the Autonomous University of Madrid specialising in anthropology and research on Sahrawi culture. His presentation explored the history of Sahrawi society, the distinctive characteristics of its culture and heritage, and the features that distinguish it from neighbouring cultures.
The programme also included the presentation of a book entitled Sahrawi Novel and Stories and a screening of the documentary Songs of Resistance (Canciones de Resistencia). These activities provided an opportunity to showcase Sahrawi cultural creativity and forms of artistic expression that have accompanied the Sahrawi people’s struggle.
The forum was overseen by Carmelo Ramírez, a friend of the Sahrawi people and councillor responsible for international cooperation and solidarity at the Gran Canaria Island Council, alongside Esther García, president of the Canarian Education Association, which coordinates several cultural and educational projects in the Sahrawi refugee camps.
The event prompted considerable engagement from participants, who raised questions about the history of the Sahrawi people’s struggle, their identity and their cultural heritage. Ramírez and Professor Gimeno also provided detailed accounts of the different stages of this struggle, from the period of Spanish colonial rule to the present day, highlighting the historical and cultural particularities of Sahrawi society.
The forum also addressed the human rights situation in the occupied territories of Western Sahara, including violations against Sahrawi civilians and the conditions of Sahrawi political prisoners in Moroccan jails, particularly those on hunger strike. Participants highlighted their demands for release and the Sahrawi people’s inalienable right to self-determination, freedom and independence.
Mohamed Saeed, deputy representative of the Polisario Front in the Canary Islands, attended the event alongside researchers and others interested in Sahrawi affairs, friends and supporters of the Sahrawi people from the Canary Islands, and members of the Sahrawi community residing in Gran Canaria.
The forum reaffirmed the importance of cultural initiatives in raising awareness of the Sahrawi cause, preserving collective memory and showcasing the richness and diversity of Sahrawi culture, while strengthening ties of communication and solidarity between the Sahrawi people and their supporters in the Canary Islands.
